Hello, #38 and #39

It's the time of year when warblers are moving south, making it a good time to see them in my yard.  Also, whereas in the spring they tend to be feeding higher up in the forest understory, in the fall they seem to feed lower.  A flash of greenish-yellow sent me scurrying for my camera.  A bit of patience and this little Chestnut-sided Warbler finally showed itself.  It's probably a juvenile although it could just be an adult in winter plumage.  Certainly no sign of the male's namesake chestnut sides.

Moments after I spotted this lovely little warbler, I saw a couple of red-eyed vireos flitting around catching insects.  I'll put one in Extra.  These make, respectively, the 38th and 39th yard birds to be blipped in my journal this year.  And, they also serve to give you a break from monarchs and hummingbirds.  

That said, if you'd like to see a hummer, I've posted one HERE on Flickr - and I believe it is one of my better shots.  On any other day, it would have been my blip, hands down.

Six monarchs were ready to eclose this morning.  The first, a beautiful female, emerged around 10:30 and was ready to go by 12:30.  The second, a male, eclosed around 1 and the last 4 are being very stubborn.  It's a little cool and breezy outside, so the temperatures just may be slowing them down a bit.  I'm hoping I can let the male go in a few hours.  The female is being released for Maxine and the male is flying in memory of Carl.

It looks like I've got around 60 more to release, so please let me know if you want one dedicated to someone who has left this world.  It's my personal goal to have each monarch fly in someone's memory.


That's a wrap for today, folks.

xo
Debbi