Red

Another day of nature-therapy for me and one that didn't disappoint. While I was standing quietly at the edge of a lake watching some distant Common and Red-throated loons, bufflehead ducks, horned grebes and cormorants, this little Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) darted in front of me and shot up the tree. Seconds later, he zoomed down the tree, which is when I got this shot. I have only seen red squirrels a couple of times so this was most definitely blip-worthy for me. This squirrel is native to NJ, along with the more common Gray Squirrel, but tends to live in coniferous forests so isn't a common backyard squirrel. What struck me about this one was that it was incredibly red - the color in this photo is accurate. Quite snazzy.

Other things I saw today...
Common muskrat - I nearly missed seeing this little guy - right after I snapped this, he hustled off into the reeds
Buffledheads (ducks)
Seven mute swans, Including this pair
About 20 Lesser Scaup, including these two fine drakes
My first Rough-winged Swallow of the year. They've just arrived in our area in the last week, following the arrival of the Tree Swallows.
Seven resplendent wood ducks in breeding plumage

In the backyard, I saw my first Chipping Sparrow of the season - another recently arrived migrant. The Eastern Phoebes showed up last week and while I haven't seen one, I've heard their distinctive song every time I've been out lately. It is so nice to see the return of some of our nesting species. There are also still some dark-eyed juncos and white-throated sparrows around the yard, although they will be gone any day now, headed north to breed.

My second choice for a blip today was my other favorite red creature ...
His Royal Redness, the Norther Cardinal in full colors.

It feels like life is slowly returning to normal...

Debbi