Lake view

A misty day at the lake.

 

Back again

Once again the backyard birds were shrieking.  We looked around and couldn't see anything, until a squirrel ran, chased by a silent owl.

Unfortunately the owl missed the squirrel.  He flew up into a tree, watching and waiting for his next meal.

 

Phoebe

A little phoebe on a long branch.

 

Spring green

A spring forest walk.  Green is so intense in the spring leaves.

 

Backyard visitor

 The cardinals were giving their high pitched warning call, the towhees were whooping.

And here's the reason.  This barred owl came to visit.

He flew up into a tree and looked around.  

A brave blue jay came up and tried to scare him away.

He took a short nap, not caring what the little birds were saying about him.

 

Dog day morning

It looked like a dog convention on the greenway.

 

Heron

The herons are still hanging out at their nests.

 

Show-offs

A two male flickers were putting on a show for a lady.

They spread their tail feathers and looked handsome.

One of them finally got her attention.

 

Eaglets

The eagle chicks are poking out of the nest.  I think there are at least two, one is hunkered down on the right and hard to see.  They're pretty big birds already.

 

Crossvine

A native vine, the crossvine, is food for hungry hummingbirds.

(See here)

 

Cardinal

A lone cardinal overlooking the lake.

 

Sky

A morning sun.

 

My eyes are on you

The red shouldered hawk was watching everyone walking by like a...well, like a hawk.

 

Killdeer

This little killdeer made a big impression on the lake.

 

Rocking Porch

The porch at the Walnut Creek Wetlands park is a great place to rock and enjoy the scenery.

 

Walnut Creek Wetlands

Walnut Creek Wetlands  was used as a dump site for many years.  It has been reclaimed and now is a haven for wildlife and students of wildlife.  And a success story for Environmental Justice.   (see here for the history of the area)

 

Woody Woodpecker

He found the loudest tree in the forest, a nice old dry dead tree.  We could hear his drumming long before we saw him.

 

Heronry action

The herons are nesting at the top of the tallest trees.

Can you see the three baby chicks poking their heads up?

 

Eclipse

The eclipse was nowhere near Raleigh, but we still had fun.  

A vegetable steamer acted as a pinhole camera with hundreds of little suns.

The shadow of leaves gave us sun shaped patches of light.

The steamer made shadows that looked like a henna tattoo.

 

Eagle

Daddy eagle is still guarding the nest.  But the nest is still quiet.

 

Dogwoods

Dogwoods in bloom.

 

Purple

Wisteria is a very invasive vine here in North Carolina.  But for 2 weeks in the spring it blooms everywhere.

 

Chickadee

This little Chickadee was busy eating the maple flowers.

 

Osprey

An Osprey soared over the lake.  Maybe looking for a tasty fish?

 

Native?

 

It looks like a string of little bells hanging on the shrub.  I think it is a Mountain Andromeda (Pieris Floribunda) which is native.  (see here)  Or it could be a Japanese Andromeda (Pieris japonica)  which is certainly not native (see here).  They look identical to me.  But Raleigh city parks has committed to planting native species rather than introduced ones.  So, finding it in the park I will vote for the native.

Grape Hyacinth

They do look like a bunch of purple grapes, don't they?

 

Theme day: Medicine

The theme for April is medicine.  The purple dead nettle is a plant introduced from England for its medicinal properties.  It is supposedly an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.  (see here)

What more can you want!

 

Yellow Jessamine

Yellow Jessamine cascade down.

It is the state flower of South Carolina.

(See here)

 

Mallards

I think these are both male mallards.  The one on the top right looks a little unusual.

 

Pollen in the pond

A rainstorm washed the pine pollen into the pond.  I wouldn't like to be a duck right now.

 

Little Brown Jug

Deep in the leaf litter, the little brown jug flowers are hiding.  The plant is pollinated by ants.  (see here)

 

Hazelnut

The American Hazelnut shrubs are in full bloom.  

 

White azalea

First the pink azaleas bloom and then the white ones pop open.

 

Creeping Charlie

This little flower is an invasive plant from Europe.  British settlers brought it over for food and medicine.  It was used to make beer before the use of hops.  It has a few names: Creeping Charlie, Ground Ivy and Ale Ivy.

 

Tall trees

It's hard to show how tall the trees really are in North Carolina forests. 

 

Deep dive

The first tiger swallowtail I've seen this spring was deep into the azaleas.

 

Azalea season again

Azaleas bloom for profusely, but only for a few weeks.  It's worth the wait.

 

Pollen

Pollen season is on its way.  These Loblolly pines are ready to send out their yellow smoke.