(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Daily Bucket - Warblers at the Waterfowl Refuge. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-18 I walked two miles and sat for two hours before I decided to head out of the woods (during a recent visit to the Wildlife Refuge.) It was a pleasant morning and I felt so good. I didn’t mind being denied a single thing to photograph (until I was almost to the truck.) This lovely, unhurried, Viceroy Butterfly landed daintily on some vines cluttering the edges of the trail. It was in no hurry to lap nectar or evade a predator. It was resting from drifting through the morning air. We both enjoyed the moment of quiet. When your Bug of the Day is a butterfly, life is better. A few steps further, a commotion in a tall Poplar caused me to turn and look upward. A family of Blue Jays were scrambling through the branches as a couple of juvenile Red-headed Woodpeckers collected insects. The brief complaints of the woodies followed the flutter of Jay wings as each successful item found by a Red-head caused a potential ‘mugging” by a blue bandit. I didn’t have time to film any of that action, but here are other mug shots of both players involved. The immature expression of a Woodpecker without it’s red hood of experience and authority. Individually an thug, together a gang. this Blue Jay shows his better side. I could see my truck when I decided to stop and watch some action ahead of me. The puddle I passed on my way that morning, had lots of birds flitting about. A Catbird sounded an alarm as I set up my stool and tripod. It quickly disengaged and joined the group I was watching. Grey Catbird A Kinglet zipped through, examined the scene, and zipped away. Golden-crowned Kinglet A Wood Thrush sat for a long while (as if in charge of the arena) and watched the activity. It didn’t make a sound, just sat and accessed the proceedings. Wood Thrush “overlord” of the puddle. There was a blast of yellow and brown from the hedge beside the path. This young girl dashed onto the Bois D’Arc (Osage Orange aka Bodock) fruit half buried in the puddle. I pushed the record button and got some intimate moments. juvenile male Common Yellowthroat 33 second film I spotted one more high flier as I packed up. I used this three photo series to id my bird. Here are the markers that indicate this is a first winter, female Magnolia Warbler. Solid white eye ring, broken upper and solid wing band, extended yellow body, bright white under tail and classic warbler beak shape. Heavy black tip on tail, faint stripes below the wings and pale grey neckband. The wonderful white banded tail was visible as she flitted away. I failed to mention earlier but discovered a flat tire when I arrived at the truck. Park Rangers and I tended to it quickly and I left for home. I expressed my gratitude to those great guys for helping me and the work they do on the Refuge. The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns. We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow. My Bug of the Day is a late season flier. The Blue-faced Meadowhawk (Sympertrum ambiguum) is a medium sized dragonfly that stays close to ground to hunt. This male was hanging around a dry pond watching butterflies flutter by. It is not unusual to see this bright scarlet tail zip by in half of the country (east coast, to Texas and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes.) I hope you’ll add your own observation of new or old moments you’ve had. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/18/2195424/-Daily-Bucket-Warblers-at-the-Waterfowl-Refuge?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/