Hasty Critters

We put out a mineral lick last year and it was a huge hit so we brought a new one up the last time we visited. Red Squirrel found it first and that little tyrant defended it LOUDLY the whole weekend.

This is MINE! ALL MINE!!

I love to bring a chair down to the creek to sit and watch. I have the best success with birding by choosing a spot and sitting quietly for a while.

A mink popped into view. He gave me a look over and because I sat still he soon went about his business of fishing in the creek. I didn't have my big lens with me. He was actually quite close.

Uh-oh! Something's coming!
Our dog Gidget sniffed me out and came wandering through the brush to be with me.

The mink slipped off the log and started swimming toward me. When he realized how close I was he swam under the log to the right in the picture and disappeared.

I sat on the steps for a long time waiting to get this Canada Warbler. I had heard him singing earlier but he just wouldn't come out in the open. Not a great picture, but the best I could get.

My son John snapped this picture of our first ever Oriole at Hasty Brook! I had just set the hummingbird feeder out and in he flew. He took a long drink and was chased off by a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Another bird along the creek was this Common Yellowthroat. He's a sneaky little guy, popping up for a look, then dropping back into the grass. A little pishing brought him up long enough for a quick photo.

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers were paired up and mating. Look at how well camouflaged they are from the back.

They were constantly checking out the sap wells.

I got a lifer that last weekend- the Olive-sided Flycatcher! It is a decent sized bird that would fly quite high catching insects, then land up at the top of a birch snag to eat what it had caught. We watched for quite a while as it caught bees and dragonflies in the air.

I was pretty sure of the id but sent it off to Hap in New Hope for confirmation.

Thanks Hap!

Chestnut-sided Warblers were everywhere. I love these warblers. They're beautiful and cheerful and have a nice song. They also seem quite curious of us as we move about. I can always count on one of them to sit nicely for a photo.