Kersplash!

On the same day that this happened, this happened:

Incoming!

Splash!

And then, a bit of a splashing competition ...

Lots of action at the bird bath.

Meanwhile at the Back Bubbler

I just recently set the trail cam up by the back bubbler and the for first week I had it aimed wrong.

Whoops.

So I reset it and checked it after a day.

And there were two birds of note. And if I recall correctly, both are first timers at the back bubbler, although not to the yard.

The, or should I say (write?) "a" Blackpoll Warbler made an appearance.

And then what we think is a Swamp Sparrow stopped by.

And while the camera is still not quite aimed correctly, I still managed to capture a couple of good birds.

National Drink Beer Day

(From the "I forgot to post it" department ...)

🍺  🍺  🍺  🍺  🍺

A real holiday. Its' on the interwebs even!

So to celebrate I combined two of favorite things.

Beer and Birds.

I hope you enjoyed one (or more!) of your favorite brews.

Until next year (Ha! Yeah right.)

The Spider and the Flies ...

Lots of flies.

Friday morning I noticed quite a few tiny insects flying around outside my office window. 

Not the first time ...

And then, from my desk, I saw the scene in the image above. 

A spiderweb covered in dew. 

In the afternoon? Wait what? That's not dew!

It's the flies!

If you look closely at the upper left you'll see some flying around (along with a flower fly).

There were so many ...

... they broke the web!

That spider hit the jackpot!

Yeehaw!

Drama at the bird bath. A Northern Parula and an American Redstart.

I'll just let the pictures tell the story.

Yeah, I don't know what went on here. 

The Warbler Show

A new warbler has visited the Bubbler Bird Bath.

A Blackpoll Warbler.

This bird is just passing through. A long distance migrant, it's on its way to an island in the Caribbean or perhaps northern South America.

Not a bad place to spend the winter. But quite the endurance challenge for a small bird which breeds in northern Canada and Alaska. Hopefully it is finding plenty to fuel up on in the yard.

🐦  🐦  🐦  🐦  🐦

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

The Enemy of My Enemy ...

... is a Spider.

As is my custom, after finishing my day at "work" I head out to the deck to enjoy a beverage as my daily commute to non-work. And that is when I noticed the above.

No, not the the siding needs to be pressure washed, although that is true.

No, it is the Spider ...

(Species undetermined.)

... And the Fly.

Species unfortunately known, a Southern Lanternfly. 

This was the view last evening.

And this morning the spider was feeding. And it was quite intent on its meal. Usually when I go out in the morning the spider scampers off behind the drainpipe. But not today. Although temps in the 40's F may have had something to do with that. 

And this is the Lanternfly once the spider had finished its meal. 

And next up ...

... a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, another invasive insect. 

We need more spiders.