Crittercam

Midsummer

As you may have guessed, July isn’t generally a great time to photograph wildlife. Many birds are busy raising young, and territories are already well established. Every tree is fully leafed out, so the visuals aren’t easy. I take what I can get, and avoid the heat of the day as best I can.
Starting off, we have a Red-bellied water snake. We see loads of these snakes at Mason Farm.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird. This is the female whose nest we observed in late May. (Bynum)

Out at Meadowview, an Eastern Kingbird has built her nest over the pond. The white fluff is sheep’s wool. What an intelligent choice for the inner nest. Soft for the nestlings, but the lanolin in the wool will be more waterproof for the nestlings, and won’t get saturated during rainstorms.

Unfortunately, the nest is exposed to the sun for most of the day. Birds can’t sweat, so they pant to dissipate heat.

During the worst of the heat wave, the Mama bird spreads her wings a bit to protect her nestlings.

I had assumed she had fledged her nestlings, but yesterday, I returned to the nest location, and saw that she had two youngsters, just about ready to fledge. Everyone survived the heat.

Meadow View is the locale of the angry Bluebird. He has a nest nearby, and likes to make a rotation attacking the cars that park by the side of the road. Mine was the last car of the evening, and I heard his vigorous thumping while I was in the car. I took this photo within the car, looking behind me through the back windshield. OK, I’m leaving!

Back home, a female Box turtle wandered around my front yard on a rainy day, looking for a spot to lay her eggs. I saw a total of three false digs that she eventually abandoned, so I don’t know exactly where she ended up completing her nest. Our front yard has no grass, but the moss cover is more natural, and attracts Box Turtles each year.

Mason Farm Turkey hen and her poults.

By July, I’m usually at a loss as to where to locate interesting wildlife, so I sit by my favorite puddle and wait it out. You may remember that last year we had a significant drought, so I would go each day and transfer creek water to the good puddle. I came each day with an empty gallon jug and a small chair and waited it out. This year, we’ve had plenty of rain, so the puddle requires no maintenance. I can sit in the shade, and have a relaxed day of birding. I love this puddle, and so do the birds.
Northern Cardinal

Wood thrush

Northern Parula

Following a Prothonotary Warbler can fill any day. They are quite public, and don’t care that you are observing them. This is one of the Bynum Bridge Prothonotaries.

Here’s the puddle loving Mason Farm Prothonotary. He’s a born showman, and often comes around just to stare at me from a close branch. You? Again?

I swear he’s as enamored with himself as I am of him.

He bathes two or three times a day, long luxurious baths that go on for many minutes.

This bird has lost any tentative dip and go behavior. He has checked me out thoroughly, and has decided that I’m just some lump occupying space. I spent a couple of hours observing birds at the magic puddle, and eventually headed out of the reserve at about 5:30 PM.

So, I got to my car, put away the chair, got the AC going, deleted a few photos, and finally turned off the camera and seat belted it into the car.
I broke two of the laws of wildlife photography.
1. You could spend an entire day at a nature reserve, and see nothing, but when you arrive at the parking lot, all the wonderful birds and other wildlife will be on display.
2. Never turn off the camera until you are completely clear of the reserve. You keep it turned on, sitting in your lap, just in case.
I have an excuse (always an excuse), the road to Mason Farm is full of potholes, crater-like and ready to remove the oil pan beneath your car, so I didn’t want to be preoccupied with a large camera on my lap.
Anyway, I looked up, and saw three young coyotes tumble onto the path. They were siblings, frolicking and rolling around in play, By the time I managed to untangle the camera and turn it on, all the gamboling had stopped, and the lanky pups were quietly crossing the path one at a time.

When will I learn to keep the camera on my lap and ready at all times? Still delighted to see this year’s pups.
So long from Carrboro, Bynum, Meadowview, and Mason Farm.
Love,
Mary K