Florida summer is well underway. I was happy to escape the stifling heat and humidity for a few trips north.

An evening walk along Lake Ontario earlier this month









Last week I was in Shepherdstown, WV for some training. On my way in to town I stopped at the Antietam visitor center and cemetery. Antietam was the bloodiest single-day battle of the Civil War, with over 22,000 casualties.









Antietam National Cemetery





The training center had a number of hiking trails, so I managed to escape for a few quick walks after class.

This fellow joined me for a walk one day



Resident skunk



Delicious raspberries





Back home, the usual cast of characters











This morning I found this little raccoon pup in the yard. It was daylight and he was out in the open, cold, and hungry, so my guess is that he was abandoned. Brought him to the local wildlife center where they will raise him and release him nearby.

Summer is in full swing with heat, thunderstorms, and bugs! But summer also brings cute baby birds to make it tolerable.

Baby cardinal



This year's babies seem to have grown up very quickly. I was wondering why until I saw that mother cardinal has been adding extra protein to the diet! A small brown anole became lunch.



The rabbits had babies too. They have a nest at the base of my coral bean shrub.



Riverbend has been quite active lately. Lots of turkeys.



Sandhill crane



Pileated woodpeckers everywhere





Red-bellied woodpeckers too



Amanita caesarea



More like the red claw club



Hidden anole



Barred owls are pretty active in the evenings.



An early morning visit to the beach last week. The sea was like glass and there were several pairs of sea turtles mating in the shallow water.

The Randall Davey Audubon center in Santa Fe was one of the highlights of my trip. I stumbled upon a birdwatching group, and they were nice enough to let me join.



Abundant hummingbirds at the nature center. This is a black-chinned hummingbird, a new one for me. I could have just stayed there and watched them zipping around all day long!



Black-headed Grosbeak.



Another new bird, Evening grosbeak. It was at this point that I started to regret leaving the DSLR at home!



White-breasted nuthatch





Beaver activity.





It was a great walk with friendly people.

My last stop was Albuquerque again. I had a few hours of daylight left so I headed over to the BioPark to see the serpentarium. They had an impressive collection of snakes.

Rhinoceros Viper



Green Mamba



Sri-Lankan Palm Viper



Speaking of Rhinoceros, I couldn't resist this shot.



This Western Fence lizard relaxed in the shade with me



The next day, it was time to head home!



Lots of bird activity at home. Cardinals, wrens, bluejays, and woodpeckers are all nesting nearby.

Stocking up







Hope to get some shots of the babies soon!

My first stop in Albuquerque was the historic Old Town.

The International Rattlesnake Museum was great. The collection houses rattlesnakes of the world, most of which I have never seen before. It was amazing to see how many rattlesnake species inhabit the Southwest, and how cryptic they can be!





Albuquerque was hot! So I decided to head up into the mountains.

Sandia Sky Tram



It was much cooler at the top!









Next stop Valle Caldera in the mountains near Los Alamos







Next stop, Santa Fe!

Posting this series from Zoo Miami from earlier this spring because I got a somewhat decent shot of one of my favorite birds:

The tawny frogmouth.



More shots from the aviary















The reptile house is another good place for photos





Okapi



Harpy eagle and chick.

After the Painted Desert, I traveled on the back roads through Zuni land to El Morro National Monument in New Mexico.
El Morro is known for the inscriptions left in the sandstone by Spanish and American explorers, as well as Pueblo artifacts.





View from the top













Pueblo ruins



At home, the barred owls have been pretty active at Riverbend





Black racer eating a lizard on our patio



More New Mexico pics coming soon...

It has been a dream of mine to visit the Painted Desert for many years. I was working in Arizona last week and got the chance to make it happen! Built a couple of days onto my trip to see the desert and visit Santa Fe.







Newspaper rock. These petroglyphs are up to 2,000 years old.













The petrified forest was pretty amazing as well. Apparently a lot of the petrified wood was taken to make jewelry and sculptures before the national park was established.





Next stop, New Mexico!

The latest shots from Riverbend:

Limpkin



Young'un



Just another pedestrian



Baby turkeys





In the garden, a Blue Grosbeak is the latest unusual visitor



An odd couple. Downy woodpecker and white bird of paradise







Hamilton, ON



Daytona, FL



Pearl Street, Boulder, CO. One of my favorite places.





Some shots from Flamingo Gardens and Green Cay back in March:

Red Tail Sunbathing



Feeding Time













Usual characters at Green Cay





This bittern was a great poser











Ugly or cute? Definitely cute.

Finally getting around to posting some vacation pics from the early March trip to the Keys:

Islamorada









Frigatebirds







Sunset in Key West











At home, we have been seeing some interesting creatures on the back patio.

Southern toad



Praying Mantis





Mole cricket

A female hummingbird is still visiting. I hadn't seen any hummingbirds for a couple of days and thought they were gone for the season. But then this little gem showed up.

I think I went overboard with the photos!





Many attitudes.









A recent visit to Riverbend was productive. This Pileated woodpecker didn't mind me snapping a few photos.







Turkey strutting his stuff



A nest of baby red shouldered hawks. I am looking forward to when our local babies fledge and start visiting our garden.



Sleepy barred owl.



Didn't see any young barred owls this time. Maybe next trip!

Spring feels like summer this weekend with temperatures in the high 80's. Good for the beach!



One of the resident box turtles.



Lots of insects.







Haven't seen a hummingbird for a couple of days so I suspect that they have gone north. Painted buntings are still here though.



I was in Charlotte for work last week. The trees were covered in blossoms.





Over a month later, here are the first of the vacation pics. Butterfly world in Coconut Creek.













I loved this little guy against the bright orange flower. Can not decide which shot I like best, so I'll just post them all!















The violet-ear was spectacular, as usual.













One of my favorite shots of the day.



More to come!