Found a Flicker Feather

I found a flicker feather
not far from the fence today.

That's your tongue-twister for the day, folks.

It's amazing what you find when you're paying attention. Outside one of the back doors at work, a robin has built a beautiful little nest in a small pine tree; it's so low that even I (at 5'1") could look into the nest when Mother was away this afternoon:

I have always loved robin's eggs; who doesn't? That blue is so beautiful. These eggs are being well-tended by Mother, who's rarely away except (I imagine) to get a meal.

My birding friend at work has been seeing all sorts of warblers around the walking trail out behind the building; he's out there early in the morning. Unfortunately, all my untrained eyes ever see during my lunchtime walks is robins and starlings. I've heard some interesting sounds out there, but I haven't seen any warblers yet. I did see those brown creepers, though--that was something!

He's going to the Magee Marsh birding event the same weekend I'll be in Franklin, PA, for the birding festival where Julie Zickefoose will be. I'm only going to the early-morning birding walk with her, then a thing on nature photography, and another thing on creating better backyard habitats for birds. I wish I could do the dinner, the mingle, etc. but I just don't have that much time. Still, just the birding walk alone is going to make the three-hour drive soooo worth it!

On my way to get Kat at school today, I performed a quickstop highway pullover that would've made Mary proud--to get a photo of this hawk:

Is this a red-tail? Here he's scratching his head with those talons, yet miraculously not scalping himself:


I also have some photos from earlier this week that you should see. First, we had a killdeer in Neighbor Ed's driveway yesterday morning; look at those freaky red eyes:

He was just screaming his little head off. Glad I wasn't trying to sleep.

Also found an interesting butterfly in the garden the other day:

That is a butterfly, right? He's kinda furry like a moth, but I think it's butterfly. At any rate, I checked several butterfly sites but couldn't find this guy. What is this, oh nature people out there?

Our lilac is just about to burst into bloom:

Thanks to my study of American poetry in college, lilacs will always remind me of another time when America was at war. Of course, back then, we had a real leader at the helm, not "The Commander Guy." Is that like GI Joe, only without the kung-fu grip?

We've had a lot of chipping sparrows at the feeder during the last few days; I love their garish red caps and '40s movie-star eyeliner. Here they're sitting in our just-bursting-with-new-needles tamarack:


There's a bunch of these sweet little daffodils (?) blooming just beyond the fence on the marsh:


Mr. House Finch posed for a portrait yesterday afternoon in the tamarack:


The view from the road over the marsh to the hills beyond: