Nature Photography (Formally Spring is in the Air)

[Doug Watson]

Well, I certainly feel better about watching it then.

As long as the males are actually fighting

[Patrx]

Thanks for your input, Newt! It seems maybe this was intraspecific conflict after all.

The chorus frogs in that pond are quite persistent; they make a good deal of noise well into summer. Perhaps it's a regional variation?
Here's a photo of one from a couple of years ago:

[Newt]

That's a gray treefrog metamorph. They're almost always bright green on the dorsum at that age (some Pseudacris can be green, but the P. triseriata complex frogs, which is what you have there, never are). The pale subocular spot is also distinctive (bird-voiced treefrogs also have this, but you're probably too far north for those) and is the only part of the adult pattern obvious on the little ones.

Interesting about the long calling period. I wonder if that's related to what other species are present, or to hydrology? The chorus frogs here are usually among the first to spawn (along with the wood frogs), which is presumably a way to beat predators and competitors to the ponds, and to allow them to use shallow waters that will dry up in the summer.

[Patrx]

Aha! Good to know, thanks, Newt That actually makes a lot of sense- I raised that little frog and three others during that summer, and the photo was taken just after it'd absorbed the last of its tail.

[alexeratops]

In front of my house, there are like four large bushes. Inbetween all of them its like a little cave almost, and for the past couple of weeks there's been a little avian dinosaur chilling there! Aka, dove  ANYWAY, we think that another dove that's also been living here is its mate, and that they made a nest in our little pine tree! It would be cool if one day there would be tons of little doves in our yard! Definitely springtime!

[Tyto_Theropod]

In front of my house, there are like four large bushes. Inbetween all of them its like a little cave almost, and for the past couple of weeks there's been a little avian dinosaur chilling there! Aka, dove  ANYWAY, we think that another dove that's also been living here is its mate, and that they made a nest in our little pine tree! It would be cool if one day there would be tons of little doves in our yard! Definitely springtime!

[WARNING: LONG POST AND PICTURE SPAM AHEAD!]

Very exciting for you! It's time I started seriously contributing to this thread considering how much time I spend observing wildlife, so I'll start by saying that my parents have had dinosaurs of the avian variety nest in their garden and have had the pleasure of seeing them grow up. It's a lovely place, very sheltered and secluded and great for wildlife. We get all kinds of garden birds, including not one but three species of dove - collared dove, stock dove and wood pigeon.

We actually had a bit of excitement a few days ago when an injured wood pigeon took shelter in the hen run. My parents thought it would probably leave after a while, but when I went out I noticed it was dragging its wing and bleeding. I called the SSPCA, but they couldn't come out until we'd caught it. After leading us on a merry chase, the pigeon took shelter in the hedge and I had to crawl through the nettles and twigs to get it out. I actually felt bad for us chasing it around so much and causing it distress, but I reckoned it had a much better chance if we did manage to catch it than if it was out overnight, when a fox might have got it, even if it had injured itself more while struggling to get away from us. The SSPCA inspector later found that its wing was broken, as I had suspected. At least it has a chance now.

Anyway, here are a few shots of some friendly neighbourhood dinosaurs in a Scottish country garden:


Male pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), an introduced species in this country (picture from spring last year)


I had to crawl through nettles to rescue a wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) like this one.


A male house sparrow (Passer domesticus). Sadly this species is in decline over most of the UK, but for the moment it's still doing well in my parents' area. (Both these pictures were taken earlier in the year when there were far less leaves on the trees and so it was easier to see the birds - now everything is that lovely fresh green...)

We've also had a rabbit in the garden for the first time since our old tomcat died. It comes in in the middle of the day sometimes, and I've only ever seen the one. I know it's the same as it has a distinctive white marking on its forehead. In the advent of a certain overly popular horror video game, I informally christened it 'Bonnie'. It (Bonnie retains his/her mystery) just hangs out in and around the hen run grazing calmly, but will beat a retreat when someone opens the door to come out into the garden. From this behaviour and from its overall appearance, I am pretty sure that Bonnie is a genuine wild rabbit rather than an escaped or abandoned pet. It seems healthy and quite young, so my best guess is that it's a buck that has recently left its warren.




