After the rain on Sunday cleared the heat and humidity, we’ve had cooler weather with temperatures as low as 8 degrees C at night. Good weather for sleeping.
A few early migrating warblers had been reported at Kilally Meadows Environmentally Significant Area. There is always much to see there, whether we spotted any warblers or not. Of the 14 bird species we identified, the only warbler was a Black-and-white Warbler we heard.
We lingered on sunny paths through the meadows where we saw a few butterflies and damselflies. We moved quickly through the shaded paths to avoid being swarmed by mosquitoes.
Many have noticed that there are fewer insects than usual this summer. At Kilally, we also saw very few insects at work.
Wildflowers and other living things.
Despite seeing few insects on the ground, we were happy to see several Chimney Swifts circling high over the meadow, foraging for airborne insects. It’s hard to capture these fast-flying birds in flight! We are currently monitoring chimneys in London and beyond more frequently to identify large roosts of Chimney Swifts where young hand-reared swifts can be released later this month.
As we neared the parking lot at the end of our walk, we heard the familiar cry of an Osprey. Above were two birds flying and alighting on three different nesting sites at that end of the park. The one crying was clearly a juvenile wanting to be fed by an adult. Juveniles have white edges on their feathers that make them appear speckled. This juvenile appears to be about the same age as the one we watch at Labatt park.
Osprey Update
Our juvenile Osprey is not yet self-sufficient. It is not clear to us how the adults and young manage to meet at the same time for the delivery of fish. Although we are not able to observe every interaction, we often saw the juvenile on the nest or low platform this week, apparently waiting or calling for food. Sometimes, we saw the male perched at the park and calling, but the juvenile was not around. Last Saturday, both the adult male and female were perched together on a set of lights. The male was calling as two other Ospreys circled the river. Sometimes we see the juvenile consuming fish and know there has been a delivery, but once we saw the male eating a fish. The juvenile was nowhere to be seen. Today, Friday, the juvenile has often been on the nest waiting and preening. Somehow, the youngster is surviving!
This week’s flowers
We’re happy with our balcony flowers and those from Wandering Bee.
Songs About Clothes
Making this list was fun because there are so many songs with good versions that I could leave out annoying ones.
