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

Flies - Butter, Dragon, Damsel

There are lots of winged creatures which attract the attention of the fraternity/sorority of binocular toters and camera pointers.

Here are a some in the "FLY" category, beginning with a few in my backyard ...

Viceroy

Viceroy

Pearl Crescent

Tawny-edged Skipper (note extended probosis

Tawny-edged Skipper (note the "curled" probosis)

A new area of exploration and learning for me are dragonflies and damselflies. Please consider these IDs to be tentative. If you can confirm or correct the IDs, your input will be much appreciated.

Blue Corporal

Northern Bluet

Blue Corporal - female (but very tentative ID)

An editorial comment: Butterfly guides are beginning to approach the usefulness and quality of bird guides. Not so the guides to dragonflies and damselflies. I have several, and they are exercises in frustration. Somewhere I hope there is a Peterson/Sibley/Kaufman for these fascinating creatures.

Good Birding ... or butterflying, dragonflying, or whatever!!

More Butterfly Garden

From the Kaufman Guide on Butterflies" "the first sighting of [a Giant Swallowtail] never fails to dazzle the observer."

That was certainly the case when this Giant Swallowtail (uncommon in southern Vermont) appeared in the garden ...

Giant Swallowtail

Giant Swallowtail

Near the other end of the size scale, the garden has attracted Clouded Sulphur, Pearl Crescent, Common Wood-Nymph, and Common Ringlet. 

(Parenthetically, butterflies are still quite new to me, so some IDs are tentative. Please help out with misidentifications or tentative IDs.)

Clouded Sulphur

Clouded Sulphur

Pearl Crescent

Common Wood-Nymph - (?)

Common Ringlet