(Apologies for the poor picture quality - these were taken through the window, on the first day I saw Bonnie)

Other than Bonnie, the main notable (and very exciting) mammalian visitor is a large badger that comes to the bird feeding area in the back yard. Our neighbour once saw a large dog fox walking up the road, but none of us have seen him and fortunately he hasn't bothered the hens.

[Gwangi]

It's great to see some wildlife pictures from the U.K., thanks for sharing Tyto. As for house sparrows, you're more than welcome to come take ours if you like. They're a serious invasive species here. Odd how they're declining in your country but doing very well here. They're one of the only birds you generally see in the more urban places.

[EmperorDinobot]

I'm worried whether the McDonald bros. crows are going to smash the blue-jay nest on my tree this year

[Tyto_Theropod]

It's great to see some wildlife pictures from the U.K., thanks for sharing Tyto. As for house sparrows, you're more than welcome to come take ours if you like. They're a serious invasive species here. Odd how they're declining in your country but doing very well here. They're one of the only birds you generally see in the more urban places.

Thank you Gwangi! Have some more spam, this time moving out of the garden and onto the local avian dinosaurs you can expect to see in my parents' neck of the woods at this time of year.


Common buzzards (Buteo buteo) are the most frequently seen predatory dinosaur around these parts! It's worth noting that here in the UK 'buzzard' refers to a hawk-like raptor rather than a vulture. On my DeviantARTaccount, an American lady corrected me about another buzzard picture I'd taken, saying it had to be a red-tailed hawk! (We don't get them this side of the pond...) Buzzards are a conservation success story. The species saw significant declines during the 60's and 70's, but thanks to a dedicated effort from organisations like the Royal Society for the Protection of Bird (RSPB), they are now once more a common site. They emit a distinctive mewing call and fly slowly, often gliding.


Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) are summer migrants who start to arrive around March or April. They nest in grasslands and farm fields, and the males will defend their territories by soaring into the sky and singing a prolonged, 'bubbly' song.


A pied wagtail (Motacilla alba yarrelli). This subspecies of white wagtail (M. alba) is endemic to the British Isles. Ours seems to love the beach.


This was taken not long after a storm, when a lot was washed up on the tideline. There were crows and gulls scavenging among the debris, and I managed to snap this carrion crow (Corvus corone) as it ran off with a shellfish before any of the other birds could steal it!


A nest of some kind. My mother suggested that it could be a squirrel's drey, but I personally think this is unlikely as there are no other trees nearby and I have never seen any species of squirrel in the area where this was taken. Perhaps I'll be able to get a glimpse of the owner on another visit?

[Doug Watson]

Thanks for your input, Newt! It seems maybe this was intraspecific conflict after all.

The chorus frogs in that pond are quite persistent; they make a good deal of noise well into summer. Perhaps it's a regional variation?
Here's a photo of one from a couple of years ago:

Beautiful Frog and a great shot Patrx.

[Doug Watson]

It's great to see some wildlife pictures from the U.K., thanks for sharing Tyto. As for house sparrows, you're more than welcome to come take ours if you like. They're a serious invasive species here. Odd how they're declining in your country but doing very well here. They're one of the only birds you generally see in the more urban places.

Thank you Gwangi! Have some more spam, this time moving out of the garden and onto the local avian dinosaurs you can expect to see in my parents' neck of the woods at this time of year.

I agree with Gwangi, great to see some UK fauna, nice shots Tyto.

[Doug Watson]

Second weekend of Kayaking at Murphy's Point and another great day for Grey Rat Snakes, saw two plus 162 Map turtles and 29 Midland Painted Turtles.

There was a pair of Loons out fishing in the Bay in between making their beautiful calls to one another.



This Great Blue Heron was stalking some shallows.



A Painted Turtle basking with some Map Turtles



A small shedding Map Turtle balanced on a branch.



A Painted Turtle in the moss.



A Map Turtle, I was taken with the textures and reflections in this shot.



A big shedding Map Turtle, I usually hold nonsnappers by the sides but this guy was doing a number on my palms with those long sharp rear claws.



First of the Rat Snakes, could have been one of the ones I saw last week since it was up in the same tree. Hard to tell the size but big enough around 5 to 6 feet long.



