Great Crested Flycatcher

This was a first for me!  I thought it was just another Eastern Phoebe, when I took its photo from a distance, but once I looked at it on the computer and saw the yellow wash on its belly and the cinnamon coloring on its tail, I realized it was something new!  This bird does not always show its crest.  (It was in the same tree a the Red-Bellied Woodpecker in today's other posting!)

Wildwood Cemetery
7:30 AM
64 degrees

Red Bellied Woodpecker

This bird was sitting up high in the tree, catching the early morning sun.  I loved how well his colors showed up in the light.  You can even catch a glimpse of the orange-tinged feathers near its feet for which it got its name.  Why would a bird with this much red on its head and that little "red" on its belly be named as it is?  This is NOT a red-headed woodpecker.  That is another bird!

Most birds were named by someone who had the "bird in hand".  They were holding it while looking at its features and markings.  These names, therefore, make it a lot harder for those of us in the field looking for identifying marks......give me a break!

Wildwood Cemetery
64 degrees
7:30 AM

Cemetery Birding

Took a drive through Wildwood Cemetery this morning to see what birds might be around.

 Killdeer

 Northern Mockingbird

 Wild Turkey

Tree Swallow

Great Blue Heron

Don't you just love Great Blue Herons?   I think they look like pterodactyls when they are in flight!

Mass Audubon Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary

Checked the Power Line Trail today to see what butterflies might be about.  The trail was pretty overgrown and hard to walk on, so I didn't stay long.  I did see my first Hoary-Edge Skipper!  I also checked out what was in bloom in the butterfly garden.

 Hoary-Edge Skipper

 Grasshopper

Cabbage White

 Song Sparrow

Click here to see Mourning Cloak butterflies that I saw in March at Broad Meadow Brook.

Tower Hill Botanic Garden blooms

6/16/2012  I found the meadow wildflowers just as appealing as the early blooms in the formal gardens.

Butterflies and Dragonflies at Tower Hill Botanic Garden

Slaty Skimmer (possible)

 Question Mark

 Question Mark

 Little Blue Dragonet (female) in obelisking position

 Painted Skimmer

 Spangled Skimmer (male)

 American Lady

 Eastern Pondhawk (female)

 Clouded Sulphurs (mating)

 Skipper (unknown variety)

 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

 Eastern Pondhawk (male)

Calico Penant (female)