A Little Knitting, A Little Birding, A Big Spider

Windowpane II
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Just came back from the Wild Bird Center Annual Convention in Annapolis, MD. I had a great time and even had a little time to work on my Windowpane socks. I started this sock just before I left on Sunday. Sock #1 is done almost up to the toe. This pattern is quite easy to do--although that didn't keep me from reading the charts from left to right rather than the other way. It didn't really make a heck of a lot of difference, fortunately.

Saw lots of birds in Maryland. We traveled to Blackwater National Wildlife Reserve. There were eagles everywhere and osprey too. Lots of great blue herons, great egrets, snowy egrets and Carolina wrens. We saw about 38 species from red-headed woodpeckers to red-eyed vireos. We did not see the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel although we did see a sign that said "Caution-Endangered Squirrels".

The weather co-operated. It was hot and sunny, but there was a light breeze which kept it bearable. The insects weren't too bad. Some of our colleagues didn't want to come for fear of mosquitoes and other biting insects so they missed out on some great birding. There was the occasional deer fly, but no worse than the ones we get on our summer walks in NJ.



We saw this spider making a web by an informational sign. I'm told it is called a black-and-yellow spider (surprise!). It's not something we get in the northeast (thank you!), but it is apparently not that unusual south of where I hang out. I was glad it was making a web and not jumping out from a tree or shrub. Its body is about an inch-and-a-half long. This specimen seems to be missing a leg.