I was looking for a better term than "panoply," but each species of bird has its own cumulative word - i.e., a "gaggle" of geese, or a "murder" of crows. Since this posting will contain several different species, I decided to use the term "panoply" as defined in Merriam Webster: "a magnificent or impressive array."
Well, maybe that is overstepping...
I will begin with photos from June 27 of the Saltmarsh Sharptail Sparrow:
Today's quarry in the same area was the Seaside Sparrow. This little fellow teased me no end. He sat up on the same log as the above photo, then flew right in front of me to a reed that I could barely point the camera at without significantly changing my position which would have, of course, spooked him away. Several times he teased me thus. While this isn't the greatest of photos, it was the best I managed of him today.
The Saltmarsh Sharptail and the Seaside nest in the same marshes, exhibit similar behaviors and have very similar calls. The distinction is that the "sharpie" has the apricot-colored eyebrows and lower cheeks and a distinctly streaked breast, while the seaside has a spot of yellow on the bridge and a less-streaked breast.
Next up we have an immature Great Egret. Normally this bird wouldn't be a standout, but this one caught my eye.
You can tell that he's an immature by the dark colors on his head and neck. Yawn. But what is that in his beak? It is a small flounder or other flatfish. This bird was trying to get the fish into position to be swallowed for over five minutes when I gave up and left! He knows he has a tasty morsel, but has no clue how to get it down the gullet.
I hope he eventually had his meal!
The 28th of June yielded several keepers. First up is the Cedar Waxwing:
In years past the Waxwing has been an elusive target. This year they are plentiful and accessible. Interestingly, I recall that normally their tail tips are yellow, while this year many of them are red. This trait in "Sibley" is noted as an adult variant.
Also on the 28th:
This Willow Flycatcher struck a nice pose. In years past the flycatchers were relatively scarce, but this year are present in significant numbers. That's a "Good Thing" as, together with the various swallows and Purple Martins, they help keep the insects at bay.
Next, forgive me for posting a few images of the Yellow Warbler. This bird is such a cutie and has a very pleasant song. And, he poses.
Please note that the first and fourth photographs are not the same.
Fast-forward to July 2. A couple of otherwise mundane birds, but still interesting when photographed under the right conditions.
American Robin:
The Herring Gull:
Normally I don't pay much attention to gulls. In fact, they can be an annoyance when you live close to the shore. But, occasionally, I am drawn to a pose, a visage. It is then that the shutter goes "click click click." In regards to the Herring Gull, I love the eye.
The relative surprise for this day was the Brown Thrasher. I had discovered a Cedar Waxwing nest, and was awaiting the re-emergence of either the adult or the juvenile. I had spotted them nearby, with the adult picking a berry and placing it into the mouth of the juvenile. They failed to repeat the behavior, but I had noted where they disappeared into a tree. While watching that location, I noticed a disturbance underneath, and spied the Thrasher.
Today was quite a day. We'll start with the Banded Kingfisher.
This bird was sitting around a pond which is a Great Blue Heron rookery. Most of the Great Blue chicks have fledged, but some persist in sitting on their nests. While observing this, I spied this Banded Kingfisher. The photos aren't great, owing to the distance to the bird, but still:
I would have preferred better sharpness, but she was at a good distance. Do note, however, the spider webs to her left in the top and bottom photos.
I was surprised to find this Eastern Kingbird today. In fact there were a couple of them, and they may be nesting.
Though slightly larger than a swallow, this bird could be mistaken for one. The telltale sign is the tail tip dipped in white. And, it is slightly larger and behaves differently. While a swallow flies over a large area dipping and diving to capture insects, this bird sits on a twig then takes to wing to attack identified insects, often in the grasses, then returns to the perch.
While watching the Kingbird a Sharptail came into frame:
Although I have posted adequate images of the Northern Mockingbird previously, this image is worth sharing:
He was posing right where I previously had seen an Eastern Kingbird (who, naturally, flew just as I trained my lense on him) and seemingly attempted to reward me for the previous loss.
Mixed in with the birds today I found an opportunity to photograph some dragonflies.
I love these photos. I equally like this one of a Redwing Blackbird Female, with which I will close, having presented 13 species of bird and one insect.
Yesterday we mounted the speaker enclosures on the underside of the hatch. The enclosures were constructed to match the under-hatch aesthetic.
