Red Fox
This Red Fox is one of the kits that I enjoyed watching grow up before our eyes last spring. It is not doing so well now, and is probably one of the two that I saw had returned to their natal den at the beginning of the winter when things got tough outside. Both had some mange and looked rather thin. This individual has been hunting and stalking prey, still engaged at feeding regularly and apparently doing enough to keep itself going. While its tail has little to no fur left and it is patchy throughout the body at least the days are getting warmer and the sun is getting stronger. This...
Read MoreRough-legged Hawk
This Rough-legged Hawk put on a brief but thrilling show for me today, facing into the wind to help it hover while scanning the land below for any small mammal prey. The wind was particularly strong thanks to the major storm currently impacting the Northeast region. Whichever one of the hawk’s eyes that was being battered by the wind the most was often covered by its nictitating membrane. This third eyelid is almost like wearing a pair of sunglasses for the raptor in that it can still see while the eye is more protected than it would be otherwise. It was also keeping the eye moist with...
Read MoreSnake Caterpillar?
While transferring photographs from my recent Panama trip onto my computer, another quick pick jumped out at me. This large caterpillar was found by Dave Huth on our first night in Cocobolo Nature Reserve and the longer I watched it, the more its resemblance to a snake blew me away. The indication of scales in just the right places, spots suggesting nostrils, even the white ‘catchlight’ in its fake eyes…and it moves in just the right ways too! I know my Central American snakes pretty well, but even a cursory glance at this caterpillar tripped all sorts of alarm bells in my...
Read MoreHorned Lark Camouflage
This is not exactly the best photo of a Horned Lark ever, but it certainly depicts their unbelievable camouflage. How perfect is this field for a bird with a back like that? Remember that, for the most part, birds – at least those species that possess flight capabilities – do not have to worry about mammals on the ground. This also excludes domestic cats, an introduced creature they are still learning to deal with. Otherwise it is usually very easy to elude mammal predators as a healthy adult bird. How could a red fox or a raccoon sneak up on you in a flock in the middle of an...
Read MoreDead Mouse
This looks like a White-footed Mouse, and it also looks like a cat kill. My dog Zach located it for us, immediately picking up the scent from probably over 50 feet away. A dead rodent with puncture wounds to the body that is left in the snow seems like a cat’s play toy to me. Other mammals or birds would have scooped it up for a meal and made sure to go back for it, even if they had to drop it. This occurs many, many times…millions upon millions…to small birds and mammals each day because of cats. They kill billions each year for no reason whatsoever apart from their own instincts....
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