Memorial Day Weekend

It's now the end of May. Most of the migrating birds have moved past, except for the occasional Blackpoll or Mourning Warbler. This past week, I had a Mourning Warbler in the yard, singing away. The male that showed up sang an unusual song. Rather than singing out the usual rolling song, this bird made a series of three whistled notes.

This Mourning Warbler was tough to
photograph, as it stayed in the densest brush

Other birds have already finished breeding here in Kunkletown. Barn Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, and Black-capped Chickadees have already successfully raised young this year. Other birds, such as Ovenbirds, Baltimore Orioles, and Eastern Bluebirds, have eggs in their nests.

For the past few days, the temperature has reached the upper eighties. This hot, humid weather has brought out more butterflies and odonates. The yard is filled with hundreds of Little Wood-Satyrs and lots of skippers. The pond edge is filled with several species of odes including my favorite, Calico Pennants.

Little Wood-Satyrs are, by far, the most abundant butterfly in the yard right now.

Finding a Pepper and Salt Skipper, like this one,
is always a treat. This one was found near a wooded seep.

This is a Unicorn Clubtail, one of the common clubtails this time of year.

This species was a bit of a surprise to find in the yard. Two Painted Skimmers,
like the one above, showed up in a wet meadow.