Nature Photography (Formally Spring is in the Air)

[Gwangi]

well if they are already well established nearby than theres really no point trying to remove them
that is a very large nest, we get osprey nesting on poles here sometimes but there nests are usually only very light

We have osprey too, and bald eagles. These parrots nest in colonies which is why their nests are so large. Google search "monk parakeet nest" or "Quaker parrot nest" and you'll see what I mean.

[stargatedalek]

I just did and I'm very impressed, they do build quite extravagant nests
I can see why they can damage the wires...

[Gwangi]

Apparently just removing the nest does not help as they start rebuilding it in the same spot.

[stargatedalek]

perhaps waiting until the young arrive and then moving it, so they are more inclined to go to the new nest, thats what is done with the osprey here (although its done for their own protection not for the wires)

but their nesting behavior is fundamentally different, so I doubt it would work

[Gwangi]

Pictures from my trip to Montezuma Wildlife Refuge yesterday. Lots of extant dinosaurs, enjoy.







Common Moorhen


Family of American Coots


Great Blue Heron


Double Crested Cormorant


Young Bald Eagle




Pickerel Frog


Terns


Misplaced Snow Goose


Leopard Frog


Bald Eagle


Great Egret


Sandhill Cranes and Canada Geese

[ITdactyl]

very nice pics...

pardon the ignorance... why was the snow goose "misplaced?"

[Gwangi]

very nice pics...

pardon the ignorance... why was the snow goose "misplaced?"

This time of year it should be up in the arctic. It looks like it has a broken wing so it's probably stuck here for good.

[Newt]

Very nice photos, Gwangi!

I'll match your Northern Leopard with a Southern:


And here are some more herps from the same outing:

Juvenile Green Frog


Juvenile Fowler's Toad (probably - he has some American Toad characters, and toads are notorious hybridizers):


And some lungless sallies:
Northern Dusky Salamander


Northern Slimy Salamander (sorry, I didn't get any good photos of this little fellow):


And all three local Eurycea species:
Southern Two-lined Salamander:


Longtail Salamander:


Cave Salamander:

[stemturtle]

Love seeing those herp photos, Gwangi and Newt, especially the salamanders. Thanks for posting.

[ITdactyl]

This time of year it should be up in the arctic. It looks like it has a broken wing so it's probably stuck here for good.

'Should've realized that... still, ouch.  I don't think broken wings are a detriment to waterfowl survival, but I'm not sure about the conditions in your area.  Hopefully he doesn't end up as raptor chow.  I saw a waterhen in the backyard at the end of summer this year.  It had a broken wing too.  Unfortunately, when I moved to get a better look, it saw me and ran away... straight into a cat.  Poor thing didn't stand a chance.

@Newt, nice close ups of those amphibians.  We've lost most of the viable amphibian habitats in my area so I miss the frog songs (I've only seen a wild salamander once in my life though, and that was 23 years ago*).

*my bad. Apparently we don't have native newts or salamanders.  'Must've been a skink.

[Gwangi]

This time of year it should be up in the arctic. It looks like it has a broken wing so it's probably stuck here for good.

'Should've realized that... still, ouch.  I don't think broken wings are a detriment to waterfowl survival, but I'm not sure about the conditions in your area.  Hopefully he doesn't end up as raptor chow.  I saw a waterhen in the backyard at the end of summer this year.  It had a broken wing too.  Unfortunately, when I moved to get a better look, it saw me and ran away... straight into a cat.  Poor thing didn't stand a chance.

@Newt, nice close ups of those amphibians.  We've lost most of the viable amphibian habitats in my area so I miss the frog songs (I've only seen a wild salamander once in my life though, and that was 23 years ago*).

*my bad. Apparently we don't have native newts or salamanders.  'Must've been a skink.

The marsh freezes up pretty good in the winter but there are usually some Canada geese that stick around all year. If he could make it to the lake he would have a much easier time, there is always open water on the lakes here. Still, he probably will end up as a meal for someone which while sad for him could mean life or death for some other animal. Such is life. There are plenty of coyotes, foxes and raptors around that need to eat.

Great amphibian photos Newt. I'll have to see if I can dig up some more of our local amphibians I've photographed.

[Newt]

@Newt, nice close ups of those amphibians.  We've lost most of the viable amphibian habitats in my area so I miss the frog songs.

That's a shame! Where do you live?

I'm fortunate enough to live in Middle Tennessee, a very biodiverse area for herps. Within a couple of hours drive of my home I can find more than 30 species of sallies, 20+ frogs, 9 lizards, 35-ish snakes, and 16 turtles. Unfortunately, conservation is not highly valued here; it always seems people don't care about wildlife until it's almost gone.

[Gwangi]

@Newt, nice close ups of those amphibians.  We've lost most of the viable amphibian habitats in my area so I miss the frog songs.

That's a shame! Where do you live?

I'm fortunate enough to live in Middle Tennessee, a very biodiverse area for herps. Within a couple of hours drive of my home I can find more than 30 species of sallies, 20+ frogs, 9 lizards, 35-ish snakes, and 16 turtles. Unfortunately, conservation is not highly valued here; it always seems people don't care about wildlife until it's almost gone.

On a separate but related note Tennessee also boasts more species of fish than the rest of North America with 315 species total. By comparison I live in NY which has about 165.

[ITdactyl]

@Gwangi - yeah, snow geese probably won't compare to canada geese in the badass meter.

@Newt - I'm from the Philippines, near Manila actually.  We don't have seasons here per se, just really hot and really wet - so this thread is of particular interest for me (out of terrible curiosity).  My area used to be classified as "coastal-rural", with rice paddies, fish ponds, mangrove nurseries and areas with tall grass - so I was able to see some wildlife similar to the ones posted here.  Nowadays the area's all concrete-urban.  Very little wildlife.

[Newt]

Gwangi - yes indeed! Tennessee is a great place if you're into freshwater life. We're tops in crayfish too, with more than 70 species, including North America's largest species, Barbicambarus cornutus.

ITDactyl- I'm sorry to hear that your area has gotten urbanized. Still, I bet most of us on the forum are a little jealous of you living in the tropics. I know I am!

[Gwangi]

Bumping this thread so Doug can find it, also because I hate to see it vanish into the void!

[Doug Watson]

Bumping this thread so Doug can find it, also because I hate to see it vanish into the void!

Thank you Gwangi

[Gwangi]

Might better share something. Haven't photographed anything this winter so here are some white-tail deer I photographed LAST winter and forgot to share apparently.

[Doug Watson]

Might better share something. Haven't photographed anything this winter so here are some white-tail deer I photographed LAST winter and forgot to share apparently.

Very nice shots. We get lots of White-tails up here. They go from bright orange in the summer to almost black in the winter. I always get a thrill when one crosses paths with us. Especially the time I stepped out of the bush onto a trail and came face to face with a huge 8 point buck around 250 lbs that was in full rut. Instead of bolting he held his swollen neck high and started to stomp the ground. I sheepishly backed my way where I came from and gave him a wide berth. Luckily that was the end of it.

[Doug Watson]

Okay here goes nottin'. I'll try to post an image and see what happens. If this works this is a five foot Black Rat Snake that I caught while kayaking here in Ontario. Since my wife is afraid of snakes catching and releasing these guys serves as surrogate pets. Hope this works.