Another Eastside day for Palemale & Lola. The former caught an immature starling just north of Cleopatra's needle. Palemale just north of Cleopatra's Needle. This mockingbird bombed him constantly after he was finished eating. Most of the credit for a shot like this must go to Canon, the people behind the design and manufacture of the camera I use. Without the high speed of this camera a shot like this just won't happen. This might be an immature starling (and its reflection) on the MET. Palemale on Linda#1. Amongst the hundreds of sparrows that darted this way and that there, standing on a rock was this mother foraging for a morsel of food to bring back to her baby. To some of us they’re ‘just sparrows’--too common to give a second look, but the baby stood strong and looked out for Mom as the thin blades of grass swayed in the breezes at the edge of the pond and whilst up over its tiny head the clouds parted at times to show the Sun moving slowly in the sky. The little guy just waited helplessly for the one creature which means everything in the world to him or her to return. He or she may not have seen the dog chase its mother to the delight of its owner, or perhaps the teenage kid throwing the stick at her to get a laugh from his friends. So the baby waited and waited and was anxious for Mom to come back home. And Mom did make it back this time, dodging the many natural and other dangers, all for this singular moment when the Universe smiled and said to her “ you’re not ‘just a sparrow’”. I spent a few minutes with Nick who named the many dragonflies for me and described them in detail. Sorry, but the names just didn't stick in my mind for very long. I prefer to see a little fly or bug sitting on this tiny flower but none came in time. One of five new ducklings at Turtle Pond. It's a much tougher life in Turtle Pond compared to the Model Sailboat Pond, but these little stinkers seem ready for anything life has to throw their way. The stinker didn't stay long enough on the antenna for me to work on getting a sharper image. This most likely is Lola--they both did a lot of high flying over Fifth Ave this afternoon (Sunday). The top of the sacred head. All images photographed on Sunday July 2, 2006