Nature Photography (Formally Spring is in the Air)

[paleoferroequine]

Great photos Paleoferroequine!  Although I think your Flicker may actually be a Red-bellied Woodpecker.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-bellied_Woodpecker

Right you are, we have flickers also and I didn't pay attention enough.  

[paleoferroequine]

Great photos Paleoferroequine!  Although I think your Flicker may actually be a Red-bellied Woodpecker.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-bellied_Woodpecker

I second that, and the slider pictures appear to be a painted turtles.

Hhmmm, I'm slipping.   Thanks guys for properly identifying these. I guess I better be more careful.

Simon, at risk of messing up again, the tree is some sort of flowering pear I think although some Japanese cherrys look like that. But I don't have a clue about  that hummingbird. Somebody else will have to ID that.

(Edit) Oh, what the heck, I'll mess up again.   It might just be a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird-Archilochus colubris. Sometimes the light hits just right and the red throat looks black.

[paleoferroequine]

A few more.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird female-Archilochus colubris

Ruby-throated Hummingbird female-Archilochus colubris

Eastern Kingbird-Tyrannus tyrannus

Green Heron-Butorides virescens

Great Blue Heron-Ardea herodias

Killdeer-Charadrius vociferus

[radman]

Great pix everyone!  This is probably my favorite thread in the forum(s), along with the dioramas and custom paints.  Since we've moved beyond the confines of my backyard, here are some shots I took recently when we had a family outing to a cypress swamp/wildlife preserve not far from where I live.  I start with this fantastic picture of the semi-boggy area leading up to the swamp:



The bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)are just getting in their new feathery leaves, and dwarf palmettos (Sabal minor)stretch as far as the eye can see.  This was a wonderful vista, and it's not too difficult to imagine a Dilophosaurus, Allosaurus, or whatever, stalking through this primordial wetland.

Spotted this Barred Owl (Strix varia) hunting for crayfish not too far from the trail.  It is one of the few owls active in the daytime, especially during the spring when chicks need to be fed.  Unfortunately, it kept turning its head, and the only two shots I got of it were when it was facing away.  Eventually it flew off in dramatic fashion, pouncing on something in the water with huge outstretched wings, but the landing was behind some trees so I couldn't see what exactly happened.





Next, I chanced upon a pair of Downy woodpeckers ( Picoides pubescens) busy in a rite of spring- the courtship ritual.  These guys were pretty much oblivious to me, they were so active with each other, a blur of motion that of all the shots I took, this was the only one that was kinda in focus.



Female is at the top.  At this juncture, my camera batteries expired, as I had neglected to charge it prior to the trip, so I missed shots of the cottonmouth, the pileated woodpecker, a herd of deer picking their way through the cypress knees, a large alligator swimming in the lake, and many others.  Oh well, I plan to go again soon, so check back!

[Pilkington]

I saw this Robin a few weeks ago but by the time I got my camera it had already flown away.  I waited the next few days, camera in hand, for it to return but it didn't.  I had given up hope of seeing it again so imagine my surprise when I happen to glance up while doing yard work to see it hopping around my front lawn.  Thankfully I was able to run inside and get my camera before it flew away.

Leucistic American Robin:






This is the first time I've ever seen a Robin like this so I was extremely excited to get some pictures of it. 

[paleoferroequine]

Radman, cool pics of the cypress swamp. We have a few cypress swamps in Missouri but not around here and they don't look that neat! Although there are plenty of bald cypress around here. Hope to see pics of the gators soon.
Pilkington, years ago I saw a leucistic robin that was a solid light gray on top, real weird looking.
Talk about a temperature change, Monday it got to 90F(32C) and this morning it was 37F(2.8C) Yikes!

[ZoPteryx]

I birded a local wildlife sanctuary today and had some pretty good finds.

Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus).  Their distinct facial pattern and buzzy song help to identify them.


Sora (Porzana carolina).  Normally very seceretive, this one was unusually confident.


Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) breed at the park.  Here, two adults tend to their fledgling are sitting with a Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis).


The highlight of my trip was finding this Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos), a very rare spring migrant in my area (it's the one on the left).  Less than ten have been seen my county during spring since they started keeping records!  Seen here with a Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) on its right and a smaller Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) behind.


All in all, a very good day!

[paleoferroequine]

More pictures while walking the dog again.


Mourning Dove-Zenaida macroura

Snapping Turtle-Chelydra serpentina Just a baby! I had hoped to find one of these to take photos of and I lucked out.

My dog Winston getting inquisitive. Watch your nose!

