Nuthatches are noisy foragers to begin with, but they turn it on it up to 11 when they’re on the alert. I’ve found some spectacular predators lurking in the canopies (Great Horned Owl, Long-eared Owl…) because of the continuous alarm calls of White- and Red-breasted Nutters. Most recently, I heard the call and looked fruitlessly…

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Temperatures plunged Sunday night. This morning it is supposed to be just above freezing when this is published at 7 a.m. EST. The long, lingering autumn is shutting down. These dandelion pictures are from Saturday. At least three species of flies are hard at work here. All the big ones are Margined Calligrapher flies, regulars…

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That’s the same squirrel above, giving me the eye throughout. Here’s another. What they really should be worried about isn’t me: Here’s a case where the squirrel has two. (Actually, I’m not sure if these are acorns, they look too round. Could be pears.) This week on Medium I delve into natural and unnatural histories.

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All through October I wondered when I’ll see the first Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum), a very late-season dragonfly. October 29th, as it turned out. (The only other species of Odonata generally seen this time of year is the migratory Common Green Darner.) Another day, I went looking for a mating pair and they found me.…

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Pignut. Bitternut. Sweetgum. Creeper. This Virginia Creeper is all up in the business of this Black Cherry’s canopy. Here’s where the vine starts. I assume it was once clasped to the tree itself but came loose as it aged. And damn, has it aged! This has been a long dance.

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From last week. Temperatures plunged in between then and now, really reducing insect numbers, but are set to rise back up to 70 today and tomorrow, albeit with rain, the bane of bugs. (Most of these pictures show the “October Skies” variety of Aromatic Aster, btw, whose flower keeps on kicking.)

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Tuesday morning’s lunar eclipse. Hand-held camera through the open window as cold air rushed in about 5:20 a.m. I was wearing shorts outside Monday when the temps were in the mid-70s. It was in the 40s Tuesday morning. A cold front like that this time of year should be portrayed on weather maps as being…

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Uh-oh.

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An autumnal Wood Duck. Very, very leery of bipeds… But carefully using a large drooping cherry tree as a blind, I got within 15 or so feet as the skittish bird fed.

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The London Plane across the street was trimmed of its dead branches last week. Here’s the before… with the cherry-picker already scouting out the situation. And after. Over the years, we’ve seen these dead branches in action: as Kestrel perch and Kestrel prey cache; as crow raiding-site (see Kestrel cache); Red-bellied Woodpecker haunt (and again);…

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