The birds are just loving the first rain of the season. Counted the calls of the Goldfinch, Red-winged Blackbird, Blue Jay, Cardinal, Chickadee and Robin within the time it took me to let the dog out on his lead. The ice is a good halfway off my pond, which means it's almost time to start on this season's improvements. Rain started as a drizzle over the morning, and since picked up into a light but persistent patter. 1/4" in the gauge so far, with temps holding in the mid 40's.

2:28 PM


Heaviest stuff still seems to be South of us, though we've got about three inches in some spots. As long as the weather holds out, I can see this stuff hanging on until Christmas.


Video from the feeder as the storm progressed. (Click to view video)


Snow in Garden 1:37 PM


Northern Cardinal in snowstorm


Snowflakes on deck

Monarch Project Day 19:

Time lapse video of Monarch #1 both spinning and emerging from its cocoon.

Monarch #1 was released Saturday morning, but was spotted again this afternoon feeding on the Swamp Milkweed. Various photos of Monarch #1's release:

Picked up two very small caterpillars feeding on some young Swamp Milkweed. Some development shots from Friday and this morning:

Some video of a Sandhill Crane pair we took in Carlos Avery. Amazing set of lungs on them; their call is almost prehistoric, and reminds me strongly of the Great Blue Heron or Great Egret.

Monarch Project, Day 10


Video taken yesterday of Monarch#1 weaving its chrysalis in both regular time lapse (1 frame per 12 seconds) and 1/2 speed. We got a slightly better angle this time, though you can clearly see the reflection of the camera in the center of the screen. Interesting to note that both Monarchs spun their cocoons between 6:30 and 7:00 AM.

Both Monarchs are still in their cocoons; according to what I have read they will take between 9 and 14 days to emerge.



A shot of Monarch #4, our newest arrival. We got #4 off our Swamp Milkweed two days ago, and he was about 3/4 of an inch from antennae to antennae.

Progress so far:

• Caterpillars: 4
• Cocoons: 2
• Butterflies: 0

Monarch Project, Day 8

Monarch #2 spun its chrysalis around 7 AM this morning. I caught it in time lapse (1 frame every 15 seconds) and included it above in both its original (30 fps) state and 1/4 speed slow motion.

Below are photos of the caterpillar around 9 hours prior to weaving its cocoon (after it attached itself to the top of the cage with silk), and two hours after weaving its cocoon.

Monarch Project, Day 6

Some (rather clumsy) time lapse of our caterpillars (we now have three). Though there's only around eight seconds of footage here, spanned a little over two and a half hours and shows how the monarch caterpillars pause to rest between bursts of eating. I'd like to try it again for a ten hour period; may set it up tommorow.

Have learned that the Monarch's favorite host plant seems to be the Common Milkweed, as they'll pare down one of the leaves down to nothing in a few hours, whereas they'll take a day or more to graze half a Swamp milkweed leaf. None of them have touched the Butterfly weed yet.

Drake, our injured fish, is doing well. I've given him a little penicillin, he's more active, and his tail seems to be healing up.

Have noticed that the roadside Goldenrod seems to be in bloom, while that in the garden and in the neighbor's plot is still just budding.

Wildlife Spotted this Week:

• American Toad
• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Cedar Waxwing
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Eastern Bluebird
• Eastern Chipmunk
• Goldfinch
• Grackle
• Green Frog
• Grey Catbird
• Grey Squirrel
• Grey Tree Frog
• Monarch Butterfly
• Monarch Caterpillar
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Red Admiral
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Robin
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Western Chorus Frog

Natives in Bloom:

• Bergamot
• Butterfly Weed
• Common Milkweed
• Daisy Fleabane
• Harebell
• Purple Coneflower
• Spiderwort
• Swamp Milkweed

Video of a yellow jacket nest built under our garage eaves. These guys have been hoarding all over the Swamp Milkweed, Hummingbird, and Oriole Feeders.


Wildlife Spotted this Week:

• American Toad
• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Cedar Waxwing
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Eastern Bluebird
• Eastern Chipmunk
• Goldfinch
• Grackle
• Green Frog
• Grey Catbird
• Grey Squirrel
• Grey Tree Frog
• Lightning Bug
• Monarch Butterfly
• Monarch Caterpillar
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Red Admiral
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Robin
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Western Chorus Frog

Natives in Bloom:

• Bergamot
• Butterfly Weed
• Common Milkweed
• Daisy Fleabane
• Harebell
• Marsh Marigold
• Meadow Rue
• Spiderwort
• Swamp Milkweed

Other Phenology Notes:

• 4 bluebird chicks hatched in one of our houses; making a total of 7 this year.
• We've had two Bluebird couples and one Tree Swallow couple in our two bluebird houses this year.
• Highs in the 90s and overwhelming humidity that pushes the heat index into the 100's almost all this week.

Our first BMS video; some footage of newly-hatched Bluebird chicks, and a Ruby-throated hummingbird being harrassed by wasps at the feeder.

A shot of our first Wild Bergamot blossoms.