Yes, it's that time! The mayflies are descending, as of July 6th, 2020. Weren't they supposed to be mayflies?
Also, this is not mayflies: a couple of scissor-tailed flycatcher sightings (by Emily and me, mostly Emily) on the 4th of July.
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A possible pipevine swallowtail did not make it. I acquired some pictures for later research. This was a couple of days ago, maybe day before the day before yesterday. I.e., Friday, July 3rd.
Sunflowers are blooming! No big ones, but we have a smaller wild variety that I cannot determine the species of. It is a sunflower, however. I know that much. Some really pretty butterflies this time of year. I got pictures of an American lady and a great-spangled fritillary! Never seen either before. Very pretty. Swallowtails, one probably an eastern tiger swallowtail, female, and a butterfly called a hairstreak, some type, not sure which, possibly soapberry. Interesting blue color on its tail. Oh! And a couple days back, Emily pointed out to me an uncommon swallowtail around here. I think it's a pipevine swallowtail! I would need more evidence to verify, but that's a possibility. Also, widow skimmers are not what I thought they were! I think I saw one, and apparently they come in black with a yellow stripe. Possibly the young ones.
Yvonne saw a pileated woodpecker and bald eagle. Emily saw a bluebird. She has not verified what type, but I'm assuming it was an eastern bluebird. Fireflies last night. Antares, which Emily interestingly called yellow. I called it red. Then I lectured her about the actual colors of stars, which has to do with the wavelengths they emit.
It's still happening. Let's blame the Russian this time, да? I need a Russian keyboard. It's irritating to have to find the letters. Anyway, that has nothing to do with fireflies and birdies. Many titmice. Titmouses? Whatever you want to call them. And did I mention the baby sparrows? I hope I haven't mentioned them thrice now, but I don't want to not mention them at all. There are some chickadees. And what should I name my summer tanagers? Oh, and we saw (yesterday or Monday, I guess that's a big difference) an orange morph scarlet tanager! They're a little bit more common than I thought. And there are a couple of orange summer tanagers- none of which I've seen myself :(. It's interesting what sorts of lights these birds absorb and which ones they don't. I guess that's why there are orange and red tanagers, since there really isn't a line between them. Technically there is, red light being 700nm to 650nm, and orange being 650nm to 600nm. I think. Let me review. No, I don't really agree with their lines. That's yellow. 650nm to 620nm, maybe. And that's green, yellow. Stay in your territory. Ah, wait! We have two summer tanagers. One down at the barn, another up at the house. The one down at the barn I think I'll call Terrence. The one up at the house I have no name for. He's not that important. Terrence, however, is a nice bird. He's getting tame. He hops above my head while I feed the goats, and, personally, I believe he's much prettier than the other one. The other one has an ugly cuckoo-like beak. Anyway, forget preferences. Onward! Fireflies, many fireflies. Glowing fireflies. Some are large, some are small. A long long time ago I saw a nice tiger-striped one! It is interesting to observe their habits. Some glow and flash, while most simply flash. And they have glowing chemicals in them. I know. I smashed one once, by accident. His chemicals glowed on my hands for a while. That was creepy. A titmouse did an interesting shaking in the road. Anyway. We also have a phoebe (eastern) who lives down at the barn, on the other side from Terrence. A mockingbird came in and imitated: blue jay, frogs, phoebe, maybe a whistle, maybe a scream, and possibly a tanager. I should be good about keeping my notes. Bye
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PeTER tHOMERI like observing animals, especially birds. I also take care of the goats. I like goats. EMILY THOMERMy assistant photographer! She also takes care of African geese. YVONNE THOMERAnother assistant photographer! She takes care of the rabbits, and the hutch is teeming with crawly things. Archives
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