Yeah, that’s pretty excellent. I’ve always loved “storm landscape” shots like that. Pity I can never pull them off myself 
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Had a morning snack with these blokes
Wow! They let you get so close.
Saw some wild Canada Geese on a small lake feeding on Cottonwood cotton which was floating on the water. I wouldn’t think Cottonwood cotton would be sufficiently nutritious. There is a very tiny seed in each glob of cotton.
I saw a loon in the UK a few weeks ago. And a couple weeks ago saw a Tern. I don’t know if every Tern is the “Arctic Tern” that flies between the poles, yet even though I’d not seen one in person (same with the Loon) I knew what it was.
In the USA I walked past a Doe, a female type of deer. And saw a beaver. ETA: Yes, nice beaver.
I used to see lots of rabbits and thus plenty of foxes. Haven’t see either yet.
Only one? Remarcable.
They must have been pretty used to people. Typically, if they don’t hop away, they will stare intently to see what you’re up to, but most of these guys didn’t even bother looking.
Our nextdoor neighbor said the wildflowers were blooming on Coal Bank Pass trail.
She didn’t mention that it was a 1000’ climb to 11,600 feet. I was about ready to throw in the towel, but we made it to the meadow:
This guy was very obliging when it came to posing for a photo.
j
Kind of pretty. I don’t think we have those around here.
That’s cos they hang around here so that their caterpillars can eat my brassicas. And do they ever.
j
You made me have a look in the garden armed with my phone. Apart from the Large White, probably the most frequent butterfly in Europe and not liked at all by gardeners for the reasons you mention and from the common brimstone, also ubiquitous here, I saw this:
and this
which are maybe the male and female form of the same species (?), really nice,
and the classic European peacock, of course:
But what I really loved to find was a tiny blue butterfly. Blue butterflies have a fascinating reproduction strategy: their larva and pupae are reared underground by ants. They were studied in detail by Vladimir Nabokov, who discovered several species in South America. I did not manage to capture the butterfly in focus with its wings open, showing the blue inner side, but still, it is clearly a blue butterfly. I later saw more, but I did no longer carry my phone with me. Perhaps another time:
I’ve seen American house wrens before but they are not usually in my neighborhood. I am in Chicago but I live near an area that has some trees and plants, plus I am about a mile away from a forest preserve where there was a migration fallout this spring.
Anyway, to make a long story longer, I heard the wren chirping in the area a few times but I wasn’t able to pinpoint from where and Merlin couldn’t get a bead on what it was. Finally, yesterday I saw it hanging around in my backyard garden and was able to get a couple not great pics from my back deck.
Aw, a cutie!
No pictures today, but my yard is infested with fawns right now! I see one nearly every time I look out the window. My husband just texted me to say he saw Mama Deer with her three children this morning. Well, that explains it.
THREE fawns?? Wow!
I know! If I look out tomorrow and see four, I’m going to start catching them and putting them over the fence. 
About a week ago, I was out picking berries a block from my mom’s house, and saw a deer. His antlers were still velvety, but it looked like he had a good eight points coming.
I also saw an animal in the underbrush that startled and ran when I came close. I didn’t get a good look at it, but what I saw was black and white. If it’s what I thought it was, I’m glad that it decided to run instead of fighting, because I’m not sure I’d have seen it in time.
Saw a wild turkey hen in the side yard this morning, with 8 or 9 peeping half-grown littles. Thought it was odd for a turkey to be all by herself, until The Posse arrived a minute later.
All told, four hens, and easily 30 chicks among them. Some were a little bigger (older) and could flutter up and over the low chain-link fence; the youngest simply went under it.
There’s one photo of an intrepid hen who decided to show 'em how it’s done, and flew onto the neighbor’s roof.
