Sunny days at the Vermilon River. A Post to SWF

Fair Skies

Much like everyone else we've had on again and off again weather. It's inhibited my hiking, but the forest is still healthy with the rainfall, and full of life.

Stormy Skies

Still Looking for a Sun dog.

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

Wild Chicory.

The Red Squirrel was pretty active which as I said  earlier is a surprise since he is on every one's lunch menu. We don't have grays or blacks here. It was great finding the Chicory, as I don't remember it from last year.

Common Milkweed.

 And I'll bet you didn't think common milkweed was so attractive when it flowers. I read on another web site that it has many medicinal properties.


It's that time of year for the goldenrod's to flower. Fortunately Boom and I are not allergic to them.

One of the Goldenrod's.

Ripening Blueberries.

We saw lots of human berry pickers out,but no bears. The berries are sold through co-ops and sold at a premium in grocery stores as wild berries although smaller are much sweeter than farm grown ones.

Vipers Bugloss.

Dragonfly

No post would be complete without some insects or birds. So here they are. I included some current shots of Huegy, our pet crow, and much to Boomer's chagrin a picture of his mate. Huegy, if you look closely has a gray feather on one wing. A scar from all the fights with the blackbirds. That's how I recognize him. He also calls out to us on our morning walks looking for peanuts probably.


I'll post this to Sky Watch Friday. And maybe to camera Critters and scenic Sunday. I'm putting this information here as the great Blogger/ Google is telling me there is no java script at the bottom of the page.

 Just a quick note: The new lens I referred to in my last post was new last year, not this year. I just think you sort of grow into technical things. It's a Sigma 150-500mm lens and I'm really pleased with it.

Female Goldfinch.

Mourning Dove.

Northern Flicker.

Huegy

Huegy's Mate

Girls of the Vermilon River. A Post to Camera Critters And Scenic Sunday.

Female Purple Finch

This post is all about girls. Really about how distinctive they are despite their consorts rather flamboyant colours.

Look closely at the plumage of this young lady and you'll see incredible markings in beiges, browns and almost whites.

The female Goldfinches below are not as dramatic as the male, but still pretty colourful.


Female Purple Finch.




Female Goldfinch.




Female Goldfinch.




Female Evening Grosbeak.




Female Grosbeak.







Certainly the Female Evening Grosbeak is a beauty in her own right, although she's not as blatant as her consort.


Female Grosbeak.




Female Pine Sisken




Female Pine Sisken.






Again, the most incredible markings set off with a bold yellow slash on this young lady.


Downy




Female Downy.






Here Mother Nature's pulled another little change making these gals the image of the male but leaving off the red patch on the head.


Female Downy.






A Post to Camera Critters @ http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/  and Scenic Sunday @ http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/

Gold and Purple of the Vermilon River. A Post to Camera Critters and Scenic Sunday.

Male Purple Finch.

It is such a drab day out that I decided to go for colour alone, and then to compare the female with the male, colour only of course. I started with the purple finch because on the surface the comparison is greatest there. But is it? If you look at the female her markings to my way of thought make up for her brown variations.


Female Purple Finch.





Even her Mohawk cut is equally impressive in her colour variations.


Female Purple Finch.



Male Goldfinch.

 In the goldfinch family, nature used a different approach making him more flamboyant, in summer, but more similar in winter.


Male Goldfinch.



Female Goldfinch.



Female Goldfinch.

 But if you look closely she is just a more subdued variation of his colouring. Just another approach, perhaps.


Female Goldfinch.




Male Evening Grosbeak







In the Evening Grosbeaks, it's another variation. This time the male colouration rivals any tropical birds, and nature goes for a beak change in summer to green from yellow.



Female Grosbeak.




Rear View Female Grosbeak.




The female's colouration is a variation yes, but done in a whole different way.


Shiny Black.






And then there's the Grackle who is iridescent in the sun, so even he's not just black.




A Post to Camera Critters @ http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/ and Scenic Sunday @ http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/