July 2021

Rain and more rain.  This July Boston had the most rainy days ever, 24, dropping just over 10" for the month.  In spite of the rain, I managed to get out a fair bit, walking and on the bike.

July 2, running an errand, on my way back from Watertown, stopped at a traffic light, I noticed two nests tucked under the hoods over the lights.  I had to pull over to get a photo (in the rain). As I did an adult robin flew onto the top nest to feed the babies: you can see its tail in the red light.  So cool!

July 4 on my morning walk with Maddie, saw an osprey fly right past me, along the shore of the pond, maybe 30' away.  Really exciting to see it fly by so close up.  But after a few seconds, I lost it, obscured by the trees.  I thought that was it, it was gone, but when we got to the boathouse, I was surprised to see it perched atop the mast of one of the dinghies.

Later on that morning, walking at Leverett Pond, saw one of the guys fishing pull a huge carp out of the water.  He looked pretty proud of it.

July 9 Misty morning at the pond.

July 10 Riding my bike along the Muddy River, saw a black crowned night heron perched on a branch just over the water.  Also a great blue heron fishing by the weir a little further along, right near Fenway Park.

July 14. I enjoyed this hawk photo in The Boston Globe.

In the evening, saw what I thought was a huge butterfly on the gravel by the raised beds in my back yard. As I got closer, I realized that it was a pair, mating.  I've been seeing lots of monarchs over the last few weeks, more than the past few summers.

July 16 Mushrooms all over the place recently, a result of all the rain.  This one looks like it belongs in a children's story.

July 17 Purple flowers in a neighbor's garden. I love the shape of the closed up flowers before they open - they look like a bishop's hat to me. 

July 18 I've been going to some drawing lessons on zoom, through the Harvard Museum of Natural History.  Here's a drawing of a thrasher that I'm working on. I'm pleased with it so far, but am a bit stuck on how to do the feathers of the wings.

July 19 Saw this license plate in the JP parking lot.  Growing up in Niagara Falls, my brothers and I played the license plate game, trying to see one from each state and province each year.  Really hard ones: Alaska, Hawaii, Yukon, Northwest Territories (in the shape of a polar bear), North and South Dakota...  I especially liked the grizzly on this one.

July 22 I've been seeing a female ruby throated hummingbird in my garden in the evenings, mostly around the butterfly bush.  I just managed to catch a photo of it in the upper left of the frame.

July 23 Went to Mass Audubon's Broadmoor sanctuary in Natick, about 1/2 hour west of my house.  Beautiful, perfect day.  Liked this view from the boardwalk.  Further on, by the pond, saw a few winter wrens, tiny birds, one snuffling around in the leaf litter on the ground and another with an insect in its bill, go into a nesting box, presumably feeding its young.

July 26 Another misty morning at the pond.

And another Alaska plate, this time at the parking lot at REI near Fenway.  Pretty unusual to see two in a week.

And in the evening, really hazy, and smelling of smoke. The news said it was from the wildfires in the West. Pretty creepy to have the smoke travel all this way.

July 27 I liked these elegant flowers in a neighbor's garden. 

In the afternoon, running an errand, saw a large turtle (maybe a snapping turtle?) crossing Perkins Street, by the pond, stopping traffic.  A woman walking a dog had been standing in the middle of the road, getting the cars to stop for it.  It looked like it was on its way to Ward's Pond across the street and down the hill.

July 30 Two corn stalks growing in a neighbor's front yard, right by the sidewalk, each with a single cob of corn.  I think they are from the corn that the rabbit guys put out for the local birds and squirrels as my neighbor says she didn't plant them.