View new "Life Form of the Moment" wildflower photos: by clicking "Bonus Content" at left.
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----------------------------------------Lifeform of the Moment
5/31
White Trillium
This is the largest and showiest of the three trillium species found in the Northeastern USA. Making its large petals even more impressive is White Trillium's habit of growing in large colonies in wooded areas.
When Jan built it a couple seasons ago, I doubt she was thinking a bird would come along to add artistic enhancement to her "Mini Stone Henge" garden sculpture. But that's what happened yesterday in the rain, when a Veery landed on it in the perfect position.
Veeries are in the Thrush family, which makes them cousins to Robins and Bluebirds. Their song sounds like a marble spiraling down a drainpipe. Listen at allaboutbirds.org.
Chickadee Nest Box
Bluebirds aren't the only songbirds in and around our yards that will use a nest box. Chickadees, nuthatches, titmice and wrens also nest in cavities. Each bird has its own requirements as to height above the ground, nest hole diameter and depth of nest cavity. Make sure you have the right boxes for the species you're targeting before you put them up.
Shadbush
Flowering now, these understory trees also go by the names Juneberry and Serviceberry. The shadbush name comes from their blooming at the same time Atlantic Shad make their spawning runs up Northeastern rivers from the ocean (via Chesapeake Bay).
White-throated Sparrow
Sadly, these lovely songbirds won't stay to raise young in my woods. They're migrating through right now, bound for parts north, in the Adirondack Mountains and Canada. There they will sing their sweet wilderness song that sounds like "Oh, Canada, Canada, Canada" or "Joe Peabody, Peabody, Peabody" (depending on your preference).
Ring-necked Duck
Blink and you'll miss it: the annual parade of migrating waterfowl racing north through our area in Central New York. March and April see heavy traffic. Many of these migrants, such as the Ring-necked Duck below, are just passing through. Look for them in wetlands, beaver ponds and river backwaters.
Wild Turkey
It's that time of year around my place when Tom turkeys are on full display.
Red Maples
By the first week of April in Central New York state, Red Maple trees have burst their buds and are showing off their flowers.
Bald Eagle
Ever wary of human approach, this adult Bald Eagle sees me and vacates its perch in a tall Basswood overlooking the river.
Red-tailed Hawk
A shadow flashes across a meadow just waking from winter. I look up and see them: a pair of Red-tailed Hawks soaring in circles, quite close together, deciding, I'm thinking, to get this whole mating thing started.
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Favorite RM photos from here, there and everywhere...
White Pelicans preparing to land in a tidal wetland at Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC.
A Brown Pelican skims over the surface of Bodega Harbor on the coast of Northern California.
One too many Downy Woodpeckers at the feeder. Central New York.
An Oystercatcher in flight over the Kiawah River, SC. Oyster beds where it feeds are in background at low tide.
This is how all terns make a living, including this Forster's Tern.
They locate a small fish and hover over it.
They fold their wings and dive to the surface.
After a big splash, they fly away with the fish they have grabbed with their bill.
From a recent trip to Coastal South Carolina. A male Anhinga calls near its nest, with a female nearby.
A flock of Black Simmers above Atlantic ocean surf and beach, SC. Joined by a lone Royal tern.
Where I live, Bald Eagles are year-round residents. Our local rivers, and their ample fish populations, provide food throughout the cold months.
Red-bellied Woodpecker. Non-existent in the Northeast 50 years ago, this lovely bird now is a common sight along riverbanks and far up on forested hills.
I watched this Kestel hover over a stubble field before dropping quickly to the ground. Seconds later, it rose up with a grasshopper and flew to a favorite perch.
Photos by Rick Marsi