Venomous shrew slaughtered by cat
The following is a photo of the head and upper body of what appears to be a Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda). Where did I find this deceased and otherwise tough to spot and secretive mammal? In its natural habitat, of course – the floor of a closed garage! The half of the body you cannot see has been devoured by a cat who does not leave a locked garage and the connected basement and is never permitted to even see an open door, let alone venture outside it. It would seem this shrew decided to come inside…looking for a snack? After taking a wrong turn with its poor...
Read MoreHunting Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
This Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is on the hunt and you can tell this is the case by seeing where its head and eyes are pointed – straight down. It is also holding its wings and tail in positions for a lazy, floating flight. While it is not hovering it is using the wind to slowly comb over the landscape in search of small mammals. Even if you are far from the bird, like I was in this photo, you can often still see the distinctive “belly band” of dark splotches across the white undersides. We are about to hit the peak of their migration in the Northeast so be on the...
Read MoreNorthern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)
This tiny bundle of Halloween fear and dread was photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser as he had a very successful night of netting and banding Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) earlier this week in New Jersey. They are definitely on the move well now in the Mid-Atlantic.
Read MoreHelpful jumping spider
This jumping spider seems like it is ready to pounce! And look at those eyes…they are not targeting you, though. Let’s thank it for being so helpful and grabbing all the flying insects we do not want in our homes that are far more likely to bite us.
Read MoreClamp-tipped Emerald (Somatochlora tenebrosa)
Up close and personal, looking this female Clamp-tipped Emerald (Somatochlora tenebrosa) in the eyes…
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