Eastern Bluebirds

At least one pair of Eastern Bluebirds raise a brood or two each year in my nestboxes around the yard. They are feeding the first fledged brood it seems as the same time as feeding the second brood in the nestbox. I provide plenty of mealworm for them to help them along. I soak the dried mealworms in the bird baths so they're not feeding their offspring dried worms. Once they've finished with the breeding process they tend to disappear into the fields with their offspring. The first brood tend to leave and do their own thing while the second brood tend to remain in a family group over the winter. In a cold snap it's not unusual to see a whole group around the feeders all together.

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird pair

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird pair

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebird

Tropical Butterflies

Still not getting much in the way of diversity with the yard birds so I turned my lens in the direction of the Hershey Gardens Butterfly Atrium. Hershey Gardens Butterfly Atrium I haven't been for a few years and I forgot the most important lesson that I had learned the hard way from my previous visits. These are mostly tropical butterflies and one of the most basic things about the tropics is that they are mostly hot and humid.  It was not too cold outside as I drove over, maybe 50F (10C) and I had my camera and lens on the front seat beside me. It's quite a fast 135mm lens at f/1.8 so it has a big chunk of glass at the front. I walked in to the butterfly atrium which was probably 90F (32C) and very, very humid. The lens instantly fogged up! The hot air heating vents were all in the ceiling so too high to warm up the lens, I tried to warm up the front lens element by pointing it for several minutes at the sun. I gave up, went back to the car and got the face vents blowing hot air which after a few minutes seeming enough. I wrapped the camera and lens in my fleece jacket and hurriedly went back inside the butterfly jungle. Here are a few of the photos I took.

Tiger Longwing

Postman

Common Birdwing

Not sure what this is, Zebra at the bottom. 

Giant Owl

Postman

It's the Time of the Season.........

 ..........when the leaves are a pain in the ass. Maybe it's because I'm another year older or maybe because I have a bug that I'm trying to shake off but the leaves are a real pain this year. It's been a very dry summer and I've never seen so many acorns, they were landing on the decks night and day for weeks. The damn Squirrels need to start working overtime to come and stash them away for me.

As there's pretty much the same birds at the feeders I decided to photograph some leaves instead and any cat standing still is a fair target subject.

Norway Maple

Assorted Leaves

Juno

Bright Monday

Not a cloud in the sky but the light looked OK so I gave it a go for 1/2 hour before it became too glary. I don't know if 'glary' is an actual word but you know what I mean.

Brown Creeper

Brown Creeper

Tufted Titmouse

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

A Day out at Longwood Gardens

I wanted to tryout a new lens on some nice flowers and where better than Longwood Gardens.

Holding On

Orchid

Orchid

Orchid

Orchid

Orchid

Leaf

Bald Cypress

Gazebo

Overcast.....again

 A bright overcast day is my favorite for taking photographs because you can take images all through the daylight hours. When it's sunny I normally quit around 10 am because the light starts getting very harsh, not so when it's overcast. I took all of these around midday.

Brown Creeper

White-breasted Nuthatch

Northern Cardinal

Black-capped Chickadee (I think and Merlin agrees)

Black-capped Chickadee (I think and Merlin agrees)

Starling

Blue Jay

Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker

Tufted Titmouse