It has been a half-year since I offered a month’s-end goulash: a collection of images, none of which had had a posting of its own.
Starlings, an invasive and aggressive species, are not my favourite birds. Yet, when they collect in vast flocks, they are renowned for presenting coordinated and spectacular murmurations. Alas, the numbers here were insufficient for that; they merely offered chaotic flight.
It might be a surprise to some that the doe-eyed White-tailed Deer is demonized in some circles.
Why do owls, hawks, falcons, and woodpeckers appeal to some humans? I don’t know, but I have the condition also. Here is our tiniest woodpecker, the Downy.
Spring comes and we begin to see the Meadow Lark in our fields.
The Great Blue Heron is one of my favourites. Here one is flying into a local rookery.
This is an uncommon view of the wings of one of our common birds: the Steller’s Jay.
Two female and two first-year male Hooded Mergansers choose a turtle’s loafing log for preening.
This ball of fur comprises two Yellow-bellied Marmots. First came nuzzling, now thrusting.
Progress rejection
At first I was bothered by the way our culture of discardable shipping containers had sullied the talus.
Then I thought, maybe the marmots have merely installed lighting in their dens.
Finally, I was struck by the whimsy of wildlife having turned its back on what we see as progress.