Nice owl! From the back I wouldn't have been able to identify it as an owl. It's amazing how similar raptor backs look - I guess that's a very effective camouflage pattern for a tree dweller. I wonder if sparrow backs work best in grassy environments. I can empathize with your DH slipping while trying to photograph the owl. When I was leaving my NYC neighborhood I wanted to take a photo from the sidewalk of the Siberian Elm outside my window. While backing up I tripped on the railing of the building steps next door and almost fell into the stairwell. I managed to grab the railing and pull myself back up without damaging me or the camera but it was a close call. Claire

pixie_lou: Nice pic of the butterfly on the White Swan! That's my favorite coneflower. Not knowing much about dragonfiies, I turned to google and found this Dragonfly Site. They have a page on What Do Dragonflies Eat? which gets pretty gory, but the gist is: " Adult dragonflies eat just about anything that is edible and can be caught. They are a treasure for humanity because they keep mosquito populations under strict control by feasting on them when they are in abundance. Similarly, they also feed on ants, termites, butterflies, gnats, bees and other insects and tend to hunt in groups when large colonies of ants or termites are spotted. They are considered a pest by apiaries because they can polish off a good chunk of the bee population before one can realize the threat looming large. Writing about what dragonflies eat makes one wonder what would be the case if some of the older dragonfly species that have been found as fossils existed today. These fossil species belonging to the Meganeura genus were carnivorous insects with wings spreading to spans in the range of two and a half feet and made their food out of other insects and even small amphibians. If they were still alive today, weâÂÂd have to constantly watch our small pets to be sure they didnâÂÂt end up a dragonflyâÂÂs lunch!". Nectar is apparently not on the menu. Claire

Way to go, Sped! Nice hummer shots. Claire's right, it's an immature somebody. I looked in my Crossley Guide, but, boy, for me anyway, it's hard to tell an immature ruby-throated from an imm.rufous. Your bird even looks like an imm. Allen's which the book says is strictly West coast. She's eating, she's happy, she's been 'filmed', that's all that matters. Peepo is just wonderful, thanks, T2D and Claire for posting. Hope you have a helper or a tripod, Claire, so we can see you holding Guthrie and feeding him a banana. At first I thought Peepo's human mother must have gentle energy for that woodchuck to allow her to hug him. The I Googled 'woodchuck eating banana' and found Gertie (gopher/woodchuck) who also eats bananas on a table. Maybe woodchucks are fruit gourmets that easily give in to humans if the food is special. So, will Guthrie and Griselda get bananas and cookies with a slug of Vermont Woodchuck Ale soon? Film at 11:00? Jane Here is a link that might be useful: Gertie the groundhog eating a banana

In a week's time, I'm counting fewer Juncos after their Red Baron aerial pursuits last weekend, am seeing a tad more dead grass as the snow retreats, and Mrs. Cardinal has gone from flakes on 3-21-2015 to chatting with a young female Finch under sunny skies on 3-23-2015. Found a Titmouse looking depressed in a cold rain on 3-26-2015. So we're progressing. I'm still wondering if there is a male Purple Finch here - could this be him? because she's still here. She has the white lines over her eyes. The possum is still eating cat food everyday as Ivy was elevated to higher protein whole foods. This is funny - last week I cored a Bosc pear with a melon baller and gave the core bits to the possom on the side of his cat food. Next morning, food all gone, plate licked cleaned. A few days later, I had some leftover celery chunks, so I put 3 small pieces on the side of the dish with his cat food. Next morning the dish was whistle clean and the 3 celery chunks were stacked up in the dish untouched. Possom prefers sweet apparently. Jane