is she or isn't she?

The Invasion of the Hairy is now playing locally. No, not Hairy Apes or Hairy Mastodons but Hairy Woodpeckers. The Hairy is a bigger version of our common Downy Woodpecker and has always been a woodland woodpecker around here. But since Irene and Sandy left so much standing dead wood on our place, the Hairy has become almost as common as its junior partner. It is distinctly bigger than its cousin and a good look as its substantial beak will usually tell you which woody is which. Even easier is the call which is usually a single loud and sharp "Peek". Downies generally give a rattle call and a drum roll while Hairies are more likely to give that sharp single call and instead of a drum roll they seem to prefer a softer, more irregular series of taps.

This morning's birds were similar to yesterdays but with fewer species and fewer individuals. The only new element was a Yellowlegs calling from somewhere on the creek and, no, I don't know which Yellowlegs it was (easier to distinguish the two woodpeckers than the Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs).

The fellow illustrated above appeared on the side of the house this afternoon. I think it must be a female katydid (the oviposter being that strange curved scimitar-like appendage on one side) looking for a place to lay its eggs!? This has been a very bad year for Fireflies but a great year for Common Kaydids; their nighttime chorus is positively deafening and continues most of the night. This is a creature that we hear for most of the summer but very rarely see. Assuming, of course, that it really is a Katydid.