I also applied another coat of pigmented polyurethane to the water cabinet and the counter.
Today I fit the cooler fill panel and doors to the lower galley cabinet area. Final adjustments to the doors, drawers and panel will be made when all finishes are applied and final mounting is undertaken.
The panel on the right is a door that opens 90 degrees under the stove drawer for access to the propane tanks and other storage.
Both stove drawer and right door open.
Right door closed, stove drawer open.
The left cabinet (water cabinet) has a door that opens 170 degrees. This door has a panel that matches the drawer/door on the right, with an oak panel and rosewood inlay strips. This cabinet will contain the water tank, the sink and faucet, and more.
Finally, the cooler drawer has a removable panel that can be stowed when parked for convenience.
The panel will be removable, and will store in a position as shown below. The cooler cabinet will also contain the on-demand water pump and screen.
The new door panels fail to match the drawer fronts in color in the photos because they have not yet been finished. That is the next step for these components.
Additionally today, Sean worked to secure wiring chases, and another coat of white polyurethane was added to the countertop.
The next steps are to add another coat to the counter top, put an initial coat of lacquer on the counter rail, and put finish on the doors/panels to match the existing fronts. Once that finish work is complete, the closure hardware for these openings can be mounted.
Relatively speaking, we've been seeing a lot of visual progress lately. Now, pulling wires isn't real visual progress, and I have to give props to Sean for completing the pulls today. The last pull was probably the most difficult- two 90 degree turns through 1-1/4" pipe followed by a reverse 45 degree (aka 315 degrees) and another 45. In the end, Sean simplified the pathway to a pair of 90s followed by another 90. It worked.
All the wires are pulled.
Meanwhile, I've been working on the doors/panels to enclose the lower hatch. To review, the lower hatch is divided into three sections - the left contains the water tank, sink and appurtenances, the center contains the cooler on a slide-out tray, and the right contains the stove on a drawer plus the propane tanks.
Today I mounted the two drawers. Here is the cooler tray:
Inside the cooler bay are the water pump and upstream screen:
Also mounted today is the stove drawer.
Another of the day's tasks was to place a first coat of marine polyurethane on the cavity that will hold the water tank (to guard against damage from sweat) and the counter top. Eventually I'd like to cover the counter with stainless steel, but for now it will be water-resistant polyurethane, seen best here:
Note: the area below the stove drawer, above the cooler tray and the entire left cavity will be filled with doors/panels that match those done inside the cabin. The left cavity - the "water cavity" - will be made up of a panel and a faux front that matches the stove drawer, complete with rosewood inlays. The counter will receive an oak front piece to cover the plywood and build up an edge above the counter.
I've been remiss lately in posting - both on the topic of the teardrop (yesterday caught us up) and bird photos.
Today is all about birds.
While it is the "slow season" for birds hereabouts, there are still some to be seen and photographed.
First up is a catbird.
While the catbird derives its name from its ability to sound like a cat in distress, it has a varied song that belies its name.
Next is a goldfinch. Normally these guys can only be found in the bushes. This fella presented himself against the sky for a nice shot.
Next up is a house finch, a close relative of the goldfinch. The red on him really pops!
While it is tempting to see this bird as a purple finch, the purple has much more red. We'll settle for the "house" variety.
The "hybrid little blue x tricolor" was at play in the rock pond, seeking out food.
In the May, 27 blog titled "Peeps Galore and More" I noted a female killdeer who was sheltering her young from bad weather. This same female, having nested in the exact same place, recently hatched her second clutch of three young.
Mom, then the offspring:
I have been keeping an eye on a local Great Blue Heron rookery, and the chicks have definitely hatched. This rookery has eight or nine nests, all of which have been productive. This particular nest brought to mind the phrase "crowded house." Three chicks, one adult attempting to feed them. The overriding concern seems to be "don't push me off the nest!"
A brown thrasher was sitting in the top of a pine tree today, singing his head off. I've always known them to be very shy ground-dwellers, so this behavior was odd to me. Still, he provided considerable photo ops!
A cedar waxwing was also presenting himself against the clear blue sky.
This goldfinch was particularly cute in his environment.
While mockingbirds are relatively plentiful, they do make for nice photos.
Finally, this Willow Flycatcher offered a couple of poses.
All things considered, the past few days, while slow for bird photography, have offered a considerable variety of opportunities.
