Cavatina
She was beautiful,
Beautiful to my eyes.
From the moment I saw her,
The sun filled the sky.
She was so so beautiful,
Beautiful just to hold.
In my dreams she was spring time
Winter was cold.
I stopped by Pheasant Branch Conservancy to take a few nature photos. I can see summer beginning to fade in the colors of the prairie flowers; Common Yellowthroats and other birds showing worn plumages. Definite southbound migrants included a few shorebirds foraging in the retention pond. By the end of next week I'll begin looking for the first fall warbler flocks along the stream corridor, and that means birding with Sylvia and Dottie. I know they're both super excited to have the neotropicals coming through again.
I have so few words when there's nothing controversial to write about. The truth is, though, when it comes to the natural world, there's always something controversial I could write about. Sometimes it's far healthier for me to just take in the greatest show on earth and say nothing at all. If I manage to collect a few images along the way, this is where they'll be. Pretty cool crab spider, huh?
For eBird, birds at Pheasant Branch 7/31/2007:
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Ring-necked Pheasant
Great Blue Heron
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Blue Jay
American Crow
Barn Swallow
House Wren
Sedge Wren
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Wawing
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Clay-colored Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
All images © 2007 Mike McDowell
