Yesterday I added the 170th bird to the yard list when 3 Olive-sided Flycatchers stopped by to feed on the local flying insects. Dave Dister says that 3 represents the high daily count for the county, breaking the old record of 2.
This morning the Monarch that formed a chrysalis on the exterior of my basement wall, broke out and grew some wings.
The newly emerged butterfly left the local Monarch population with a net zero gain for the day, as a lingering Olive-sided Flycatcher started the day by taking a taste of one of the newbie's unwary brethren.
As caterpillars, monarchs only eat milkweed which contains toxins that give the insects a bad taste throughout their life. Therefore it came as no surprise that flycatcher ended up dropping the Monarch after mouthing and mangling it for a couple minutes.
On a happier note, warblers have been migrating through my yard this week. Today's Cape May Warbler shown below beat the county's old early fall date by 8 days.
The Magnolia and Nashville Warblers were seen on Wednesday.
The Magnolia and Nashville Warblers were seen on Wednesday.
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