Bona Dea dragonfly Update

Bona Dea was sunny and warm but nice to be out yesterday and today,Saturday. At the old Swinging Bridge the dragonflies were really flying around. There were Blue Dashers, Common Baskettails and Eastern Pondhawks and male and female Common Whitetails and a female Great Blue Skimmer. The female Common Whitetail and female Great Blue Skimmers are shown here. The one showing the white breast is the Great Blue Skimmer. Also along Swinging Bridge Trail were some beautiful Wild Pink Rose bushes as you can see. The female Green Heron wading bird is not sitting on her nest in the tree by the spillway. She is no longer afraid of me coming to feed the fish. She must by now be on eggs. No alligator seen yesterday or today. No snakes seen. The Eastern Kingbirds have hatched over around Black Water Swamp and the young ones are grouping together and flying all around the place. The Redwing blackbirds doing the same thing. Boy, the pretty red Northern Cardinals are also out in force. Never saw a year that they were so numerous and some birding groups say they are moving further north. Well, not this year. Also more Wood Ducks around than I have ever seen. The big Pileated Woodpeckers are out in force this year. More so than in recent years. The small Downy Woodpeckers are numerous as well. I have not seen any needle nose Spiny big Softshell turtles seen yet. I am really waiting to get a photo of one of the big things. As said before the Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Chickadee birds have hatched young and are all around.