There is much to be observed at home with some species being downright regular visitors.
03 September, 2022
05 September, 2022
For the second time in the past week a Labrador Carpet (Xanthorhoe labradorensis) decided to visit the front porch.
We went to great pains to deliver an assurance that it will always be welcome chez nous.
06 September, 2022
The same reception will be accorded to European Crane Fly (Tipula paludosa), long gangly legs and all.
05 September, 2022
RIM Park, Waterloo, ON
It had been far too long since we last saw Heather and Lily and we were very happy to meet up at RIM Park. Lily has grown so much and now talks a blue streak.
Heather told us that Lily has developed a fondness for freezies, and even though she had this one she was never able to open it, but clung to it like a rare treasure.
We puzzled over the identity of an Empidonax flycatcher, but to no one's surprise Lily barely gave it a passing glance.
Different species in this genus are so similar in the fall that it is often difficult to identify them with certainty. This individual is probably a Willow (E. trailli) or Alder Flycatcher (E. alnorum); both species are expected in migration at this time of the year. (Note added 12 September - the more I look at this bird, I lean towards Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), but I will leave my original comments intact, if only to illustrate that it is perfectly acceptable to have second thoughts!)
Since the last time we saw Lily she has become diaper-free, a major accomplishment in her young life, probably making it much easier to run.
It's good to check back though to make sure that Mom is not far behind.
The breeding season is at an end for Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) but one or more birds still hang out at the nest.
We walked over to the playground - much more to Lily's liking than searching for birds. A solar panel installation provides green energy, and this awning was very attractive.
Lily wasted no time clambering up the steps to the top of the slide, and we were in awe of her energy level as she did it over and over again.
Better be careful not to bite your tongue, Lily.
Gee that slide was fun!
Clementine is a very affectionate dog. The muzzle is not in any way an anti-bite strategy; it helps to distribute the pull on the leash as she strains to run free. We noticed that any time she lost sight of Lily she whimpered a little and scanned to regain a connection.
On or around the slide was a good place to look.
When we set off back to the parking lot Lily re-attacked the freezie with vigour, but she never did succeed in opening it. Heather tried in vain with her teeth and since we had no scissors, it returned to the house in the same condition in which it left!
For some reason we neglected to get a picture of Heather, who is every bit as appealing as Lily, but a little bigger! We'll make sure to take one next time.
Trivia
I am indebted to Ed Yong for pointing out the following in his magnum opus An Immense World.
"The word octopus is derived from Greek and not Latin, so the correct plural is not octopi. Technically, the formal plural would be octopodes but octopuses will do."
So now you know! Now I need to check on crocus!
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Lily began to conquer the world.
ReplyDeleteLilly is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI would welcome a Labrador Carpet on my front patio anytime! Lovely photos of Lily having fun.
ReplyDeleteShe gets more appealing every time I see her, Carol. Maybe she's the granddaughter I never had!
Delete...she sure is a cutie!
ReplyDeleteGeweldig om Lilly zo te kunnen fotograferen.
ReplyDeleteThat little girl steals the show whenever she's around, doesn't she? As a mother of daughters who at her age were just as much scene-stealers, I completely understand!
ReplyDeleteIt's a long time since you had some photos of Lily, David. She has grown a lot, and she is so sweet. In her world there's a lot to look at and learn about. I guess the birds must wait.
ReplyDeleteHugs and kisses, Marit
It had been a while since we had seen her, Marit. Heather is back at work now and sometimes is out of town doing field biology, and that's likely to continue. Hugs and kisses - David
DeleteHi David - Lily is really growing up - her hair is long, long, long! Better bring some scissors with you next time!! The Labrador Carpet moth is very attractive .. and how delightful to see another, or the same one! Great photos and notes - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. Lily is growing up. Beautiful long hair. Beautiful photo of the western osprey.
ReplyDeleteOh what a fun revisit with your lovely little Lily ... she is so adorable in pictures and I can only imagine how much fun she is in person. I love that her dog is so protective of her. And out of diapers and running about ... time flies so quickly. We dare not look away or we will miss so much. I love the way you sprinkled in a little nature with your Lilly post ... and you definitely passed Nicole's test for Friday Face Off ... So Grandpa, why don't you carry a small pocket knife for those occasions when you need to open a Freezie or many other such things. This was an exceptionally fun post, David ... My grandchildren are way past Lily's stage, so I patiently await a rerun with a Great Granddaughter or son one day ... fingers crossed :)
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ From the Sol
It's actually the second time this week I could have used a knife, Andrea. I need to get one!
