Fresh Air Country: Birds, Butterflies, Flowers etc etc...

So this is what what was happening in the front yard:
Neighbor cat Missy was just sitting on the porch, not bothering no one, when two magpies decided to object to his (yes, Missy is a guy cat) presence in the world.
The 'pies kept taking runs at Missy, and Missy just kept folding his ears back as if to say "Look, I really don't want to mess you...could you two just find something else to do?"


Missy finally got up and left.

One magpie remained just outside our front door, clearly awaiting an opportunity to take one of us on.

Bernie and I fooled him; we snuck out the back door and took off for a day in the countryside.


It was just the perfect first day of summer day.
We played hooky from work and headed east to a place call Current Creek, passing through farmland and small towns along the way.

I rambled about as Bernie wet a fly.
(He caught seven trout, and kept three for eating later.)
The Butterflies were out sipping from damp gravelly areas.
They really were not hard to photograph; this one just sat there for the longest time.




The air was scented with sage, and florals.
Me?
Totally happy wandering about seeing what I could see.
Care to join me for a look around?


The sound of the stream overflowing into a flowering meadow mixed with the sounds of various bird calls.












That's Bernie casting into the reservoir.

Forget-me-not patches lined the path around the water.


Tree swallows were gathering mud for nesting along the shoreline.



I think a bit of courting was going on too.




Bernie fishing from the other end of the reservoir.
Who cares if the fish bite with that kind of view to enjoy?





Mother Killdeer was feigning injury in the meadow.




Not sure if that was two females or a pair.
Bernie said to check the ground for the nest; I looked but didn't spot it.

Yellow warblers were singing from all directions, seemingly calling back and forth from all points of the compass.

I love watching them sing!

Western grebe floated low in the water, their ruby jewel like eyes flashing as they looked for fish to eat.

I enjoyed the pattern of the snow melting atop the mountains.

Lime green eyes, yellow wings outlined in rose.
How's that for fashion inspiration?

I caught a Broad Tailed humming bird with his tongue out!

Doesn't he look like a Punk Hummer?

This little blue butterfly, about the size of a quarter, did a 360 turn for me as I shot.
Show off....

The hummer flitted between two trees; I shot and shot and shot until my arms ached trying to get him with his red bib glowing.
The bib was totally black when the light wasn't on it.
I think he was a juvenile; his feathers seemed rather messy.

The White pelican is in Utah right now. It is one of their largest breeding areas.

Can you see a bit of a knob on his bill?
The bird develops a knob during breeding season.
Isn't that interesting that they can do that?

And that was how we spent our first day of summer!