Water Fight

Water Fight by Tygh
Water Fight, a photo by Tygh on Flickr.

When the temperature starts to go up, tempers can flare. This black-headed grosbeak was enjoying a cool bath in the shade when a house sparrow came a long and started splashing.

The party was pretty much over at that point. Each bird jockeyed for position, crowding out the other. The grosbeak with the height and weight advantage prevailed, but the harassment cut short what should have been a more enjoyable time.

Friends and visitors

I am beginning to feel the rhythm of our backyard. Today I saw my first downy woodpecker in quite sone time. Also, the black headed grosbeaks are back at the feeders and the honeybees arrived right on queue as the Astors began to bloom.

Honey by Tygh
Honey, a photo by Tygh on Flickr.

The grosbeaks are as timid as any birds that ever visit. This one was surprisingly cooperative.

The Traveler by Tygh
The Traveler, a photo by Tygh on Flickr.

The hummingbirds are jousting for dominance right now and even crowding me as I fill my homemade feeders. They are very sweet and I love it when they fly close. The tiny feeders hold only about 1.5 ml each and a hummingbird can come close to draining one at a single shot.

Dibs by Tygh
Dibs, a photo by Tygh on Flickr.

Today in Ridgefield, Wa.

GBH by Tygh
GBH, a photo by Tygh on Flickr.

My wife and I took an auto tour around the wildlife reserve and saw quite a few birds trying to stay cool in the August heat.

This Great Blue Heron was fishing in the marshy waters and stopped for a quick photo-op.

Today, we saw a juvenile wood duck. I could tell it was a male because of the red eyes.

We also saw some turtles, egrets and quite a few lesser yellowlegs. Toward the end of our drive, we caught sight of a coyote who looked pretty hot out there.

In all, it was a productive day at the reserve and a nice day in general.

Anticipation

At the zoo yesterday, we went into a small aviary where there were beautiful lorikeets that visitors could feed by hand. This little girl held out her little cup of nectar, hopeful that a nearby bird would take her offering.

Anticipation by Tygh
Anticipation, a photo by Tygh on Flickr.

The girl’s father was successful.

Thirsty Lorikeet by Tygh
Thirsty Lorikeet, a photo by Tygh on Flickr.

But it hopped away from her before she could feed it.

Disappointment by Tygh
Disappointment, a photo by Tygh on Flickr.

Cabbage Butterflies

Probing by Tygh
Probing, a photo by Tygh on Flickr.

That’s what my grandfather called them.

Thanks to Wikipedia, I now know that they are also known as “Small White” butterflies. Their larvae do feed on cabbage and other cultivated vegetables which is probably how they got their nicknames.

This one is a male that happened to land in front of me as I was headed back into the house with the macro lens on the camera. He stayed put for only a few seconds, so I’m glad I was ready.

Slick

Slick by Tygh
Slick, a photo by Tygh on Flickr.

It’s that time of year again where the creepy crawlies from the garden begin to thrive and multiply and grow. This guy has been snacking on the plants we have on the front porch.

Slugs kind of give me the willies, but they do have their own beauty if you look at them the right way.