Day 213 - 31st July 2016 - Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Swamp Sparrow and Hermit Thrush

Here goes another month - good bye July - you've been hot and humid. The house feels no cooler than when I went to bed last night, as I forgot to open some windows in the evening. At least the air feels clearer outside - for a little while. Dawn is coming, the stars are tucking in back to bed and a Loon is the only sound on the lake. My favourite time of day - soon the song birds will begin their morning tunes and I'll sit on the deck with my coffee and listen to them.
I opted for a  walk in the hood yesterday morning and grab groceries on the way home. Not a really busy day at work, the heat seems to have gotten to everyone. It might have just been a better day to be at a beach instead of in town.

Finally caught up with the male Black Throated Blue Warbler - he's a stunning guy.

Then he got down in the lower bushes, looking for berries.
















Swamp Sparrow















I'm happy to say there are lots of my favourite summer visitor around - Hermit Thrush

A calm morning on the lake as the sun shines through the mist.








Enjoy your day!

Day 212 - 30th July 2016 - Blackburnian Warbler, Black Throated Blue Warbler and Black & White Warbler

My weekend to work - it's not so bad. We'll work on some more needle felted birds for the gift shop between visitors. Yup if I can't go birding I'll make them! Might even gather some more flowers for pressing - always  projects on the go. Before work I'll either get an hour in around the hood or do the dreaded grocery shopping.
Had a great morning walk, Friday - lots of birds around. It's nice to spend an hour practically in one spot just trying to catch them as they whizz by and flit through the tree branches searching for breakfast.  Of course this time of year the only problem is figuring out what some of them are as the youngsters don't look like their parents yet. It was nice to finally spot the Blackburnian and BlackThroated Blue Warblers. They are two that I see in the hood every year but have managed to evade me this year. Well the rain forecast for yesterday/last night, once again only amount to a hand full of raindrops. This is the lowest I've seen the lake in many years.

Blackburnian Warbler. Maybe a Female or young male.

Magnolia Warbler

Female Black-Throated Blue Warbler, now if I can just catch the male!

Black & White Warbler

Northern Parula got the prize.






Enjoy your day!

Day 211 - 29th July 2016 - Ovenbird, Catbird and Least Flycatcher

 Back to work today and the weekend, these days I'm not sure what day it is. Have more or less gotten use to working on weekends and most of the time it's not so bad. I'm sure we'll have lots of visitors, there is always something interesting to work on and the day goes by quickly. Rain supposedly later this afternoon or evening - would be good if it could rain all night.
Had a lovely day at home - little hot but battled that with a dip in the lake. It was so nice and refreshing in the middle of the afternoon. I buzzed around did some "light" housekeeping and some meal prep. Went off early for my morning walk, but it appears we don't have early birds in the hood, I was out for almost an hour before they started popping up, flitting around looking for their breakfast. Fresh swiss chard and peas from the garden. When I was shelling out the peas, I had a instant memory of sitting on the back step at my grandparents doing the same thing many years ago. I don't like that chore any better now but it was nice to drift back through time for a few minutes.

Ovenbird

Least Flycatcher
















Yellow-Rumped Warbler

And my friendly Catbird, decided to pose for me.








Enjoy your day!

Day 210 - 28th July 2016 - Harbour, Hermit Thrush and Black & White Warbler

Yup more heat and humidity on Wednesday. It's cooler this morning and I'm off. Sure it will warm up as the day goes on. Lots of work to do around here but first I'll take Big B. and go for a run around the hood. Good day at work yesterday, we got our pressed flower note cards finished off and in the gift shop as well as some more pressed flower bookmarks and quilt kits. It's great to have so many different things to work on.  18th Century crafts come to the modern world. Greta's husband Rod serenaded us in the afternoon with tunes from the time and a visiting musician took a turn with a Loyalist song he had written a number of years ago.

A beautiful morning on the harbour.















When we got home last night I noticed this Hermit Thrush hanging in the branches.

 This Black & White Warbler made me chuckle. I was sitting on the deck after supper and he landed on the porch overhang, then the humming bird feed post. Not sure what he thought he might catch.

Enjoy your day!

Day 209 - 27th July 2016 - Palm Warblers and Yellow Rumped Warbler

Life in the Country is funny some mornings. Got up at 4:30 am, went out on the deck to check the weather and there's a huge white beast eating grass and another small one runs by. Oops one of the horses and the two donkeys are out of the neighbour's pasture. So I called her and woke Larry up and in a short period of time the escapees were all back where they belonged. I must admit I was a bit startled when I first saw Nova - he's huge - especially on a foggy morning!
Tuesday delivered very little rain but lots of humidity and Wednesday doesn't appear to be any different. Going to be another hot day. The yard was full of birds last evening - mostly an explosion of Palm Warblers, some Yellow-Rumped Warblers and Hermit Thrushes. Great time just sitting on the deck watching all the youngsters.

Palm Warbler

A little preening.














Yellow Rumped Warbler.

Roadside weeds.






Enjoy your day!

Day 208 - 26th July 2016 - Blue Headed Vireo, Northern Parula and American Redstart

Daylight is slow and lazy, as are the birds with their morning songs. A little rain is forecast but no great amount. It will mean not having to water the garden but probably won't do much else. Hopefully it will hang off just long enough for me to get in my walk on the way to work.
More hot weather but no rain on Monday. Busy day at work - lots of international visitors - so cool to meet people from all over the world. Some more interesting birds are cropping up in the bushes and trees these days. Nothing I've not seem before but a few I've not found this year in the hood.

Blue Headed Vireo.

Northern Parula.

Female American Redstart.

A lovely morning on the lake.








Enjoy your day!

