We've been enjoying summer, camping in the yard on clear nights, swimming almost every day at the abandoned pay lake on Poppy Mnt
{{gwi:1371822}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm

We keep seeing a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers acting like flycatchers

7-7-09, Poppy Mnt, Red-headed Woodpecker

It flies out to catch bugs
{{gwi:1371824}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm

Snags insects in air
{{gwi:1371825}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm

Woodpecker with dinner
{{gwi:1371826}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm

After returning four infra-red game cams in a row, I finally bought a 2006 Cuddeback IR game cam, since my older regular flash Cuddeback is so good, but the new cam results have been disappointing. At least the cam is fast enough to catch the animals at all, but the photos are terrible

7-10-09, New IR Cuddeback, juvenile coyote, 6:04 a.m.
{{gwi:1371827}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm

Saturday I heard the whiny calls of a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk in the woods near our pond

7-11-09, 9:36 a.m.

It kept racing around the woods chasing a sibling away from its territory
{{gwi:1371831}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm

7-11-09, near our pond, male Hooded Warbler

7-11-09, near our pond, 1rst yr Red-eyed Vireo

7-11-09, Woods behind house, male Wood Thrush
{{gwi:1371840}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm

Poppy Mnt is a 1400 acre property that has been partially abandoned since it changed owners, but a herd of horses still wanders the back half

7-11-09, Poppy Mnt, horse drinking from pay lake
{{gwi:1371842}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm

The horses belong to the former property horse wrangler and are mostly grade Tennessee Walker brood mares

and their foals
{{gwi:1371846}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm
{{gwi:1371848}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm

But we also see many birds. This male Common Yellowthroat was singing just below the pay lake

7-12-09, 3:25 p.m.

I pick Blackberries and take bird photos while DuBois is swimming his laps

7-12-09, Poppy Mnt, Purple Martin pair

with fledgling

When I pick Blackberries near home, Pandy helps himself

7-12-09, My hair being groomed by Pandy, hand-raised Mitred Conure parrot

while the dogs play

Rasty (rescue Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier) sitting, while Jasper (rescue Jack Russell Terrier) and Fergie (Feist Terrier) wrestle

7-14-09, Poppy Mnt, male Indigo Bunting, 3:00 p.m.

There was a terrific racket above the pay lake yesterday when the pair of Barn Swallows nesting in the shack attacked a yelping juvenile Red-tailed Hawk

7-14-09, 3:18 p.m.

Near the access road above lake I noticed a flock of juvenile Orchard Orioles
{{gwi:1371864}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm

They were eating Blackberries as well

Several small birds flew into some trees ahead and I barely glimpsed a head through the leaves. It looks like an Alder Flycatcher, but must be a Willow Flycatcher instead, because otherwise the Alders would be migrating three weeks early..not a good sign
{{gwi:1371866}}From 7-6-09 Poppy Mnt, farm

Several times we saw juvenile Meadowlarks in the grass far ahead

Today when I climbed the wooded hill behind the house to our pond and crept up behind the blind, I was shocked when I actually saw the Wood Ducks myself without having to see them through the Cuddeback game cam pics

7-15-09, our pond, female Wood Duck and two juveniles, 12:05 p.m.

The shutter noise alarmed the female and she was just about to take off, when a woodpecker started hammering noisily on the other side of the pond. I could almost see her deciding to shrug off the camera noise as harmless