Feasting

Late afternoon, under an elm and its satellite Redbuds, these little flies were thick in the air, and in the ear and eye, too. Many birds were feasting on the tiny things, including a Red-breasted Nuthatch, lots and lots of Palm Warblers, a noisy Black-throated Blue Warbler, several Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets, a Downy Woodpecker, and a pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers who were actually flying after the tidbits. I’ve never seen woodpeckers hawking for insects before. One of the Palms was picking the flies off a statue of one of Green-Wood’s innumerable angels.

The fly that got in my eye was eventually worked out at the corner tear duct, as I discovered an hour and half later upon getting home. Now, that’s what I call a good day’s nature observing. Up close and personal…