Winston got too frisky and flipped it over.

[Himmapaan]

Wonderful turtle!

[paleoferroequine]

Wonderful turtle!

Yes, they are but when grown, they get 12 to 20 inches (30.48 to 50.8 cm) and hey have a bad attitude.

[Meso-Cenozoic]

Beautiful pictures, all! I have to start trying to get some pics of our small collection of wildlife that frequents our backyard. I'm always amazed by how much wildlife I can find in a large city's small yard!

I always know it's Spring when I see our big, male, red-breasted Robin hopping around. We also have a lovely male & female Cardinal couple. A very persistent Mockingbird that knows every tune in the book! And a sweet family of Sparrows that are always looking for a free handout, hehe!

We also get many visits from many different kinds of mammals. A very cute and always busy Squirrel couple. Opossums, Skunks and even a Groundhog make their presence known from time to time. And there is always a cat or two roaming through or resting on the picnic table under the tree.

Oh yes, I must try and get some pics taken! 

[brontodocus]

Cute and grotesque at the same time!

Yesterday in the late evening we were participating in a field trip for kids searching for salamanders in a forest nearby (Hattingen, Germany) and found approx. 20.

Barred Fire Salamander, Salamandra salamandra terrestris.

[Weaver]

Oooo! That's a lovely salamander you found. Ah the joys of living in Colorado mean that I will probably never see another salamander again. Oh well.

So what do I have in my backyard this Spring? Lots of birds.
- Eurasian Collared Doves (a single pair I believe)
- Stellars' Jays (a whole colony of about 18-19)
- Dark-eyed Juncos (Grey-headed race)
- Black-billed Magpies (there are some massive nests in our trees)
- Nuthatches (Pygmy or White-breasted varieties)
- Wild Turkey (Rio Grand or Merriam's varieties)

Our mammals are mostly Mule Deer, Badgers, Ringtails, Abert's Squirrel and Pine Squirrel. Oh and a few Elk wandering around. Not many of the regulars have made an appearance yet but they will soon. I hope.

[Gwangi]

Weaver, I couldn't believe it when you said "I will probably never see another salamander again". Out of curiosity I looked it up for you because I was hoping to return with a nice list of salamanders for you to look out for. To my amazement Colorado has only one species of salamander...the tiger salamander. Hopefully you eventually get to see one (they're impressive salamanders at least) but I'm sorry I don't have better news for you. 

[Roselaar]

Ah, Salamandra Salamandra... the only amphibian species native to the Netherlands I haven't seen in the wild yet... not surprising, considering they're very rare here.

[Weaver]

@Gwangi: I guess I'll have to go scouting the cattle-ponds and small stream on the trailhead then. XD Man, it's weird not living in Illinois. I used to see about 15 different species of various genuses in my backyard. Even found a monster Hellbender at a friends' pond in Cairo, Illinois. Ah well, at least there's one species here. When I next go gold-panning or hiking I'll be sure to look for one.

[SBell]

So here's one way we know it's spring around here:


It's not often we see meadowlarks, we usually just hear them. Fortunately, the glass on the building is mirrored so that it couldn't see me, even though I was 2 feet or less away (it was more interested in scaring off the 'other' one).

And by building, I mean where I work--so we have modern dinosaurs right next to the fossil ones!

[Takama]

Cute and grotesque at the same time!

Yesterday in the late evening we were participating in a field trip for kids searching for salamanders in a forest nearby (Hattingen, Germany) and found approx. 20.

Barred Fire Salamander, Salamandra salamandra terrestris.

arent those thigs deadly to the touch

[SBell]

Cute and grotesque at the same time!

Yesterday in the late evening we were participating in a field trip for kids searching for salamanders in a forest nearby (Hattingen, Germany) and found approx. 20.

Barred Fire Salamander, Salamandra salamandra terrestris.

arent those thigs deadly to the touch

Umm...no. If you eat one (?) they can make you sick, and they might be dangerous to smaller predators, but they aren't exactly Dendrobates frogs. Seeing as I've handled them and lived to tell the tale.

[brontodocus]

Now that you mention it... I feel so strangely sick... *faints*
No, you just shouldn't eat them. The Samandarin from their parotoid glands is neurotoxic and apparently small dogs have been killed after biting fire salamanders. But it's not dangerous to touch them, you should only wash your hands afterwards, better don't scratch an itching eyelid before you did, that's really unpleasant (I once made this mistake with Yellow-bellied Toads, Bombina variegata - ouch! ).