May 12

These Bell's Vireos won't have to fledge. As they get heavier, the nest sags more, and they'll soon be dumped out of the nest. Actually, of the four vireo nests I found this year, it's the only one that made it. It's also the only one I took a cowbird egg out of. I'm suspecting the others got abandoned when a cowbird laid an egg in them. Maybe this mother's strategy is to hang her nest right under my nose so I'll take care of it for her.

Found this Upright Prairie Coneflower in the courtyard this morning. I think the reason I get so many out-of-place flowers is due to all the mulch I've hauled in from Alpine through the years.

I knew a butterflyer was going to visit today who needed a Poling's Hairstreak, so I encouraged him to go up my mountain to get it. Even drew him a map. He was easy to persuade. (He doesn't count them unless he gets a photo.) It was pretty windy today, so not as productive as it should have been.

He was back in two hours (the amount of time it takes me just to go up to the summit). So I got a list of what's up there, which I always love. Added a species to my May list that I hadn't seen yet this year. And he got his lifer Poling's. A win-win!