This is a great time for butterflies. Saw this Spicebush Swallowtail on Ironweed by the CF late yesterday. Also had Silver-spotted Skipper and Monarchs for an hour two out my window....

   I wrote about Northern Flickers for my column in The Record and Herald News today. The flicker here was photographed this spring drumming on my neighbor's chimney cap.

  I have seen them in the past week -- mostly on the ground, looking for bugs.

   I will post a link to the column when it's available.

I have found that what you think you know about Screech Owls is often not quite true. For example, from observing owl boxes for many years, I had figured that Screech Owls use their nesting boxes as early as late October as as late as early June -- with no activity in July, August or September. Wrong.

An owling friend in Massachusetts writes: "FYI, Had a Screech owl spend  day in one of the boxes Friday Aug. 13-- seems quite unusual. Have you ever had a screech occupancy in the summer?" (No.) 

He posted an item (with photo) on his blog. Link is here.

    These blue berries are along the trail at the Celery Farm these days  -- we even saw them on our free guided walk two weekends ago -- but I can't remember what they are except that the they are not blueberries and they do not look edible.  Answer forthcoming (I hope).

  

  Ron Fanning reports:

"An Adult SORA was found along No Name Culvet (by the pipe-looking toward the main lake) this evening by Doug Morel. Bird was still present up until at least 7:30 when John Workman and I left the scene.....

"Vegetation is very thick there making for difficult viewing but w/ patience the bird gave us some good looks..."  (Thanks, Rob!)