Yellow...

This is the second time in the last two weeks I've blipped this species, but I think I can be forgiven for a repeat in this case.  Not only is this one of our prettiest summer residents, but it also has one of the loveliest songs.  Have a listen for yourself -  scroll about halfway down THIS page and click on the "typical voice" button.  See what I mean?

I took this shot this morning when Hubs and I went for a hike along one of my very favorite trails.  We went early and had the trail to ourselves ...well, us and the birds and rabbits, that is.  Very enjoyable start to the day.  

This afternoon, I made a quick sortie to a closer trail, hoping to catch some dragons.  No luck with that, but I did see two large northern water snakes sunning themselves on some rocks.  And I was above them by a good 15 feet, so felt very safe!  

The pine sawfly larvae that I recently blipped are proving to be a veritable buffet for the backyard insectivores.  Thus far, I've seen chickadees, titmice, carolina wrens, house wrens, catbirds, and downy woodpeckers feasting on them.  Who needs pest control when you have birds feeding babies?

Speaking of babies, both chickadee and bluebird parents continue carrying food into the nest boxes all day long; and carrying poop out about every third trip.  I'm still expecting both boxes to fledge sometime between Friday and Sunday.  Meanwhile, at least one of the house wren couples have settled into a nest box near the driveway. The female is brooding - I discovered this by accident when I went to peek in the box this morning and she flew out, chattering angrily at me.  Now, hopefully the pair in the backyard will settle down and get to it.  Never had two pairs of house wrens try to nest this close to each other before, so not sure how this will all work out.  Stay tuned.

Four shots from today on Flickr, starting HERE with a super close up of snake skin.

Thanks for the kind comments, stars and hearts on my little fashionista bee yesterday!  I'm so enjoying using my macro lens again!

Happy Hump Day!
Debbi