Ducks at Dawn.

8-1-09 VERMONT: July closed with another 2.6 inches of rain which totals 13.9 for June and July. We’ve seen a lot of wildlife the past few days. Deer and wild turkeys are pretty commonly seen, but foxes less so, and coyotes even rarer. A couple mornings ago, I was up early and saw a pair of female mallards on the pond. They were repeatedly diving, staying under for up to a minute, and popping up in a new spot. As the dawn lightened, I got a look at them through the long eyes and saw that they were eating crayfish. They hung out for about two hours before the dogs chased them away.

New blooms: first asters, helenium, golden rod, joe pye weed.


Ducks by dawn's early light.

Another daylily.