About 50 yards down shore from the first Rat Snake I spotted this thick and long probably 6 foot Rat Snake in a deadfall getting a drink.



When it had finished drinking I moved in to see if I could lift it off the tree, this would be my first attempt to catch one from my kayak. It was hopeless no sooner had I freed the head the tail would wrap solidly around some other branches. It was like trying to untangle a bait casting reel that was alive. I was only gently pulling but I could really feel the strength of this constrictor, I pity any rat, squirrel or any other small animal these guys get in their coils. I could have really yanked and broken some branches but I didn't want to stress it anymore or hurt it so I let in move off into the tree



As usually happens when I move around in overhangs or deadfalls I came away with a stowaway. I was looking over at my wife when I saw some long legs moving along the brim of my hat.It was this Long-jawed Orb Weaver - Tetragnatha. I returned it back to that tree after a couple shots. At least this guy moved slow, once a Hobo Spider dropped in and was racing back and forth in my kayak, not a good time to wear shorts.





This was a medium size Northern Water snake I spotted hunting the shore of a small island.

[Tyto_Theropod]

Great shot of the loon! They really are beautiful in their summer feathers. We're supposed to get them off Scotland in the winter, but I've personally never seen one. It's nice to see map turtles in the wild. I've only ever seen them in an aquarium - those ones were rehomed from people who'd bought them as pets and didn't want them anymore when they grew or when they got bored of them. Sadly it often happens with turtles.   They have a nice big tropical themed tank with branches that they love basking on.

[Gwangi]

Great pictures Doug. Man, you really do have a lot of rat snakes where your at! They're around here too but must be more uncommon, I've never even seen one! The map turtles are impressive too. They occur in the state but not locally.

[Doug Watson]

It's nice to see map turtles in the wild. I've only ever seen them in an aquarium - those ones were rehomed from people who'd bought them as pets and didn't want them anymore when they grew or when they got bored of them. Sadly it often happens with turtles.   They have a nice big tropical themed tank with branches that they love basking on.

At least those owners were responsible enough to find them a home rather than dumping them in a local body of water as sometimes happens. But I can never understand someone taking on a pet and then giving it up when it becomes too much of a bother.

[Doug Watson]

Great pictures Doug. Man, you really do have a lot of rat snakes where your at! They're around here too but must be more uncommon, I've never even seen one! The map turtles are impressive too. They occur in the state but not locally.

This has been an exceptional year so far, usually I only see one a year and sometimes I have gone the whole season without seeing one so hopefully this is good news for the species here.

[Patrx]

Beautiful Frog and a great shot Patrx.

Thanks, Doug!

[Halichoeres]

Nice set of photos, Doug! Leave it to a sculptor to have an eye for composing a shot.

[Doug Watson]

Nice set of photos, Doug! Leave it to a sculptor to have an eye for composing a shot.

Thank you.

[Tyto_Theropod]

It's nice to see map turtles in the wild. I've only ever seen them in an aquarium - those ones were rehomed from people who'd bought them as pets and didn't want them anymore when they grew or when they got bored of them. Sadly it often happens with turtles.   They have a nice big tropical themed tank with branches that they love basking on.

At least those owners were responsible enough to find them a home rather than dumping them in a local body of water as sometimes happens. But I can never understand someone taking on a pet and then giving it up when it becomes too much of a bother.

Indeed - abandoned turtles are a problem in the UK, as unlike many exotics they can easily survive, especially in more southerly areas, and this can disrupt local ecosystems. Much as I love animals, however, I can understand someone's reasons for giving up a pet. I once had two Dutch rabbits as a kid, as there was a fad for them going round my primary school, but the fact is that rabbits are actually very high maintenance - in some ways more so than a dog - and they're not all that suitable for kids. Looking after them was just too much of a handful for me and the whole family, and they didn't get a very good quality of life stuck in their tiny hutch all day.

In the end, I gave them away to a very nice lady who'd had experience of rabbits previously and who was obviously going to love them. So I can understand that people might want to - or indeed have to - give up a pet if they haven't fully understood what they-re undertaking (a very sad occurrence - we should do our research before getting any animal) or if their circumstances change, but abandoning any animal is just wrong. The right way to do it is to find a local shelter or someone who you know will give that animal a good home.