Author: Mike Dunn
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Red and Black
Without black, no color has any depth… ~Amy Grant A simple post this morning of something I rarely see, a top side view of a male Scarlet Tanager. They are still visiting the mulberry tree out back and have consumed all the easy to reach berries, so they are exhibiting some impressive acrobatics to snag… Read more…
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Still Hanging
Red is the ultimate cure for sadness. ~Bill Blass I’ve been working in the shop on a project and, as was the case last week, the tanagers are still at it, although the mulberry supply is dwindling fast. I am surprised at how tolerant they are as I walk to and from the shop door,… Read more…
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Mulberry Moments
Green gives and red receives. Nature is colour coded! ~Sonali Mohan Some of you may have known him, and, even if you didn’t, you may have one of his bluebird boxes in your yard. Jack Finch started a non-profit, Homes For Bluebirds, to help restore his beloved Eastern Bluebird to the skies of the southeast.… Read more…
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Transformation
We delight in the beauty of a butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty. ~Maya Angelou Remember how excited I was to finally photograph a chrysalis of a Falcate Orangetip butterfly in that post a few days ago? Well, I kept watch on the remaining caterpillars, hoping to… Read more…
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Success
To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work. ~Mary Oliver I imagine many of you already suspect me to be, shall we say, a nature nerd. This post probably will prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt. You may recall a post a few weeks back where I photographed a pair of… Read more…
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Beginning as Poop
Question: What is the white stuff in bird poop? Answer: That is bird poop, too. ~Kurt Vonnegut This is an update to an image I posted a week or so ago about new beginnings in the yard this spring. I found and photographed an egg of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on a Tulip Poplar leaf… Read more…
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Singing in the Rain
I’m happy again I’m singin’ and dancing in the rain I’m dancing and singin’ in the rain ~Lyrics from Singing in the Rain by Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown I will admit to not quite feeling that happy to wake up to the downpour this morning, but somebody did. At least, they seemed happy… Read more…
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Suet Sampler
I don’t feed the birds because they need me; I feed the birds because I need them. ~Kathi Hutton Sunday was a gray, chilly day here in the woods and the birds were quite active at the feeders. One group of birds, in particular, had my attention, the gorgeous Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have… Read more…
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Warbler Watching
The real jewel of my disease-ridden woodlot is the prothonotary warbler … The flash of his gold-and-blue plumage amid the dank decay of the June woods is in itself proof that dead trees are transmuted into living animals, and vice versa. ~Aldo Leopold This final post on our recent swamp trip is about one of… Read more…
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Bird Spot
Simply wait, be quiet, still. The world will freely offer itself to you. ~Franz Kafka Yesterday’s post mentioned the excellent birding we experienced on our recent paddle trip on the Roanoke River. When we arrived at our second camping platform, Three Sisters, the late day light was gorgeous and the sky was filled with all… Read more…
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Roads End Naturalist 