Male Chestnut-sided Warbler
After the lovely five days in Vermont, it was back to the family homestead in the wilds of Western Massachusetts - hardly the worst of environments - and much of our time was spent with our family, travelling to all corners of the state; lots of get-togethers and quality time. As mentioned in the last post, birding was effectively off the agenda, and - like our last trip in late winter/early spring - it was during a particularly quiet time of year anyway.
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
But, there's always the garden. Effectively a lawn-mowed clearing in the woods, it's always a pleasure to observe what's happening there, and it's been a long time since I've been there in the height of the breeding season - so it was fascinating to see which species were actively rearing families in the (often overwhelming heat of midsummer.
Of those doing so, perhaps the most surprising were the Eastern Bluebirds cleverly utilising the netting on the underside of the solar panels in the backyard - no hole necessary, and a pretty much predator-proof choice, as evidenced by their young fledging while I was out there.
Garden friends
Another constant and very welcome presence were just-fledged Cooper Hawks, which were remarkably tame, noisy and clumsy - to the point where other birds in the area effectively ignored them; that'll have changed before long, though....
Breeding Eastern Bluebirds
Red-tailed Hawk, American Red Squirrel
Male Northern Cardinal
Breeding Eastern Bluebirds
Red-tailed Hawk, American Red Squirrel
Male Northern Cardinal