On the Trails of IES

Views

• I can't blame the heat this time: I only took 4 photos, again.
• Last year this time was a little slow, too, but not like this.
• Through the close cropped Sedge Meadow Trail a tiny blue-eyed grass was determinedly blooming.
• The garlic mustard was getting thicker around the base of the Old Oak.
• Above the Old Pasture were two, then four, then a dozen chimney swifts swirling against the clouds.
• Approaching the "Appendix", I heard a "chip"; I chipped back and was surprised to see beady eyes peering through the black mask of a common yellowthroat.
• Gay wings were out in a number of locations along the trails.
• And in a few places, star flower was beginning to bloom
• Right near the bottom of the Old Gravel Pit, hidden off to the side, was a great old apple tree in blossom.
• The last sighting of the day was the electric blue eastern bluebird in the afternoon sun. Nice.

Butterflies

• 3 Cabbage White
• 4 Spring Azure

Plants

• 1 Blue-eyed grass

Birds

• 1 Turkey Vulture
• 10 Chimney Swift
• 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
• 3 Eastern Phoebe
• 1 Warbling Vireo
• 2 Red-eyed Vireo
• 2 Blue Jay
• 2 American Crow
• 5 Black-capped Chickadee
• 4 Tufted Titmouse
• 1 Carolina Wren
• 2 House Wren
• 1 Eastern Bluebird
• 13 Veery
• 2 Wood Thrush
• 11 American Robin
• 5 Gray Catbird
• 6 European Starling
• 1 Blue-winged Warbler
• 1 Chestnut-sided Warbler
• 1 Black-throated Green Warbler
• 2 Prairie Warbler
• 2 Black-and-white Warbler
• 5 Ovenbird
• 2 Common Yellowthroat
• 1 Hooded Warbler
• 3 Scarlet Tanager
• 4 Eastern Towhee
• 1 Chipping Sparrow
• 2 Field Sparrow
• 1 Song Sparrow
• 2 White-throated Sparrow
• 1 Northern Cardinal
• 4 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• 2 Red-winged Blackbird
• 1 Brown-headed Cowbird
• 3 Baltimore Oriole
• 3 House Finch
• 1 American Goldfinch