G's Blog

July - August 2026

I'm pretty sure this one is my bold Catbird. His/her tail disappeared very recently. Clearly they can still fly without it.

I was on the patio when the presumed juvie male hummingbird (photo just below, Aug. 22) stopped at the feeder there, a few feet from where I stood. It hesitated to approach but I stood still and it settled down for a long drink. After it was finished it came and hovered inches from my face, then moved to various points around my head. Felt like a lot of seconds, a wonderful thing.

Aug. 25
Writing Power Nap Blues.

This I believe is a young male. Either I've not photographed this one before or he's changed  plumage recently.

So glad the Orioles are still coming around. In years past I thought they lost interest in the jelly as the summer wore on, but not this year.

Aug. 22
At the dam this morning I couldn't ID this bird by eye, it was too far away. The photo is poor (I still had the settings for the Moon) but no mistaking the Kingfisher with that big head and bill. Merlin (bird app) agrees, Belted Kingfisher. I very seldom see those.

Aug. 19
Unprocessed.

I  keep hoping to come across one of the many sparrows I'm not familiar with. Not today. At the dam this immature Chipping sparrow was OK with me being fairly close for a decent shot. 

I think this is a Zabulon skipper, shot at distance on the 14th.

This Oriole was surprisingly mellow at about 9 feet through the open window

Aug. 17
Ridout Brethren Zoom call
Free Car Wash
Aug. 16
This is the first Black swallowtail, a male who eclosed yesterday. Posing with his now empty pupa casing (chrysalis).
Female Black swallowtail, the last to eclose today.
Female Black swallowtail
Male Black swallowtail, at least that's what I thought at the time. Photographed through a cement block after his first flight, I liked the framing.

Facebook threw up these from August 15 2023 when evidently I released these swallowtails that I'd raised.

  Aug. 15

A foggy morning walk at the dam today. Is black & white better?

Aug. 14

About three feet across the stump. I watched it fall but wasn't quick enough to get photo/video.

Before & after, dead oak that was taken down today.
Had it fallen toward the house or garage, big damage!

Wondering what this is, and if it's best to wait until it's done flowering to transplant. I was told Hibiscus and Rose Of Sharon. Turns out they're related. Aug.13

Wordle-brag dam-selfie Open Mic recordings (five songs on the playlist so far).

Aug. 11

A rather sorry-looking vine-thing I bought months ago for cheap has finally decided to bloom.

I've been told this is Mandevilla. Looks like I have to bring it in for the winter.

Aug. 9

Here is the sound of the Pileated woodpecker hammering (from the Aug. 6 walk).

Sometimes I see them perching but don't get the photo-op very often.

Aug. 7

With a day off I was able to do a few things around the house. I cleaned the birdbath and resurrected the solar fountain. When I checked on it later I found it was spraying water over the edge. No good deed goes unpunished.

Aug. 6

View from the dam

Barn Swallow

Chipping Sparrow Takes Off

Ripples Aug. 5

Open mic

That playlist should now include all 3 songs I did that night along with one of Jesse's tunes.

ShinyCarMothSelfieDuJour Aug. 4

Project du jour. The trouble with some new items (a car for example) is it leads to getting other things for it. In this case, floor mats. The set I got wasn't quite an exact fit, hence the project.

A substandard shot (poor lighting/focus) but wonderful pose.

Aug. 3

Another 'lightning bug', I'm not seeing them flash lately. 

Celebrating not only 777 on odometer but an impressive 44 MPG. It briefly got over 50 on the same drive. The longer term average is still in the high 30s but it's slowly working its way up.

Not a morning (or dam) shot, the Milkweed tussock moth caterpillar. I'm letting them eat all the MW they want since no Monarch cats have appeared. :-(

Merlin says Ring-billed Gull.

Since I started walking the dam I've been hoping to get confirming shots of the Eastern Kingbird I've been seeing for a week or so. Merlin agrees with my ID on both of these.

Aug. 2 (this isn't supposed to be a link)

Lady Hummingbird, must be a wing shadow. Taken around 9am.

Aug. 1

June - JULY - August

Today's Catbird fun. I wasn't prepared for this & had to situate the phone with my left hand while holding the re-fueling rod with my right. Good thing the phone was already on the cradle that Nick Ridout gave me. Also good that the bird waited while I did that! And no, I can't tell what 'his' gender is. Here's the link to it on Youtube.

A dam selfie, almost showing the taller tree where the eagle was.

Jul. 29

Someone commented "Kind of ironic the guy who was trying to speed them up is the one dragging".

Listening to it again, he's right, my timing is terrible!

https://youtu.be/30HglTA5OgY

A sampling from Tuesday's open mic at Kent Lanes. Folks included (in no particular order): Dennis Darby; Eric Oswald; Paul Hess, Joey Andrasik; Chris Crull; John Harrow; Jack Deering; Adam Malesky.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBGq6maqJjAI

Jul. 28

Zooming with the Ridout brethren.

