Rondeau Ric

water snake , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. Anne spotted this 5 foot long water snake along the edge of the marsh. Usually they get very dark as they get to this size and appear to be black. On this one you can still see the bands. Nerodia sipedon insularum

Painted Lady - female , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. It's butterfly time around the cottage. Our tall grass prairie, the back yard, is starting to bloom which is bringing in a good selection of butterflies. I'm not one for cutting grass so we planted native tall grasses and flowers which don't require fertilizer, water or cutting. Vanesa cardui

Back off, this is my fish. , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. This osprey usually spent part of the day sitting on this light pole. Most days he had a fish which he didn't want to share with the grackles who were harassing him.

Hummingbird clearwing sphinx moth , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. Now there is a mouthful for you. I had heard about this moth before but hadn't seen it. It appeared in the yard a few days ago. Looks like a bee, flies like a hummingbird and has clear wings. Cool

Mutt and Jeff , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. or possibly Laurel and Hardy. Crash is a big cat and Oz looks like he is going to be a compact cat. Oz likes to hide and then jump and crash. After the attack they take turns chasing each other around the house. Have a good weekend.

Fandango , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. This tri coloured heron appears to be doing a fancy dance. He reminds of those old fan dances in the movies.

Out of synch , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. I don't think they have the hang of it yet. Two young paddlers were having a difficult time moving their kayak along the shore. Or maybe this is X marks the spot.

Too cute by half , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. Oz likes his cat tower and sleeps in the hammock near the top. He is getting bigger but still fits in easily. I guess he felt like sprawling today.

Blue spotted salamander , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. Another odd creature at Rondeau. This one likes damp areas under logs etc. Moved an old freezer that we store bird seed in and there were five of these slow moving creatures. Did you notice there are two? One is trying to hide under the other. Ambystoma laterale

Five lined skink with eggs , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. I had a rare opportunity to photograph a skink gaurding its eggs. In order not to disturb the skink I had about 4 seconds to get the shot. If I get another chance I', going to trim the grass in the foreground first.

Sippy cup , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. A female or immature ruby throated hummingbird takes a sip from the oriole feeder. That's fair because the orioles use the hummingbird feeders. The way it is drinking reminded me of a child with a spill proof cup or sippy cup.

Tastes like chicken , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. Oz was in the window staring at the house wren nest, watching the adults come and go. Three feet away and it might as well have been on the moon. He seems to think they would taste like chicken.

The noisy bug of summer , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. Cicadas are common in our area and they create an insect drone each evening. It is a sound of summer just like kids playing baseball or splashing in a pool. Thought I would give you a break from bird photos. The frigate bird has left our area.

A new yard bird , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. The magnificent frigate bird was flying up the beach and we were watching it from the yard. It made a right turn and flew directly over the yard. Whooooohoooo!! I doubt we will ever top this as a yard bird. For non birders, a yard bird is a bird seen or heard from your yard. Seeing is always nicer than just hearing.

Magnificent Visitor , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. We had a rare visitor at Rondeau on Monday. A magnicent frigate bird showed up at Rondeau and we took a group of birders out on our pontoon boat to see it. It perched at the top of a cottonwood and didn't seem to be bothered by all the oooohs and aaaws Fregata magnificens

100 Degrees? Stop complaining. , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. A few months ago you were complaining about how cold it was and how you couldn't wait for summer. Well it is here.