Virginia Beach

Matt and I spent two days camping at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.  But now it's back to work. 

Exactly

Playtime

We had a nice visit with my brother and his family.  Short but fun.

From the Rose Garden

More From New York

Liberty

Young Things

It's fledgling time of year at the refuge.  These young birds weren't quite sure what to do when I walked up. 

Mallardlings

Plant Identification

These purple flowers shooting up through the Spatterdock are beautiful.  Unfortunately I don't know their name.  I'll have to work harder on my plant identification, a fact which was brought home to me yesterday.  Yesterday I thought I'd grab some plants for my Drawing at the Refuge group.  I walked in with several specimens in hand...including a lovely stalk of Stinging Nettle.  So, I won't do that again...

Busy Days

This week, which began with exam days and ends with vacation days, is very busy.  And it looks like I will be teaching a class this summer after all.  So the mad scramble to rearrange plans begins.

Boat Ride

I spent the day with some friends in New York yesterday.  We started from Philly a little before 3am and I walked back into my house a little after 11pm.  A long day.  We did a lot of the touristy things that I haven't done before.  The weather was pretty much perfect for June, sunny, windy, and hot.

Little Rabbit

White Flowers

Field of Flowers

Milkweed

I had to do a bit of research this morning to identify this plant as Common Milkweed.  I've mentioned before how much I love this plant.  It doesn't seem possible to take a bad picture of it.  I noticed that my last post of this plant was on Father's Day 2012.  One thing my current bird project has made me aware of is the seasonal timing of things.  My weekly walks around the refuge begin to have their own seasons.  June, it seems, is the season of herons and ducklings and milkweed.

Ducklings

I counted 22 ducklings with this mama Wood Duck.  It hardly seems like this little duck could have covered up 22 eggs.  Stay safe little ducks!

Pairs

June Walks

Paulowina Tree

Black Iris

Detail

Red-winged Blackbird

A Bit of Summer

The Great Egret is a sure sign of summer at the refuge.  It seems the warblers have moved on and the owl has flown the nest and we are left with the giant birds of summer.

A Bit More Spring