In living color

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Scarlet tanager

While the region is bathed in spring green, birds and flowers provide a change in color in spots.

A pair of scarlet tanagers showed up on Sunday under cloudy skies. The male’s red feathers stood out against the green, proving once again the power of complementary colors.

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Three rose-breasted grosbeaks share the bird feeder.

No less than eight male rose-breasted grosbeaks were spotted Sunday under the bird feeder. Pretty soon the bird feeder supplier will need to buy stock in black oil sunflower seeds.

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A white-crowned sparrow and an indigo bunting

An indigo bunting and a white-crowned sparrow also stopped in on Sunday.

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A song sparrow perches on a tree branch.

The oriole jelly feeder is emptied two or three times daily.

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A male ruby-throated hummingbird sits at the feeder.

A green heron was spotted at the neighbor’s pond, but it managed to elude both the photographer’s cameras and the game cameras lenses. Some water snakes have appeared as well.

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A well-rounded doe

Deer appeared in numbers on the game camera including some young bucks in velvet and a very well-rounded doe. Perhaps within a few weeks, the game camera photos will include some spotty fawns.

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Two young bucks in velvet.

Crabapple blossoms continue to fill out the trees. Some sweet-smelling narcissus are continuing to bloom after many of their kind are done for the season.

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Crab apple blossoms

Meanwhile, former Derrick reporter Sheila Boughner shared a photo of a nest of baby robins she took over the weekend.

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Former Derrick reporter Sheila Boughner snapped this photo of a very full robin’s nest at her home.

She said they left the nest on Sunday.

Reports indicate with warmer weather headed our way, we’ll get more migrating birds popping up here and there.

Area residents can keep their eyes open while they once again turn on their air conditioners and turn off the furnaces.


A Walk in the Woods contains photos from newsroom staffer Anna Applegate’s daily jaunts around her neck of the woods. Tagging along on the treks are dogs, Buford, Sherman and Sadie, and goats, Kyle and Kennedy. Applegate manages the Good Times and can be emailed at bigdogs.thederrick@gmail.com.