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Love the pinks in this one. The "balls of light" in the background are called "bokeh," which is caused by the blades in the lens when shooting "wide open." On my walk with actual birders on Saturday, one of them stopped the group along a pathway and said, "Let's see if we can 'pish up' a common yellowthroat."  Everyone got quiet while she created a sound that simulated the kind of noise we all make when imitating a leak that has suddenly sprung from a hole in a hose.  It's a spraying kind of a sound that apparently will attract birds like the common yellowthroat, who come to see who's in their neighborhood.  For those of you who doubt that this is an actual "thing," here's a website to verify it!  https://www.thespruce.com/pishing-to-attract-birds-386698

Dew drop reflection Common buckeye butterfly Anyway, on this beautiful, clear summer morning, the dew was hanging in droplets on the grasses and sunlight was backlighting the seed heads.  I toted both my big camera lens and a second camera with my macro lens.  Both came in handy today.

Female common yellowthroat Male common yellowthroat I stopped where we "pished" on Saturday, and yes, it worked.  A little couple came to check me out.  It was more successful for me today because I was alone, and not with a group, who probably make the birds more wary about approaching.  On the left is the female common yellowthroat, and on the right is the male.  They know just how to hide in the leaves, but occasionally hopped into view of my lens.

Eastern pondhawk dragonfly As I was leaving the sanctuary, a gorgeous green dragonfly landed in front of me on the grass near my feet.  I have seen turquoise and black and brown dragonflies, but not this beautiful green.  It is an Eastern Pondhawk, which I will add to my "collection" of dragonflies.

Partridge pea is one of the wildflowers in bloom right now. Three women were entering the sanctuary as I was leaving.  All three are sisters -- one from Florida, one from near Gettysburg, and one from Carroll County. They said the sanctuary it is listed the "Fit, Fun, and Over Fifty" meetup site, which sounds like something to check out for new adventures.  I gave them some tips about what to look for, and off they went.

Happy eclipse day, everyone.

<Thanks for reading my blog entry, which is part of a personal photography project to bring attention to and to benefit the Fred Archibald Sanctuary in New Market, MD.  The sanctuary is owned and managed by the Audubon Society of Central Maryland.  Copyright 2017 Cam Miller.  All photographs are for sale upon request.>