What a fabulous time of year!

Anyone lucky enough to have black gum (tupelo) in their yard knows what this time of year can be. We've been amply blessed in that we have several very large trees all around our yard. They are chock full of berries right now and the birds have found them. Catbirds and robins usually get the lions' share, but this year we have both summer and scarlet tanagers and early waxwings, as well as Swainson's thrushes, No. flickers and many, many more species chowing down. Makes for a busy yard with the 100+ ruby-throateds buzzing around. The RT crew is getting so used to me that they're landing on feeders as soon as I hang them (sometimes not even waiting for the hand to leave). Haven't seen any unusual ones (other than a couple so fat that I wonder how they fly), but I'm looking for the white and brown ones. I'm also still determined that one of the oddities might decide to give my home a shot. We've had Rufous, Allens, Calliope, and Broad-tailed in the environs, so why not here?

Best bird of the week was a Great Blue Heron. No, I don't have a lake nearby. It shocked the living daylights out of me when I looked out our big kitchen window (watching the line of feeders on our red shed) to see a Great Blue land on the peak of the shed. I could barely get the words out to get Jim to come see. Just as Jim arrived, the great bird kinda jumped down onto our neighbors yard.

The neighbor just put in a pond. Ah HA! I don't think poor George stocked any koi, but this big bird was sure going to get anything interesting. He stalked around for several minutes watching extremely intently (as herons and egrets are masters). Guess he either ate his fill or gave up as he finally left. What a sight! What a SHOCK! I'll just bet those ruby-throateds were wondering what that behemoth was doing on "their" shed.

Melissa

-- Jim & Melissa Pappas Marietta, GA

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