HUDSON RIVER SUMMER

I was in Ireland from the 30th of June until June 15th. I haven't posted anything since then. The Hudson River here at Esopus is as sultry and humid as it can be. While we had sunny and bright days in Ireland rain was pouring down on the Hudson River Valley. While I was gone one or maybe two eagles fledged. I have only seen the one even way back in May when other said they saw two of them. These days I have seen just one of the scraggly little eaglets sitting "below his/or her birthplace". The Royal European Starling Airforce" as I like to call these huge swarms o light brown summer-coated birds has been eating whatever they find on our lawns. If I had to say what the order of most numerous birds here in Esopus are (AFTER the Starlings...of course!!!) I would say 2. Chipping Sparrows 3. Red Winged Blackbirds 3. Eastern Bluebirds 4. Eastern Wood Pewees 5. Phoebes 6. American Robins 7. Barn and Tree Swallows 8. American Crows and Fish Crows 9. House Finches 10.Northern Mockingbirds 11. House or Winter Wrens



As I go on I have some "doubts". I think the Mockingbirds and House Finches should be further up the line. I have just begun to see some Goldfinch.

In Ireland there is a beautiful Goldfinch that has at least five colors: white, tan, yellow, black and red. You can judge for yourself. The only place I saw them there was on the road from Mountcharls, Co. Donegal to Glencough which is a, as they say, townsland of Mountcharles. Here is one. It is to the upper left.