Looks like he’s well fed!
I just hope they all stay happy and mellow and far away from us.
Yep. I’ve seen hundreds of snakes in the wild, only two venomous (both eastern copperheads).
In one square meter of land, I saw two male robins fighting each other and two female cardinals doing the same.
Our baby peregrines are growing up fast and some adult plumage is beginning to show. They are eating and growing machines. Locally, strawberries and early veggies are plentiful but the unusually hot, dry weather is hard on them and the air quality warnings are hard on us all. Regardless, employers want us to get in our cars and add to the polution so we can satisfy the shareholders greed. Still, I’ll take this summer over last winter.
It was not today but Friday, so I’m a little late. We had an exceptionally good soaring day for SE Pennsylvania. While climbing to the over 9000’ cloud base, we briefly shared the thermal with a mature bald eagle. A couple of turns at 5000’ and he/she flew directly over the canopy from back to front with only 15 feet or so separating us. Of course, I left my GoPro on the ground. Still, its way cool thermal with raptors. Especially, Bald Eagles.
I saw a bun fight (like this 1-minute vid)! I went into my office after dinner to grab something. It has a west-facing window that looks into the back yard and saw them facing off. The setting sun shone through their ears, giving them an extra evil warrior effect. 
I have to agree about Bald Eagles. I was driving home today and got a lovely view of one riding the thermals over the highway and river valley. It was pretty obvious where the up and down drafts were.
It isn’t a bald eagle, but out on the bike today I had a (European common) buzzard swoop in front of me, not ten meters ahead and only a couple of meters above me, and lead me for five or six seconds before gliding upwards to land on a telegraph pole. For a big, brawny bird they fly with astonishing grace.
j
Every spring a few mallards stop by our pond and hang out long enough to eat the corn we leave them and reproduce. This year there are six ducklings!
Sometimes one duck will incubate and hatch a communal nest of 20 or so eggs. When one hen cares for that many one is lost daily until two or three remain. It looks like the six are doing well, they’re about 5 days old and no loss yet.
Saw this killdeer yesterday while walking with Simi. He initially wanted to play with the bird, but I told him to leave it and he complied.
Didn’t look for the nest, she was worked up enough by us walking by.
Looks like the eggs are right next to her. I’m always amazed that any of their babies survive, given their nesting locations.
Yes! This was at my work, where they lay every year. I doubt 50% fledge, but maybe that’s all they need. As opposed to barn swallows, where I’ll note four eggs and eventually see four fledge.
Yesterday I took my dog outside and spotted a good sized alligator snapping turtle in my neighbor’s driveway. I walked up to it to get a closer look but didn’t otherwise bother it. Normally, a box turtle will hide in its shell when it sees me approaching. Not this guy. He just looked right at me as if to say, “What you gonna do, big 'un?” I’ve seen alligator snapping turtles before, but never so far from the water. This one had a lot of caked on mud on its shell.
My neice is adamant this was a girl turtle and named her Katie.
These birds stress me out! All of the other birds go to great lengths to find safe nesting spots, but not the Killdeer. My friend and I used to walk our dogs in the woods behind the high school and end our walk by walking around the track/football/soccer field a few times. One year there was a killdeer and her nest in the middle of the field. I’d lay in bed at night worrying about the eggs/babies knowing that they mow the field weekly. UGH
Bird and her eggs are still there today. Simi knew he wouldn’t be allowed to interfere.
Yep. They like to blend in with rock and gravel. Unfortunately, in racing we use the rock and gravel to slow race cars that run off the track surface. Killdeer don’t have a history of successful nesting at race tracks, but they still nest there because of the rocks.
Excitement at work yesterday. A truck hit a Red Tailed Hawk, which stuck in the pickup’s grill. Driver pulled into my parking lot where the bird got itself freed, then hid in some weeds.
I called a wildlife center and they said they’d have someone collect the bird in a couple of hours. When they arrived and attempted to get the bird it was able to fly off. I guess it was just severely stunned.
Wow. Amazing story and picture. I sure hope he’s okay.
I hope he doesn’t eat the killdeer!