Day 207 - 25th July 2016 - Common Terns, Cape Light and a Northern Parula

Monday morning, back to work. Overslept - guess I must have needed the extra hour of sleep.  Rain for this morning, I think. We can certainly still use more, water is way down. A storm off somewhere, internet has been in and out.
Sunday didn't go quite as expected or planned. Thought we'd run to Cape Sable Island for some birding. We went, rain into hard rain on the way, discovered the NS Marathon was going on which meant runners all over the road. Some in the middle of the road. It's a great event but one I didn't want to be in the middle of. Rain and fog so not much for birds or pictures. I should have gone in the other direction, I guess. Anyway we headed back for home, the sun came out - hot, hot, hot and I buzzed around the hood then spent the rest of the day being lazy.

Lots of Common Terns at Daniel's Head.

































Cape Light in the fog.

Northern Parula













Enjoy your day!

Day 206 - 24th July 216 - More Music

Another great day at Harmony Bazaar - what musical talent! Which also meant another late night so I'm dragging a bit this morning. Tammy and I had lots of giggle or maybe full blown laughter at times and enjoyed the fabulous music. It's always a good weekend - more going on today so get down to Lockeport and check it out! I'm home - need to have a little down time and perhaps chase a few birds on a beach or two if I'm lucky. Also a little time with dear hubby. These days we don't see a lot of each other.

Coco Love Alcorn - what a huge voice!

 Ria Mae - last night's headliner - great performance.

 Votes for Women - songwriter's circle of various artists.

 Pat Watson

Christine Martin.







Enjoy your day!

Day 205 - 23rd July 2016 - Harmony Bazaar - Heather Rankin, Holly Carr and Doris Mason

I'm a little late this morning but only because last night was a late one and I've actually slept til just after 6 am. Much needed! Tammy and I had a great evening in Lockeport - albeit a cold one. She lucked in and found her winter jacket in the trunk of her car - yes it was that cold! Seriously if you missed Heather Ranking and Holly Carr  you really missed a great performance. Heather belted out tunes both old and new while Holly worked behind a screen on stage creating a piece of art inspired by the music. It was awesome. We didn't get there until around 7 so missed some of the earlier ones. Christina Martin, Linda McLean were great singers and we always love hearing Doris Mason who just puts you in the festival mood with her keyboard and fab voice. Since my internet is hinky this morning, I can't get all my pics loaded - more tomorrow! Some housework and a roam around the hood, then groceries and off to Lockeport again with Tammy later this afternoon.

 Heather Rankin was awesome!

Holly Carr - artist at work on the stage.

Doris Mason









Enjoy your day!

Day 204 - 22nd July 2016 - Song Sparrow, Brown Creeper and Black & White Warbler

Hot day - humidity crawled back up yesterday afternoon. Ugh! Well I did enjoy a good morning walk and a busy day at work. Mostly all the same youngsters flitting around the branches. Tackled some laundry after supper and packed up a bag with things I'd need to take to Lockeport - sneakers, change of camera lenses etc. And then I had the urge for something sweet so dug out my cake stash in the freezer - big mistake eating before bed. I've been up since 3:30 am. Going to be a long day... Tammy and I are off to Lockeport after work, I always love the Harmony Bazaar Festival. Great performers and the headliner tonight is Heather Rankin. Double treat - Holly Carr will be painting while Heather sings. So looking forward to seeing both of these women in action, not to mention those that will be on stage earlier. It's always a good line up.

Song Sparrow was belting out the tunes for me.

















I guess you can't have too many Common Yellowthroat Warblers. This young one looks like he's had his head in a spider's web.










Been a while since I've spied a Brown Creeper in the hood.

And a Black & White Warbler - lots of them around.









Enjoy your day!

Day 203 - 21st July 2016 - Catbird, Black and White Warbler and Mist on the Lake

Another beautiful morning in the making,  birds are singing along the perimeter of the yard as day begins to wake. Harmony Bazaar weekend almost here. Tammy and I are going down Friday night after work and then will head back again on Saturday afternoon. I'm off for the weekend and always look forward to doing the photography for the festival. If you want a great weekend - head to Lockeport.
Weather was wonderful on Wednesday - finally a break in the humidity, hoping it holds! Busy day at work, makes the time fly by. Since Larry was off on Wednesday, I took the opportunity to take a quick jaunt around then got him to run me in town. It was a beautiful morning on the lake.

A Catbird - have been looking for one in the hood all summer and found one yesterday morning. Last year there were 4.

Black and White Warbler hanging out in the branches.















Swamp Sparrow.

A little mist was rising from the lake.









Enjoy your day!

Day 202 - 20th July 2016 - Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Red-Eyed Vireo and Common Yellowthroat

Cooler this morning, except in the upstairs of our house which never seems to see a temperature drop - old houses! Can see a patch of daylight at the base of the trees along the shoreline. Stars were in the the sky when I got up. A loon in the lake sounds mournful, a Song Sparrow is just beginning his morning serenade.  I love mornings. It's Wednesday so we have an activity planned for this afternoon - stenciling. Should be fun!
Tuesday was another hot day, if only the humidity would drop it would make things so much more comfortable. I spied some Yellow Warblers in the trees at the Museum yesterday morning, must keep my eyes open for them again. Of course there are lots of young Starlings and Song Sparrows there now as well. The gardening is coming along just as Greta and I envisioned when we first arrived. Things are shaping up nicely. I think by the end of the season we will have made a little more progress than we anticipated. Of course our thanks go out to her Manservant who has proven his worth.

Lucked in with this Yellow Rumped Warbler catching breakfast.

And a Red-Eyed Vireo was snacking too.

Hermit Thrush.

Common Yellowthroat Warbler.









Enjoy your day!