Southboro Stops

I stopped on Middle Road and Parkerville Road before work to look for warblers.  Birds were very active this morning, but the ones I saw were not warblers:   Black-Capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, European Starling, Song Sparrow, Cedar Waxwing, American Robin, Gray Catbird, and American Crow.

It was a beautiful start to the day, but only 42 degrees!

Red Squirrel

I think he's Italian and saying, "You talkin' to me?"

Cedar Waxwing

A hard frost was predicted last night.  I don't know if we had one, but it sure looked like a good possibility from all the drops that were on the foliage.

The best part of the morning was when I was in traffic on Route 30 on my way home.  There were two turkeys chasing each other around and around a rather skinny tree trunk really fast!  They must have circled it at least 20 times in the short time I was watching, and they were still going around when I had to drive on.  I wished I could have captured it on video, but it just wasn't possible!  Too funny!

At lunchtime, I walked at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land.  It was 70 and deliciously warm after the cold start this morning.  It was quiet for birds.  There was one Eastern-Tailed Blue butterfly and lots of Clouded Sulphurs and a few Cabbage Whites.

Fall asters have popped up throughout the meadows, so there is some late season nectar available to butterflies if they find it.

Clouded Sulphur on aster

Milkweed seeds have dried and the pods are splitting open, releasing them into the wind to plant next year's crop.  We can only hope there will be monarchs to take advantage of it next year.

Moth (still working on ID)