DeleteDogs and kids are always the scene stealers!
ReplyDeleteI do love your beautiful visitors. All of them.
ReplyDeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteWinner post today!!! Golly how fast kids do grow... YAM xx
Such a cutie - Lily does indeed steal the show :)
ReplyDeleteIt is fantastic to spend time with the kids!........Abrazotes, Marcela
ReplyDeleteAll of your photographs are lovely, but Lily does steal the show.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to see her growing up and having fun, what a cutie she is :)
All the best Jan
Dogs and children - here we have both!
DeleteLily is quite cheerful.
ReplyDeleteLily and the Labrador; what a combo.
ReplyDeleteLily is a beauty and now walking well it seems.
ReplyDeleteRunning even.
DeleteLove the photos of Lily having fun.
ReplyDeleteShe gets cuter every time I see her!
Lily is an absolute treasure!! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat to be able to photograph Lilly like this.
ReplyDeleteIt's a sweetheart to see.
Greetings Irma
I'm still getting the malware notice, but what the heck...I clicked proceed. Of course, your birds are super, but Lily is such a doll ( my favorite is her backside on the trail)!!!
ReplyDeleteSorry for my late visit. A computer glitch yesterday! Thanks for sharing & linking in.
Beautiful pictures ! Insects are essentials...child's smiles too :)
ReplyDeleteHave a nice week !
Anna
Hello,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great outing, the Lily and Clementine photos are adorable. Wonderful photos. Have a happy new week!
Turn your back on a child, and look what happens. Lily's growing up so quickly: running, sliding, and problem solving -- even though the freezie ended up going back home unopened. She's a beautiful child. I enjoyed the side note about the relationship that's grown up between child and dog, too. And after a lifetime of using 'octopi,' I will attempt to change my habit. I've always said 'crocuses,' so a little etymological research is called for!
ReplyDeleteYour note about the Osprey hanging out at the nest reminded me of a recent experience. A pair of doves nested atop a sheltered piling near where I'm working. I couldn't see much, but last week two youngsters appeared at the top of the piling. After a day or two of looking around for their parents, they eventually took flight, but for a couple more days they came back to perch near the nest in the evening. Now, they're well gone -- but what a treat it was to watch the process.
Ce freezie me semble bien compliqué à ouvrir!
ReplyDeleteLily est sans doute encore trop jeune pour trouver les oiseaux plus sympa que les jeux :D
Bonne journée
La belleza, la puedes tener al lado, solamente hay que tratar de descubirla.
ReplyDeleteMe encanta esa preciosa niña de las fotografías, le debes de tener mucho cariño.
She is our little princess.
DeleteBuenos días, queridos amigos, estupendos visitantes en el patio de tu casa amigo David, no existe un momento de aburrimiento.
ReplyDeleteLily está hecha toda una mujercita encantadora, ahora sí que disfrutará más de esos paseos y vosotros también de su presencia. Como a todos los niños le encanta el tobogán y cualquier columpio.
Un gran abrazo, amigos y os deseo una muy feliz semana vuestro compadre y amigo Juan.
Any day that includes Lily is a great one. And Heather too! Love that playground time!
ReplyDeleteLovely post and I like the mixture of wildlife with Lily. Gosh she is really becoming a young lady, We are off to the the UK this week and return at the end of this week. I did do a post a week or so ago, so the next one is sure only to be in October with the happenings in our life at present. By the way I would say crocuses!!!
ReplyDeleteA bientôt, bisous Diane.
Yeah, I saw your flycatcher and thought "phoebe"! I think insects are easier to identify than birds. ;-) Lily is such a cutie!
ReplyDeleteEastern Phoebe crossed my mind and I still wouldn't absolutely rule it out, especially since it seems to have a yellowish wash on its underparts, characteristic of fall-plumaged birds.
DeleteLovely to catch up with Lily again - now running around and lots of lovely big smiles. It makes you realise how quickly those very first years rush by.
