Potpouri of Things with Wings

From the last few weeks, a miscellany of winged things that have crossed my path here and there.

The Common Loons on Sunset Lake seem to be on the way to successfully raising a chick, the first in a couple of years of failures (mainly from predators and competing loons).

Common Loon - Sunset Lake, Vermont

Young Wood Duck on the Wissahickon River, Philadelphia ...

Wood Duck - Wissahickon River, Philadelphia

Wood Duck - Wissahickon River, Philadelphia

Young Hooded Merganser, Wilson Wetlands, Putney, VT

Hooded Merganser, Wilson Wetlands, Putney, VT

From various places in Windham County, Vermont

Eastern Comma

Meadowhawk species

One of the smallest dragonflies, Eastern Amberwing, barely an inch in length - easily missed except for the golden glister of the wings  ...

Eastern Amberwing

Finally, from my backyard ...

Great Spangled Fritillary

Blue Jay- youngster who has figured out how to feed himself

Pearl Crescent

American Lady

Mud Dauber & Butterflies

It's been a busy few weeks with little time to fully process photos and post some results. Maybe things will calm down.

I begin with a Black and Yellow Mud Dauber which intrigued in the field and on the monitor. IDing any insect takes a lot of research. My first conclusion was a wasp that has not previously been reported in Vermont. Eventually I found my way to AllExperts.com, a very helpful resource. My ID question was answered by Eric Eaton who wrote the Kaufman Guide to Insects ...

Black and Yellow Mud Dauber

Black and Yellow Mud Dauber

After the wasp, butterflies are a piece of cake. Here's a sampling from recent weeks ... beginning with the White Admiral which has been abundant in some of the areas I roam about.

White Admiral

White Admiral

Fritillarys have enlivened the garden and fields, sometimes with more than one species working the same flowers ...

Meadow Fritillary

Atlantis Fritillarys

Great Spangled Fritillary

Great Spangled Fritillary

Skippers can be very difficult to identify, with a few exceptions, such as the Silver-spotted Skipper ...

Silver-spotted Skipper

Enjoy these summer days!