Nashville Warbler (Oreothlypis ruficapilla)
Happy Thanksgiving! Many Thanksgivings ago I was watching my bird feeders at my parent’s house in Connecticut while waiting for family to arrive and dinner to begin on a cool, rainy day. While looking out the window I spotted, naked eye, an oddly shaped and surprisingly brightly colored bird on a tree branch. I grabbed my binoculars very quickly and had a good look at a warbler inspecting the feeding area and all of the bird commotion below it. It had a yellow body, dark green on the back and wings, a gray hood and very bright white eye rings. It was a Nashville Warbler! Their...
Read MoreAmerican Crow hunting acorns
I spotted this American Crow having a delightful time watching all of the action around it as more American Crows plus Blue Jays, squirrels and chipmunks all eagerly grabbed countless acorns under an oak tree. In this shot it almost seemed like it was gleefully sizing up the tree, taking an account of how much stock was left in this giant store. There are feeding frenzies going on all around us with wildlife storing food for the winter during a very helpful warm November stretch. That is about to end as colder than average temperatures are coming for the mid-month with some snow in the...
Read MoreCool mornings, warm bodies
Here’s an adult female deer tick that I photographed yesterday on this ruler (inches). They are actually rather large compared to young ticks, or nymphs. I pulled another one off my dog this morning. If you live near or frequent an area or habitat prone to ticks be aware that at this time of year the cool autumn mornings can lead these parasites to find any warm body they can, leaping on to mammals quickly. Thankfully you should be able to spot them if you check carefully.
Read MoreMantis above Pachysandra
Here’s a Chinese Mantis hanging out while looking for a snack above a Pachysandra species a few hours ago on this cool September morning. The European Mantis is actually the official state insect of Connecticut despite the fact it is a non-native species. This is supposedly because, “mantis are beneficial insects for farmers and are therefore symbolic reminders of the importance of the natural environment to human and biological survival” according to the CT DEEP website. That is a confounding statement/explanation to me. Maybe we could try something else – the...
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