I'll agree with Robert.

Don't know where you are located, but if I saw that bird here in KY I would say Summer Tanager, male. If the wings were darker I'd say Scarlet Tanager.

https://flic.kr/p/2jLpC4Y


Marshall

rcarol, I blew up your tag photo and spent a couple of hours in the weeds of TAG@KU.EDU last night. They have lists of recovered tags that people have sent in and the closest I got to yours was YAS539 and YAS929.

What I couldn't find on the website or on their spreadsheets was an explanation of the tag code and where that particular tag originated from.

One tidbit I picked up is that at some spot, I think in Mexico, natives are paid a bounty of about $5 per tag that they find and turn in.

Off topic, but the butterfly scene in the 1973 movie "Papillon," with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, is well worth hunting up and watching. Not Monarchs, but some species very blue, and rare.

Marshall

Now THAT is so cool!

I'm convinced that, with a bit of work and luck, you could contact a tagger, show them that photo, and they could give you all the data they have on that particular butterfly.

Marshall

AN OPEN LETTER TO AMERICA
September 24, 2020

To Our Fellow Citizens:

​

We are former public servants who have dev**ed our careers, and in many cases risked our lives, for the United States. We are generals, admirals, senior noncommissioned officers, ambassadors, and senior civilian national security leaders. We are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. We love our country. Unfortunately, we also fear for it. The C****-** p******c has proven America needs principled, wise, and responsible leadership. America needs a President who understands, as President Harry S. Truman said, that “the buck stops here.”

​

We the undersigned endorse Joe Biden to be the next President of the United States. He is the leader our nation needs.

​

We believe that Joe Biden is, above all, a good man with a strong sense of right and wrong. He is guided by the principles that have long made America great: democracy is a hard-won right we must defend and support at home and abroad; America’s power and influence stem as much from her moral authority as it does from her economic and military power; America’s free press is invaluable, not an enemy of the people; those who sacrifice or give their lives in service of our nation deserve our respect and eternal gratitude; and America’s citizens benefit most when the United States engages with the world. Joe Biden will always put the nation’s needs before his own.

​

We believe America’s president must be honest, and we find Joe Biden’s honesty and integrity indisputable. He believes a nation’s word is her bond. He believes we must stand by the allies who have stood by us. He remembers how America’s NATO allies rushed to her side after 9/11; how the Kurds fought by our side to defeat ISIS; and how Japan and South Korea have been steadfast partners in countering North Korean and Chinese provocations. Joe Biden would never sell out our allies to placate despots or because he dislikes an allied leader.

​

While some of us may have different opinions on particular policy matters, we trust Joe Biden’s positions are rooted in sound judgment, thorough understanding, and fundamental values.

​

We know Joe Biden has the experience and wisdom necessary to navigate America through a painful time. He has grappled with America’s most difficult foreign policy challenges for decades, learning what works – and what does not – in a dangerous world. He is knowledgeable, but he also knows that listening to diverse and dissenting views is essential, particularly when making tough decisions concerning our national security. Many of us have briefed Joe Biden on matters of national security, and we know he demands a thorough understanding of any issue before making a decision – as any American president should.

​

Finally, Joe Biden believes in personal responsibility. Over his long career, he has learned hard lessons and grown as a leader who can take positive action to unite and heal our country. It is unthinkable that he would ever utter the phrase “I don’t take responsibility at all.”

​

The next president will inherit a nation – and a world – in turmoil. The current President has demonstrated he is not equal to the enormous responsibilities of his office; he cannot rise to meet challenges large or small. Thanks to his disdainful attitude and his failures, our allies no longer trust or respect us, and our enemies no longer fear us. C*****e c****e continues unabated, as does North Korea’s nuclear program. The president has ceded influence to a Russian adversary who puts bounties on the heads of American military personnel, and his trade war against China has only harmed America’s farmers and manufacturers. The next president will have to address those challenges while struggling with an economy in a deep recession and a p******c that has already claimed more than 200,000 of our fellow citizens. America, with 4% of the world’s population suffers with 25% of the world’s C****-** cases. Only FDR and Abraham Lincoln came into office facing more monumental crises than the next president.

​

Joe Biden has the character, principles, wisdom, and leadership necessary to address a world on fire. That is why Joe Biden must be the next President of the United States; why we vigorously support his e******n; and why we urge our fellow citizens to do the same.