ReplyDeleteDear David,
ReplyDeleteLily is really adorable - and obviously well protected by Clementine. It's great that she doesn't need diapers anymore - would you tell me how old she is? We also went to a playground with our grandson Jamie (9 months) for the first time - grandma and grandpa had a lot of fun swinging and sliding with him :-D (Jamie preferred the swing ;-)) Sorry, I didn't understand what Freezies are? Is that something edible? (I originally thought it was like a chilled teether when baby teeth come in, but Liliy already has a lot of teeth and you wouldn't want to open a teether...)
I also enjoy the insects and birds in your post. But I see something blue in the western osprey's nest - is that plastic? (My friend Brigitte, who used to work as a nature guide, is always appalled by plastic in birds' nests because it can do so much damage - like birds eat plastic, young birds drown in the nest... sigh...)
All the best from Austria, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2022/09/juli-august-2022-teil-2-und-weiter-geht.html
PS: I can understand that you prefer quiet walks in nature to my action-packed summer. I like both, rest and action, but after a 2-year Covid break I had a lot of fun with all the action. And I sometimes think to myself, "Who knows how long this will go on?" So I enjoy what's on offer :-)
Hi Traude: Lily is two years and three months old and many have followed her life on my blog since was just three weeks old - and that seems like yesterday. A freezie is basically a popsicle or an iced lollipop as I think they are called in parts of Europe. And yes, sadly, it is plastic in the Osprey nest. One sees it all too often. Take good care - David.
DeleteLovely nature photos! But Lily is the star!
ReplyDeleteDavid - how quickly time passes - Lily is growing up. How well I remember those playground days - as parents, we were constantly scanning for them!
ReplyDeleteHi David.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful nature, nice to see the Osprey.
Lily is a sweetheart to watch.
Very funny.
Greetings from Patricia.
Lily has grown into quite a character, hasn't she, David! I had to look up 'freezie' to check that it's what I thought it might be - we have them over here but I think that they're usually referred to as 'ice poles'.
ReplyDeleteYour Labrador Carpet moth is attractive and not dissimilar to some of trhe species of Carpet that we have here, with our Red Carpet (Xanthorhoe decoloraria) being very close in appearance.
Sorry for the late visit - all sorts of things going on here at the moment.
Best wishes to you both - - - Richard
She has a mind of her own too!
DeleteNaturaleza viva por todos lados David. Gran foto del Águila pescadora. Pero apareciendo Lily, ella se lleva todas las miradas. Está muy grande y preciosa. Un beso para ella.
ReplyDeleteBuen martes.
Un abrazo.
Looks like a great outing and you’re right - Lily was the star!
ReplyDeleteHola David. Me encanta ver como crece Lily, está muy grande y muy bonita. Sin duda es la reina de esta entrada. Las fotos como siempre geniales. Abrazos para todos.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Lily is back! Surrounded by beautiful creatures and gorgeous flowers.
ReplyDeleteBeauty is the very essence of this post. : )
David, I will never catch up to all I missed during my few weeks offline but I'm so glad I landed on this one. What a gem. What a face. What a heartbreaker!
ReplyDeleteLily is such a cute girl, of course she steals the show. What were you expecting? And thank you for enlightening us about the octopuses - I can rest easier now.
ReplyDeleteLily has grown a lot since I last saw a post about her! That dog is a cutie too. Beautiful photos David
ReplyDeletePlease give Lily a little kiss for me.
ReplyDeleteI will for sure.
DeleteOf course, it is always a joy to see posts that contain photos of Lily, who has been growing up before our collective eyes. She is certainly an engaging youngster and obviously enjoys being outdoors.
ReplyDeleteWe took her on her first walk when she was three weeks old.
DeleteIt's hard not to smile when looking at photos of Lily!
ReplyDeleteUna muy simpática publicación, con la estrella principal que es Lily, a la que conocemos desde su nacimiento gracias a ti. Ah, y también muy bellas e interesantes los insectos y aves que acompañan a Lily.
ReplyDeleteTime goes by, I remember Lily as a baby, she is still a beautiful princess but now much older and quite independent.
ReplyDeleteLily è bellissima.Sono una nuova follower.Ciao
ReplyDeleteC'est une vraie petite fille maintenant, elle est tellement Jolie avec ses eux eux couettes. Pas d'oiseaux alors ;-)
ReplyDeleteJe vais pleurer 😀.
Bisous