Or better yet, I wish he were here to correct me!
It was actually a Collared Aracari, a cousin of the toucan. (There are Oropendolas around these parts, though — similar coloring, just with a pointed beak, like their blackbird cousins).
No, but I’m inclined to make an exception. Could you make out his epitaph? 
Walking home from work, saw a Jack rabbit on the street. Sightings have increased since the great pause of the pandemic, even with things back to « normal ».
There are leaves on the trees here in Chicagoland! 
That’s pretty much all I’ve got. 
Today, au naturale, I saw.
There were deer in the meadow beyond our yard. Kizzy wanted out. I told her she could go out but she had to leave the deer alone. She’s so good that when a deer came up into her yard she refused to even look at it. They stayed like that for 15 minutes.
My brother came to visit. He got pictures of wildlife eating from his hand. His hand he got from IKEA.
Our leaves are just about ready to burst open. When looking at a distance, it’s a beautiful bright, brilliant green vista. I’m guessing within a couple of days they will be fully leafed out. Popple leaves at least. It’s going to take a bit longer for the maples, etc.
Finally
Yesterday evening, when I went to dump the compost and spot weed the tomatoes, a rabbit came and was sniffing around the back door. The other side of the back door is one of Buttercup’s (my rabbit) preferred sitting spot. I didn’t have my phone on me, so no pics.
We’re starting to get June gloom in the last couple of days. Is that nature or weather or both?
“no deer no deer no deer…”
At a quick first glance, that deer looked a bit like a giraffe. My dog spent the last few days chasing ducks out of our yard. Temporarily anyway.
Look who finally showed up! Had to refill the feeder three times.
I didn’t personally see this, but someone on our NextDoor posted it:
A fox on the beach! There used to be a ton of foxes in the area (there’s even a shopping center called Fox Hills nearby), but I haven’t seen one in decades. And it seems a little weird to see it on the beach.
Yay!!
This morning we watched arctic terns (99% sure) diving for fish in the harbour at La Trinite Sur Mer. They scout the surface, position, hover like a kestrel in training, then plummet head first. Most times they abort the dive at the last minute. Super impressive when they strike, though.
In the afternoon we watched little egrets feeding in the mussel beds in the Golfe du Morbihan.
j
There are some great pictures in this thread. @Dung_Beetle , I love your snakelet. Wild snakes are something else I’ve seen about three times in my life.
@carrps If you want foxes I’m sure we could send you some. My latest fox encounter was nearly running one over as it sauntered across my street in broad daylight, at least an hour before sunset. After dark, they barely bother to get out of the way if you meet them on the pavement.
Pavement? Are you in the UK? I’ve heard foxes are a menace there. In fact, 30 yrs ago I was staying in a B&B near (in?) Dartmoor, and the lady was absolutely apoplectic about them. “Vermin!”
I’m in the north London suburbs, where the urban fox density probably exceeds the rural one (London has an estimated 10,000 foxes).
In my experience, urban foxes are pretty much tolerated - they don’t bother people (or domestic cats), they help keep the rat population down and the worst they do is turning out litter bins and screaming in the night during mating season. In rural areas they’ve always been less popular because they will prey on domestic chickens and ducks (as well as game birds like pheasants and sometimes young lambs).
Can l just observe that the local foxes have been doing a lousy job on our local rat population recently.
j
I did a good deed last week upon discovery of a yellow jacket queen inside the common hall of my condo unit. I gently took hold of her wing and placed her outside, away from the door. I think she might have just woken up and was confused because she didn’t object or try to sting me after I released her.