May 13th. A male Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula).

 

 

 

 

 

A female Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula).

 

Male Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa). (Mating duties over, or not required, just hanging out?)

 

 

 

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) "hawking", that is...

 

...watching for passing insects before darting out to catch one.

 

 

 

Ready to pounce. It darted out just after I took this picture.

 

Buds showing on Pink Lady's-slipper Orchids (Cypripedium acaule).

 

Blue Scorpiongrass (Myosotis stricta) at the Route 85 trailhead.

 

Much smaller that typical Forget-me-not; the flowers are tiny.

 

Also at the tralhead, a mass of ants (Family Formicidae) on the move. Thousands of them.

 

 

 

Here passing by one of the wooden guardrail posts.

 

May 14th. A male Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) of the year.

 

An afternoon visit to Cranberry Bog. Female Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) with nest material.

 

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta).

 

Gill-over-the-ground or Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea).

 

The same, but bluer.

 

 

 

Speedwell (Veronica sp.). Flowers less thaN 1/4 inch across.

 

English Plantain (Plantago lanceolata).

 

From out of the plantain emereged a female Mallard (Anas playtrhynchos) and hints of ducklings.

 

Four to be precise.

 

She led the ducklings away from me and down to the water.

 

 

 

 

 

They then swam past me.

 

 

 

Then in a rush...

 

...they jetted by...

 

...and settled into a calmer pace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(I like the duckling in profile.)

 

 

 

They crossed the trail...

 

...headed for a sheltered stream.