Another Dark and Rainy Day

It's the start of a long weekend, and nothing is predicted but rain, rain, and more rain.  I set out this morning for a little pre-work birding simply because at the moment, it was not raining.  I had to take that as a good thing, in spite of it being gray and humid.

I went to the Sudbury Reservoir Trail in Southboro, along Parkerville Road.  I wanted to check on that possible Baltimore Oriole nest that I saw about a week ago and see if it in fact developed into a full-blown nest.

That is what the nest looked like on May 13, 2013 (a nice, sunny day).   Click to enlarge.  The nest is above and to the left of the bird.

This is what the nest looks like today.  Click to enlarge.

I had to over-expose this photo so that you'd be able to see the nest, but it definitely is a Baltimore Oriole nest, which is a small, round basket-like structure that hangs below the tree branch.  Nice to know that they are breeding here!

I actually saw two different pairs of Baltimore Orioles this morning.  One female was collecting nesting materials nearer the playing fields.

Baltimore Oriole (male)

Baltimore Oriole (female)

American Robin

Buttercups 

(the only sunshine this day will likely have)

Double Crested Cormorant

Chokecherry

(if only it were sunny, this would be a good magnet for butterflies)

Cedar Waxwings

(I haven't seen these for a long time!)

Great Blue Heron