Exciting ... or fodder for the Dull Men's Club?!
Briefly - just before the first traffic light on my drive to the nursing home - the car touched 50mpg! A 6-mile trip.

As soon as I stopped it dropped before I could snag a photo. I'm thinking my light-footed back-country-road drives are probably more economical than highway fuel consumption.

First rabbit in a long time. If I was a serious gardener I'd not be happy.

First Eagle in a long time, from Kirwan dam (West Branch).

Jul. 27
Jul. 26

Chipping Sparrow on Kirwan dam.

Poor quality shot but good enough for ID.
First modification of new car: engine cover removed; anti-rodent gadget installed.

Update: 4 of the many songs I recorded at Tuesday's open mic at Kent Lanes (July 21). Includes Jesse Carter, Nat Napoletano, Blue Moon Dogs, Chris Crull & me. There's a chance I may update this 'playlist' but I'm still hoping to post some from the previous week, so don't hold your breath. Updated with Jim Vickers.

Jul. 25

I think this is either Dill or Fennel.

Who dat? It's on the aforementioned plant and is very small. 6 or 7mm maybe. Update: iNaturalist thinks Jagged Ambush Bug.

Jul. 24

Open mic playlist. Only two unedited songs so far. Hopefully in the coming days I can update with more songs, better edits, board audio.

Jul. 21

I've been taking this bar of Irish Spring soap with me when outdoors. Said to repel mosquitoes, I think I notice a reduction.

I might have to lower this one, a bit of a blockage for photography. Every solution creates a problem.

Meanwhile this one is about as high as I can get it, not as high as they recommend for squirrels. But, I have the chipmunks more in mind.

Project du jour, something I'd been procrastinating: squirrel/chipmunk baffles.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NZRG279

My first 111 may not be as woohoo as the 77777 I was anticipating in the other car, but even without the implied leading zeroes any reading of such low mileage is going to excite me for a while. (Probably the lowest reading I ever had in my life was over 20k.)

Geez - I thought it was black!

Jul. 20

Moon before sunset.

Jul. 19

Grammar question. Is it just me or could this have been written better? That is, unless they really are Mormons.

Not that I don't make spelling/grammar errors, it just amused me.

House Wren, trying to take over the Bluebird house. Not so fast I say.

Jul. 18

My first ever brand new car (left). Now I'll never see 77777 on the old one (right). I'm informed that's a silly reason to postpone the vehicle upgrade, though. Could be true.

Jul. 17
Jul. 15

Big and Little dippers. This is a combined image, it's not perfect by any means but it serves for ID. I wanted to see if the little dipper was in my fireflies photo, turns out it's only partially represented. Side notes: Sixty-odd years ago as a child in England, I didn't learn "big dipper", it was "the plough". Mind drifting back not quite so far in time but further north (Scotland): how clear and near it seemed. A 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ memory. Funny also that our local common luminescent beetle is known as the big dipper.

I recorded some but not all of the music at last night's open mic (Kent Lanes). Here is a playlist that, in time, will hopefully contain more than one of those songs. How nice to see and hear Linda Neiger and Eric again, welcome back you guys! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV5x_IORwxg&list=PLdLC8TKWKGbE

Here in Ohio, our most common firefly is said to be "Photinus pyralis, also known by the common names the common eastern firefly or big dipper firefly, and sometimes called a lightning bug". I found this one in our porch.

This hue jumped out and grabbed me.

Citronella, a very small flower.

Jul. 14

Jul. 13

Detail of the shot below (used for Zoom background).

Almost midnight, more fireflies and star trails. Saturation boosted. I'll probably replace this if my buddy Dan removes the bogus red pixels and aircraft trails for me. 73 stacked images, essentially an almost 40 minute time-exposure.

Dan Gilbert's cleaned up version.

Found in the window deceased: Little Wood-Satyr. Hard to get this close when they're alive.
Two Bee Balm fans, both male.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The hindwing underside nails the ID.
I like the wing curvature, he didn't stop fluttering, my first Spicebush clue.
Spicebush Swallowtail

Jul. 12
I'd been trying to get back in the habit as it's not long before the upcoming big one (77777). I'd set a reminder about this one then totally forgot to monitor it. But lo and behold, when I parked at my destination I looked and there it was, the anticipated symmetry!

So - 1510 miles to go (as of this picture). Assuming 45.2 miles daily average, in 33.4 days I'll hit the big one. Wow - that just could land on my birthday!!
 

Jul. 11Some photos from today and recent days.

My Joe Pye patch is slowly expanding, now taller than me and starting to flower.

I liked how the late afternoon sun was being selective with the Bee Balm patch.

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird 

Jul. 9

Star trails and fireflies last night, 84 stacked images (48 minutes). The bright one must be Jupiter.

Now I have an easy way to stack a lot of images I must do more star trails as last night was a bit cloudy. July 9 update: Dan Gilbert hopped it up a bit for me in Lightroom.

There was a video option which of course I had to try. Not so great.