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Tuesday, June 05, 2012

Nature Notes: Beginning of June

The female rufous-sided towhees have started coming on my deck for a bath.
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The males have been visiting a lot more so I was glad to catch shots of the females for a change. For comparison you can click here to see a March nature notes I did with male towhee in the first two shots, if you like. The main difference is the males have black heads and top part of body where females have brown heads and top part of body. The male and female eyes differ too.
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It is nice how green everything is which I thank plenty of rain for.
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The fairy asters usually bloom at the end of the summer and early fall but like everything they are months early this year. 
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I think the pair of ducks look like they are having a conversation.
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The canada goose below looks like it's kissing a star.
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The mallard teenager was hanging with the Canadian Geese.
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I had to keep my distance and zoom in on the great blue heron because it was at a protected area of the creek that feeds into the lake. They tend to be in that area during breeding season and are very skittish if you get too near them in the spring and early summer.
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The mimosa trees are beginning to bloom.
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My black-eyed susan (rudbeckia) is gracing me with its lovely blooms.
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I've been photographing it frequently because I enjoy the different stages of the blooms.
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I used to plant annuals in my deck planters but now I let nature take its course and self seeders like rudbeckia come back and other volunteers grow in the planters.
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If you look at the top of the shot above you may spot a frog (it's a metal frog).
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The purple coneflower (echinacea) below is starting to form buds.
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10 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Carver, your flowers are beautiful. I love the fairy asters. The female Towhee is a great yard bird and I love the other birds too. Great nature post, have a happy Wednesday!

Leora said...

The close-up rudbeckia shot is fabulous - like a yellow star.

Thanks for the lesson on the female and male towhees. I don't see those birds here.

jewaicious said...

I love the cone flower close up. All the shots are beautiful, from birds to flowers.

Libby said...

I love the towhees and how they seem to be looking at us!!

The mimosas are so cool!

Really nice post this week :)

Rambling Woods said...

I agree..lovely post and I too love to get photos of the buds forming..they are so interesting looking. The mallard is a female with a dark bill I think as opposed to a younger duck...but it doesn't matter..lol....Michelle

Nature Rambles said...

Wonderful series of shots! I'm fascinated by your bird shots! It's interesting to see blooms in several stages...the close shot took my breath away!

Laura said...

A lovely variety of images Carver...love the blackeyed susan unfurling!

EG CameraGirl said...

Cool nature shots, especially the towhee! I love the bird shots you get outside your door.

♥ Łucja-Maria ♥ said...

OH !!!!!
Very Beautiful !!!!

Donna@Gardens Eye View said...

How cute are those birds bathing...and so much going on with the water birds...I can't get over your aster is blooming already.