Snowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis)
The week may be over but we’re going to keep going with the moths! Here’s another diurnal hummingbird moth, the Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis). What is it really trying to mimic? Black, yellow…looks like a bee to me.
Read MoreHummingbird Clearwing Moth
As we continue National Moth Week here’s the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) shot Meet Your Neighbours style. At this point of the summer we always receive a number of inquiries concerning the identity of these tiny mysterious creatures that appear to be miniature hummingbirds zooming around yards and gardens. These insects also visit the flowers that are favored by hummingbirds, quickly stopping for nectar and moving on. Their fast wings can reach 30 beats a second! We tend to think of moths as nocturnal creatures but this member of the Sphinx moth family (Sphingidae) is...
Read MoreWhite-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus) by Twan Leenders
Here’s one for Throwback Thursday, a White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus)! Well, sort of. Back in 2010 I had the honor of hosting thousands of birders for nearly 2.5 months from across the continent as they came to Stratford Point in Stratford, Connecticut to see the state’s first White-tailed Kite when Twan and I worked for Connecticut Audubon Society. I learned more about that individual than I ever could have imagined as I observed it for hundreds of hours nearly every day. It was the first for New England since the only other recorded occurred 100 years earlier at...
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