Tomatoes are Ripe and Ready

 

This year I planted full-sized tomatoes in my yard. I’ve grown cherry tomatoes before, but I’ve never tried the big ones. Yet, here I am in New Jersey, which is renowned for its tomatoes. The Campbell Soup Company started right here in Camden with ready-to-eat beefsteak tomato soup in a can in 1895. My tomatoes started to turn red this week. Above is the first one I picked. Click to enlarge. 

It was red right through and absolutely delicious. 

It starred in a classic sandwich with mayo, salt, and pepper. I am looking forward to many more this summer. Life is good!

Now I've got my eyes on this one. Coming along. Ready soon. Yum. 

Nuthatch Finds a Morsel

Here's a white-breasted nuthatch. They are common visitors to bird feeders throughout North America. I often see one pick up a seed, fly to a tree, cache the seed in a crevice, and then fly back for more. They also eat insects when they can find them. And they have a quirky way of walking headfirst down trees. 

Found something! Click to enlarge. 

I can't tell what it is, but it looks larval. Good foraging, nuthatch! 

Here's another white-breasted nuthatch striking a more noble pose. Note the cute slightly upturned beak and the pretty red feathers below. 

Happy Independence Day!

Have a great weekend! 

 

Wait.. that's not a black skimmer

 

THIS is what black skimmers look like. Sleek, black and white, big black and red beak. 

Along the coast of South Jersey there are places set aside for them to nest. The sign says the area is closed so endangered birds can nest: plovers, least terns, and black skimmers. 

I was down the shore last week, walking past one of these areas on the beach, and I saw this from a distance. The bird at the right rear is sitting on a nest, a simple depression scraped in the sand. 

But it wasn't a black skimmer at all. This is an American oystercatcher. I absolutely mistook it for the skimmer I expected to see. In my defense, it's black and white with a big attention getting beak. It's not endangered, but is considered to be "of special concern" because of its low numbers and its vulnerability to habitat loss and human disturbance. 

It seems able to recognize a good nesting spot when it sees one, though, even if its name is not on the signs. Click to enlarge.  

Happy Father's Day

 

Here is a male house finch for the occasion. Click to enlarge. 

Linden Trees are Flowering

 

This is a view up through the leaves of the linden tree in front of my house. It is covered with flowers that smell like honey and lime. Click to enlarge.

Linden blossom begin to open in June and continue through mid-July. It's a big biological event that brings so many bees that the trees seem to hum. Linden are sometimes called "bee trees." Quieter insects are chewing lacy holes in the leaves. Look at the first picture again. See the light shining through all the little holes?

Linden blossoms. One of the nicest things about June. 

A Little Groundhog

 

While walking in my quiet suburban south jersey town this week, I passed this immature groundhog. Adorable, right? There are lots of groundhogs in town. They breed in spring, and by now the year's babies are old enough to sit outside near their burrows. This one was basking on the sunny edge of the sidewalk. Click to enlarge. And, by the way... 

 

Do you know how a groundhog remembers how many trees it has chewed? It keeps a log. 

And ... Do you know what a French groundhog sees on February 2? Its château...  

This reminds me of a groundhog that drank invisible ink.

I hear he's still at the vet's waiting to be seen. 

Welcome to the neighborhood, little groundhog.