Quiet Morning...

Common Yellowthroat Female

It was about 62 degrees and a little cloudy, but a nice morning for a walk.

I heard a peewee calling from the JCC woods the whole time I was in the lower gardens. An Eastern Kingbird was doing it's flycatcher thing when it wasn't perched atop a tall tree near the parking lot.

Zinnias

The flowers and fruit in the lower gardens are mature and colorful. Saw several goldfinches, song sparrows and catbirds. There were a couple of blue gray gnatcatchers in the crabapple tree in the center flitting here and there. A grackle and then seagull flew overhead and blue jays were screeching back and forth to each other. Was surprised I only saw a few robins, but then I got a great view of this common yellowthroat female. Thought the house wrens must be gone, but finally heard a scolding sound and there was a family of them in some scrub near the golf course. Chimney swifts were circling overhead and I saw some swallows, but they were too high up and couldn't identify them.

In the upper gardens, the Concord grapes have ripened to a nice purply blue. Saw catbirds, song sparrows, goldfinches and a cardinal. The bees seemed to be in good shape in all their various hives. No sign of any warblers yet.

Down by the soccer field I saw a mother female common yellowthroat, a band of chickadees, a downy woodpecker, a female hummingbird and a brief glimpse of what I thought was the young grosbeak. Our blue heron was wading in the pond hunting. Maybe that's why it comes later in the season. It knows the water level is down.

It is very Indian summerish with the cool nights and warm days. Looking forward to the warblers coming down to visit!