Nature Photography (Formally Spring is in the Air)

[Lizerd]

Pretty cool snake.

The grounds your at look a lot like somewhere I have been.

[Gwangi]

Pretty cool snake.

The grounds your at look a lot like somewhere I have been.

Just my back yard, I hope you're not there, but the grass is pretty tall so I wouldn't know it if you were.

[Lizerd]

Probably coincidence, the grass reminded me of the conservancy (they also had chickens). 

But if K was in your backyard, my sneezing would probably give me away pretty quickly 

[Doug Watson]

Found this rat snake (Pantherophis) chilling under my chicken coop. Not worried about the chickens, he's big but still too small to eat the chickens. It's fine if he helps himself to a few eggs though.

Pretty snake I wish I had them in my backyard. I have to drive an hour south to Murphy's Point to find them. Was there kayaking a week ago but it was still too dang cold for any snakes. A lot of turtles but no snakes, "why couldn't there be snakes" (Indiana Jones pop culture reference)

[Gwangi]

Found this rat snake (Pantherophis) chilling under my chicken coop. Not worried about the chickens, he's big but still too small to eat the chickens. It's fine if he helps himself to a few eggs though.

Pretty snake I wish I had them in my backyard. I have to drive an hour south to Murphy's Point to find them. Was there kayaking a week ago but it was still too dang cold for any snakes. A lot of turtles but no snakes, "why couldn't there be snakes" (Indiana Jones pop culture reference)

I'm surprised you have them that far north at all, honestly. When I lived in New York I never saw one despite their alleged presence, now I'm in Maryland and they're more common than garter snakes it seems. But I don't find the quantity of snakes as I did in New York, so I'm also wondering "why couldn't there be snakes."  Lots of turtles though, no shortage there.

[Patrx]

Ventured out today to snap some photos of local birds, but instead encountered some hairy mammals. This rabbit was pretty patient before deciding to seek less human-infested browsing grounds:

[Halichoeres]

Is that a fox squirrel or a grey? I always have a hard time with those unless I have a good size reference.

[Patrx]

It was pretty big, so I had guessed it was a fox squirrel. I'm no expert, mind, so I could be wrong!

[Halichoeres]

That was my first thought, too, so you're probably right. I don't see those too often! I live downtown and work in the suburbs, so I see nothing but greys.

[Lanthanotus]

Can`t believe this nice thread hasn`t been updated since more than half a year...

...though, to be sure, spring is just starting. The last month was the sunniest March
in recorded history in our region (south of Frankfurt Main/Germany). So spring has
a head start here.

Unusually rich in contrast: Male of the European Toad (Bufo bufo)



Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) in the forest just two hundred metres from my house (though, the highway is just in the back of the photo, like 100m away.


Spot the male Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis) just awaking from hibernation



The Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis muralis)in my garden on the other hand are active since weeks
Not shown are Common Frogs (Rana temporaria) and Alpine Newts (Mesotrition alpestris) in the ponds.



So how did spring start in your region?

[Halichoeres]

So good to see activity on this thread again! Thanks for these photos, Lanthanotus

[Shonisaurus]

I'm glad to see those images of nature. Thanks Lanthanotus remind me of the happy times before the pandemic.

[Lanthanotus]

Thanks for your replies,... here`s some more....

Carabus auratus, a predatory beetle, hunting earthworms, slugs and snails.


Crow harrassing Ciconia ciconia


Two young green frogs, Rana esculenta probably


Adult male of Rana temporaria


Flowering cherry tree


And this is what you bring in if you lurk around the greenery in spring and summer.
Ixodes, not sure which species, the pattern looks unfamiliar. My son found it in
between his Legos after I came back from a tour and shortly visited his room. Will
see how many I collect the evening.

[Halichoeres]

That beetle is a real beauty! That's a nice shot of the tick, but I find them pretty repulsive. All my most vindictive instincts come out when I'm dealing with them. When I was working at the Field Museum, one of the employees in entomology took a nice micrograph of a tick I had found in my leg and removed very unceremoniously. You can see it's missing its palps and many of its leg segments:

[Gwangi]

Ticks are the worst, although I probably despise biting flies even more. When I lived in New York I could count on my hands how many ticks I had ever found on myself, after 30 years of playing outside, fishing and hunting, birding and herping, and working on a farm. I live in Maryland now and I've found more ticks on myself in a single day than I saw in those entire 30 years in NY. It's almost enough to keep me inside, almost. I've found 6 ticks after a single outing. Thankfully they're mostly lone star ticks which do not carry Lyme disease.

[Halichoeres]

Ticks are the worst, although I probably despise biting flies even more. When I lived in New York I could count on my hands how many ticks I had ever found on myself, after 30 years of playing outside, fishing and hunting, birding and herping, and working on a farm. I live in Maryland now and I've found more ticks on myself in a single day than I saw in those entire 30 years in NY. It's almost enough to keep me inside, almost. I've found 6 ticks after a single outing. Thankfully they're mostly lone star ticks which do not carry Lyme disease.

Is where you live now more suburban? I think these days suburbs and exurbs tend to have higher densities of ticks than wilder areas because there are more deer and deer mice.

[Gwangi]

Ticks are the worst, although I probably despise biting flies even more. When I lived in New York I could count on my hands how many ticks I had ever found on myself, after 30 years of playing outside, fishing and hunting, birding and herping, and working on a farm. I live in Maryland now and I've found more ticks on myself in a single day than I saw in those entire 30 years in NY. It's almost enough to keep me inside, almost. I've found 6 ticks after a single outing. Thankfully they're mostly lone star ticks which do not carry Lyme disease.

Is where you live now more suburban? I think these days suburbs and exurbs tend to have higher densities of ticks than wilder areas because there are more deer and deer mice.

No, it's not. And the ticks I pick up are in wildlife management areas, parks, refuges and other "wild" places. I'm thinking it's just a combination of climate, range, and habitat. It's warm here with mild winters, lots of grassy habitat, abundant deer populations etc.

[Lanthanotus]

Nice close up of that tick.... I live in a region where ticks spread Lyme disease and encephalitis. I tend to just have 3 to 4 each year, though other people I know tend to get more though they do not lurk through the greens as much as me, but I am also only rarely bitten by flies, maybe my blood tastes rank There`s in fact lots of ticks around here, but I think the main cause for that besides the climate is the vast number of pet dogs and cats.

[Halichoeres]

After a few days of heavy rain, I can see all the trees in the park waking up from my window.

[ceratopsian]

Spotted at the weekend: our local golf course (currently closed for play because of the lockdown) has many ponds and lakes, hence a lot of water birds.  One of the pairs of Egyptian geese already has a clutch of five goslings (but they are known for being early breeders).