​

Sincerely,


Executive Director of National Security Leaders for Biden:​
Rear Admiral Michael E. Smith, USN (Ret)

Leadership of National Security Leaders for Biden:​
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kvanhook, you are so right!

I remember visiting in the early 70's, and it was a mess.

Those twin spiral stairs in the Meeting House are a marvel of design, carpentry, and craftsmanship, and alone are worth a visit.

Have you been back recently?

Marshall

Gorgeous butterfly photos, Baud!

I just got back from a Monarch butterfly tagging out this past weekend here in KY, and I noticed that your butterfly looks a bit different.

I'm no butterfly expert, and never will be, but after some research I believe your photo is of a Gulf Fritillary Butterfly, something I never even heard of before, and even cooler than a Monarch!

Check out this screenshot from butterfliesathome.com and see what you think.

Marshall

Attached file:
(Download)

Each year the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, near Harrodsburg, KY, has an outing to catch, tag, and release Monarch Butterflies from the surrounding fields.

The setup was a bit different this year, during the virus pandemic:


MonarchTaggingForFlickr_011 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


The action was fast and furious at times; somebody would spot one, and people would head for them with nets at the ready.


MonarchTaggingForFlickr_001 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


Sometimes a catch wasn't a Monarch, and when identified was released on the spot.


MonarchTaggingForFlickr_002 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


Confirmed catches were presented back at the tagging tent to be tagged, and the data and tag number were logged into a nationwide data base.

One year a butterfly tagged in Shakertown was recaught months later down in Louisiana.


MonarchTaggingForFlickr_014 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr

MonarchTaggingForFlickr_013 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


Tagged on the wing, and released back into the field.


MonarchTaggingForFlickr_016 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


The full photo essay can be seen at:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/78687170@N00/albums/72157716081393418


Shakertown is a wonderful experience for both history buffs and photo enthusiasts. In addition to more than 1000 acres of nature to wander around in, the restored buildings themselves are fascinating products of a bygone credo of excellent craftsmanship.

An interesting religion, but that no sex decree would have been tough! lol

Marshall

Here you go:

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&an=+Laurent+Martres&tn=Photographing+the+Southwest%2C+Volume+3%2C+Colorado+%26+New+Mexico+&kn=&isbn=

A bit pricey, but not near that of a new lens!

Marshall

Another new bird, for our backyard, came through this morning: a Tennessee Warbler.

Very quick bird, flitting amongst the branches looking for insects.


TennesseeWarbler09Sep2020 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


Marshall

Fine image and story to go along with it. Thanks!

We've got the Eastern Phoebe version here in Ky. They are very similar, but not quite as strikingly pretty as yours. Same habits; very fun to watch. Nearly every year we have a pair nest here, usually under our side porch roof!

Very good idea to go back and re-edit old files using new tools and techniques...that's something I want to try also.

Marshall

I was settled into LA for a few weeks in 1969, and would have stayed a while, but the army gave me a tour of South Korea instead. I liked California; the La Brea Tar Pits were just one highlight of my short stay in LA. lol


Here is a pic of one of the juvenile Green Herons at the pond, setting himself up for a tree landing:

JuviGreenHeron28Aug2020_179 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


Marshall

Green Herons return each year and nest at a local park pond here in Georgetown, KY.

With the pandemic restrictions I've not been able to as closely monitor their activities as in years past, but got a chance to check in on them a couple of days ago, and they didn't disappoint!

This is one of the adults flying across the pond.


GreenHeron28Aug2020_256 by Marshall Smith, on Flickr


Marshall

For unknown reasons, this year we have had many more Ruby-throated hummingbirds than in years past. I was surprised because I thought nearly all of them were females. Then I did some reading and found out that young male and female first-year hummers look identical, and don't get the distinctive iridescent throat feathers until later molting.

On closer inspection I could sometimes see one red throat feather in with all the white, that one was a male.

Here is one ID link that I found very helpful:

http://www.rubythroat.org/RTHUExternalMain.html#:~:text=Adult%20Ruby%2Dthroated%20Hummingbirds%2C%20Archilochus,they%20attain%20adult%20male%20plumage.

Marshall

This is how I'd crop it. Plus a bit of Topaz AI Sharpen (Stabilize mode).

Marshall

(Download)

Thanks, all, glad you liked it!

It's been an exceptionally good spring and summer around here for birding.

And with the virus pandemic I've been spending a lot more time at home hanging out. Our upstairs bedroom window overlooks the woods and the deck where we hang the bird feeders.

That's where I was when that warbler made his way through.

Marshall