Good Dog
Zach here is having a good laugh at the notion that dogs like him are native parts of our ecosystem! I mentioned keeping cats indoors last week, once again describing how much damage they can do to our environment and how much pain being exposed to nature can inflict upon them. The same goes for unsupervised and untrained dogs. No one needs to see a puppy chasing a squirrel into the street and getting hit by a car. Dogs that run through the woodlands in summer can crush nests and eggs, sniff out young birds to “play” with or kill, and pick up dozens of ticks while they do,...
Read MoreCat Patrol
Why oh why is this cat outside? They kill literally billions of birds across North America each year before we even mention their damage to the small mammal population, the majority of these strikes being for play or to satisfy an instinctual need – not survival. Let us also remember the safety of these furry family members as we enter the cold weather season apart from all of the other threats such as vehicles, chemicals, larger mammalian predators, and so on. Please, please, please keep your cats in your home. They live far longer this way and your vet bills will go down as...
Read MoreEastern Grass-veneer (Crambus laqueatellus)
This looks to be an Eastern Grass-veneer (Crambus laqueatellus) moth, one of those diurnal pick-ups that is only really possible thanks to following their flight once you flush them…unless you have a few hours each day to crawl around in the grass and stare at things! That actually sounds like a lot of fun, and what most of us did as children. We should probably do that as adults, too. Give it a go this weekend!
Read MoreBlack Skimmer (Rynchops niger)
One of the most unique and unmistakable North American birds, the Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) is an incredible waterbird with a massive bill used to scoop fish from the water while in flight. Watching a Black Skimmer feeding, using the length of the bill’s lower mandible to penetrate the water’s surface to snag prey, can seem rather surreal. Evolution and adaptation can certainly be unexpected and staggeringly effective. In this case this bird was playing with a leaf! Perhaps it was good foraging practice during this warm Florida vacation.
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