Cruisin' Around

It was impossible to stay indoors this week with the very nice weather.  I am up with the sun each morning and start making my way to work.  Never see much of significance though!  I check Stewart Wetland along the Snye each morning.  There is a bit of habitat for shorebirds.  So far just yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers, and Solitary Sandpipers.  One of these days something good is going to show up.  Good spot for an ibis, heron type, etc.  Been lots of Great Blues this summer.
The first year the place existed I found a female Ruff.  Last fall a Cattle Egret showed up at the beginning of that big influx.  Time will tell.
This evening I checked out some of my usual haunts north of town.  I finally saw a Royal River Cruiser for the year.  It was just cruisin' around so I could not get a photo.  Here is one from last year at Reid CA.  I just got lucky on that one as I was looking at butterflies in the Indian Hemp an one just perched right in front of me.

No unusual birds in my travels.  All the suitable fields for grassland species have been cut now.  Bobolinks flying around, already moulting.  Tons of Savannah Sparrow, Vesper Sparrows, etc.
I did  hear a Northern Bobwhite, but it was at a farm!  The days of finding true wild ones is long gone.  A few are holding their own on Walpole Island, at least near the south end.

Tons of Wild Burgamot out at Moore WMA.  Lots of Northern Broken Dash, Delaware Skippers, Dun skippers, etc. flying around.

Some Great Spangled Frits were flying.  I have not seen many so far this summer.

Farther east on Bickford Line at McKellar I saw one of the Hooded Mergs.
Good spot for birds.  I saw a Cooper's Hawk soaring around.  I have never really explored the area too thoroughly.  The final year of the atlas I had Mourning Warbler there in the breeding season--pretty good for the area.  In winter you can find Long-eared Owls...sometimes.

male Eastern Pondhawk

Tomorrow I will be in eastern C-K for the butterfly count.......