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July 9, 2007 [LINK / comment]

Midsummer nature break

While searching for birds a couple days ago, I noticed a cluster of thistle plants in full bloom, and was lucky to get this shot of a Honeybee licking nectar from a flower. Thistles are attractive for about one week, and then they go to seed, looking scraggly for the rest of the summer. Goldfinches depend almost exclusively on the cotton-like thistle fibers, so these late-breeders will soon be able to start building their nests.

Thistle, bee

Along the path behind the Staunton-Augusta Rescue Squad on Monday morning, I noticed many fledgling Chickadees, Titmice, and Cardinals making a lot of noise. Those year-round resident species will be able to raise a second brood later this summer and early fall, whereas most of the migrants will have to pack up and leave by September. If their first brood fails for whatever reason (snakes, Cowbirds, Bluejays), they won't get another chance until next year.

Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 09 Jul 2007, 10: 54 PM

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NOTE: Thus far, only blog posts related to politics and baseball are included in this list.

Blog highlights have been compiled for the years 2010-2012 thus far, and eventually will be compiled for earlier years, back to 2002.


Explanation

The "home made" blog organization system that I created was instituted on November 1, 2004, followed by several functional enhancements in subsequent years. I make no more than one blog post per day on any one category, so some posts may cover multiple news items or issues. Blog posts appear in the following (reverse alphabetical) order, which may differ from the chronological order in which the posts were originally made:

  1. Wild birds (LAST)
  2. War
  3. Science & Technology
  4. Politics
  5. Latin America
  6. Culture & Travel
  7. Canaries ("Home birds")
  8. Baseball (FIRST)