Sights and Sounds at the Summer Place

photo courtesy of Dennis Swayze

The summer place provides a variety of birds…ranging from small wrens to the larger Crow like in size Pileated Woodpecker.
They can often be heard at the rear and side yard where there is heavy bush and mature trees.
Both male and female are similar in appearance other than the male having a red strip on the low jaw.

There are tell tail signs that a Pileated has been hard at work searching for food…look for long rectangular or oval holes it excavates in search of ants.
You may hear them long before you see them…their call being a loud wuck, wuck, wuck that can be heard at a great distance.
They may be difficult to find…since they could be on the ground or high in a tree.

Watch Your Step

photo courtesy of Dennis Swayze

Watch out for that First Step…it’s a Doozy !
It was hilarious watching the goslings attempting to get down off the curb in a parking lot.
Eventually the last one of five took that Big Step and joined Mom & Dad…then proceeded to hold up traffic as they made their way across the parking lot.

Food Delivery

photo courtesy of Dennis Swayze

Someone in the area of this Osprey nest site may very well be missing a Koi or large Gold Fish from their back yard pond…or perhaps from one of the many large ponds in the area.
Since Osprey are fish eaters I’m sure it must have been easily spotted from overhead.

The meal would be intended for the youngsters…but Dad did do a taste test before he delivered the meal. Shouldn’t be long before chicks will be visiable.