FOX!

Another beautiful summer morning! A few scattered clouds, lots of sunshine, and plenty of birds singing outside my bedroom window. This makes three nice days in a row, the longest warm weather streak we've had all year!! It just felt like a great day, but it was about to get even better...

On my way into town this morning a fox crossed the road in front of me, and I slowed down, expecting it to head up and over an embankment on the other side. Not so... instead it stayed right there on the side of the road, hunting for breakfast! I quickly pulled over and grabbed my camera (which I am never without), and snapped off several photos. It appeared a little bit startled by the shutter and eyed me cautiously. After a few moments, convinced that I was not a threat, it continued its quest for food, wandering along the slope on the side of the road. After about ten minutes and 30 or so photos, I set the camera down and started to drive off. Just then it topped the embankment and with clear blue sky behind it, I opted for "just a few more" shots. It stopped, nose pointed down the slope, and froze with front legs crouched. Suddenly it pounced, all four feet off the ground, then lifted it's head and looked right at me, with a nice fat vole hanging out of its mouth. And then "chomp, chomp, chomp" and the vole was gone.

A few more photos and I left the fox to itself, feeling so fortunate that it chose this roadside diner in which to have its breakfast.

Welcome Summer!

Well, yesterday was the Summer Solstice; the longest day of the year - now the days begin to get shorter. :( With all of the way above average rainfall this year, and so many wet, overcast and generally blah days, it hardly seems like we've had spring, let alone summer. But the past two days have been clear and sunny with temps as high as 83 today, and aside from a few scattered thunderstorms in the evenings, the weather is supposed to be warm and sunny, at least through the weekend.

Dragged myself out of bed at the god-awful hour of 3:30 yesterday morning, to make another trek down to the refuge for some pre-sunrise photos. It wasn't as fruitful as the trip in May; the weather last month being much cooler and more humid, and made for some wonderful mist on the ponds. This time around the sunrise was much brighter with harsher light. But I did manage a few useful shots, so the day wasn't a total waste.

There were not as many birds this time around either. Most are nesting or raising broods and are remaining hidden. Even the ever-abundant Canada goose was absent from the scene. I did see a Pie-billed Grebe with two chicks, but they remained at the far side of the pond, out of reach for even my long telephoto lens. What I did manage to photograph, however, were a Marsh Wren and a Common Yellowthroat. Very tiny birds with incredibly loud voices - the opera singers of the avian world; they can belt out a song like nobody's business!

Only stayed at the refuge until 7:30 or so, then headed home. High temp today of 78 and a clear blue sky! I almost turned on the outside water, and I did finally shut off the furnace...

Summer Visitors

Rain, rain, rain.... may as well be living in Seattle! So far this summer I think we've had only about a week's worth of really nice, summer-like weather. Mostly it's been raining, cloudy, windy, thunderstorms, etc. It's pretty sad when I have to turn on the heater in the middle of June because it's only 46 degrees in my house; normally the furnace is completely shut off by Memorial Day! At this rate, fall will be here before summer...

Tomorrow and Wednesday are supposed to be decent however, and I'm just itchin' to get out and take some photographs. I have managed a bit in between the rain and thunderstorms, but not nearly enough to satisfy my need to create photos - but it's a start. At least the birds are cooperating!