It was a typical Tuesday at Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve.  The bottle brush Buckeyes soaked up the warm sun and temperatures climbed into the 90’s.

Campers stood in the shade while they learned about archery…

…and safety with a BB gun. 

A Red Shouldered Hawk screamed over and over again as it soared across the blue sky…

…while Ann and Ben Bluebird carried worms and other insects back to their 6 newly hatched chicks.  This may be their third clutch this season.

Another Bluebird box has one chick just hatched, while its siblings are still in the egg.  The campers got to learn about birds by examining the nests of a Robin, Chickadee and Tree Swallow. Then we looked into the Bluebird and House Wren nests and saw the babies.  This is something most children will never get to do, so it was a real thrill.

After lunch, though, the sky started to darken…

…and threaten…

…and the low rumbling of distant thunder got louder and closer as the wind picked up.

BOOMMMMM!!  CRASH! Whoa, it sounded like that lightning hit a tree in the backyard, but it’s raining so hard you can’t see more than a few feet away. Let’s stay in the house until it quits.  Maybe we should unplug all the computers too.

It’s a good thing we got a new roof on Mahan Manor this year. It’s certainly getting a workout today.  The downspouts are pouring water into the yard, and we hope it doesn’t leave a hole in the ground next to that bush.  Yep, it’s just a typical summer Tuesday in the Ohio Valley.