Nature Photography

[minnbuckeye]

1 hour ago, Shellseeker said:

I have prepared a place

 

@Shellseeker Looks like a great place to  overwinter! Let me know the address and I will let them know.

[snolly50]

Hawk, Coastal SC, @Auspex What kind? This critter was fairly tolerant of my approach as it rested on a wooden fence. I estimate I was within 30 feet before it deemed me a nuisance and lifted off to alight a small distance away.

 

 

 

[Auspex]

36 minutes ago, snolly50 said:

What kind?

Buteo jamaicensis, aka 'Mr.T'. This is an immature Red-tailed Hawk; refer to my avatar for other views. ;^)

 

[Mainefossils]

Here are a few pictures of a unique species of caterpillar I took a few months ago. This caterpillar is called a Spiny Oak Slug Moth - a type of stinging caterpillar. They are uncommon to rare here in Columbia, which is why I tried to raise this individual to maturity. Unfortunately, it had been parasitized; but it still yielded some good photos. The images below first show the caterpillar on its host plant (a wild apple leaf), and then of the underside of it. 

 

Thanks for reading! 

 

 

 

[Ludwigia]

A couple of sculptures around the garden shed.

 

 

 

[snolly50]

Who can ID this small critter? I can't. Coastal SC...

 

 

 

[digit]

That appears to be the Long-tailed Skipper:

 

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Urbanus-proteus

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[snolly50]

6 minutes ago, digit said:

appears to be the Long-tailed Skipper

Indeed! I could not spot its like any where I looked. Thanks!

[snolly50]

An itchy Tricolored Heron, Egretta tricolor....

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2021 by snolly50

[Bob Saunders]

modern day sand dollars teeth. 

Edited September 13, 2021 by Bob Saunders
one image incorrect.

[Bob Saunders]

5 hours ago, snolly50 said:

An itchy Tricolored Heron, Egretta tricolor....

 

 

 

Looks like a Least Bittern. One day I was ridding my motorcycle along a country road. One flew up from the ditch and followed along side of me. I have a Boehm Porcelain Co. one of these. 

[snolly50]

38 minutes ago, Bob Saunders said:

Looks like a Least Bittern

 

Yes, the creatures share a similar choice in plumage colors. The Bittern is smaller and has a more compact body design. We have Bitterns here (seasonal?), but due to their size and more secretive lifestyle they are less often spotted than the Tricolor, nee Louisiana Heron. 

[Bob Saunders]

46 minutes ago, snolly50 said:

 

Yes, the creatures share a similar choice in plumage colors. The Bittern is smaller and has a more compact body design. We have Bitterns here (seasonal?), but due to their size and more secretive lifestyle they are less often spotted than the Tricolor, nee Louisiana Heron. 

The Great Blue Herons are common here. We see and hear a lot of Sand Hill Cranes here. As long as the farm fields don't have deep snow they stay and feed. 

[Ludwigia]

And here's the artist who created the above sculptures.

 

[Bob Saunders]

I am not much into collecting spiders. For photos some make a spider frame/ box, That is slotted wood sides to hold the two pieces of glass with screened vent holes on the top board. The spider will make a web using the wood and not the glass. When in the "position desired" remove the glass. I should do that! 

[Bob Saunders]

18 hours ago, Bob Saunders said:

modern day sand dollars teeth. 

32 thousands = 0.813 mm 

 

Edited September 14, 2021 by Bob Saunders
wrong image

[snolly50]

Roseate Spoonbill, Platalea ajaja in flight....

 

 

 

[snolly50]

To my eye the color of this creature is among the most beautiful.

 

Little Blue Heron, Egreta caerulea....

 

 

 

[snolly50]

In an effort to overcome the malaise generated by the interminable, weird boredom of the pandemic world; the snollywife and I retreated to the coast. One distraction I enjoy there (besides stuffing myself with seafood) is photography of the wildlife and scenic wonders of the coast. Habitually, one place visited to that end is Huntington Beach State Park. That locale is a short drive from our place and I have greatly enjoyed visiting there on numerous occasions. 

 

At the State park yesterday a small 'gator, a two-footer, was sighted swimming in deep water. However, upon walking the trail where big 'gators had been previously seen, none were visible. The vegetation at the water's edge was thick and limited visibility of the water on both sides of the trail. Numerous 'gator slides were seen, denoting the critter's frequent passage between the two bodies of water. After walking about half a mile with no photo opts; it was decided to turn around and head elsewhere. The bellow stopped me dead. I had never heard a 'gator's rumbling, loud call before, Stopping to listen I spotted two ladies on bicycles behind me. The roar had abruptly stopped them, and they dismounted. Afraid to proceed, they remained there as the bellow sounded every minute or so. Finally they yelled they could see the creature's tail and judged it far enough away for them to safely pass. By this time I joined them and took up a position a little way from the slide, as the bellowing continued. It did not take long once the humans cleared the slide for the noisy, warning 'gator to stop roaring and proceed with his travel. Here he is. The paved trail seen is not sidewalk size, but rather the width of a single lane road. That's the closest I have been (or will be) to a big one on land. Big fun. I really enjoyed hearing the animal's awesome, rumbling call. He was at least a nine footer and open for business.

 

 

 

To illustrate the quality of the creature's bellow here is a short video from YouTube. Note the disturbance of the water caused by the subsonic frequency produced. The critter is making a sound not meant for human ears, but no doubt of value to its ilk.

 

[JohnJ]

22 minutes ago, snolly50 said:

The bellow stopped me dead. I had never heard a 'gator's rumbling, loud call before,

 

  It is a sound that you feel as much as you hear in relatively close proximity...a guttural, prehistoric combination of a lion's roar and a bull's bellow.  It goes right through you.  The many times I've heard/felt it in coastal Texas always raised the hair on the back of my neck!

[Bob Saunders]

Kellogg avian Nature center, near Battle Creek, Michigan. 

[Mainefossils]

Due to family matters, I had to take a trip to Texas. I decided not to go fossil collecting though, mainly because I want to limit my collection to Maine fossils. Still, I also enjoy observing and collecting extant animals - this was one of the first I found, a nice little Striped Bark Scorpion (Centruroides vittatus). This scorpion is one of the only species found in Central Texas. They are commonly found under rocks, logs, in leaf litter, and occasionally in houses. The specimen below was found under a large rock, burying itself in the leaf litter around it. 

 

Thanks for reading! 

 

P.S. - The individual below was released, and was not harmed during photography - and I was not harmed during photography, either! 

 

 

[snolly50]

Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, Nyctanassa violacea....

 

 

[Ludwigia]

Our "Hausberg", the Säntis. Seen from our side of the Lake of Constance.

 

[Ludwigia]

I went for a really good bike trek today covering almost 150 km. from my hometown of Ueberlingen down and around the Lake of Constance to Austria, through the Rhine delta and back up the south side through Switzerland to Constance, where I took the ferry across to Meersburg and then pedalled back home up the north shore. Very invigorating, although my calf muscles are still tingling.

Anyway, there were some freshly cut meadows in the wetlands along the way where the crocusses are popping up in great numbers and I just wanted to show you a shot of one.