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Posts Tagged "prey"

Jagged Ambush Bug

Posted on May 27, 2015

Jagged Ambush Bug

The Jagged Ambush Bug (Phymata sp.) hides out on flowers, waiting for the opportune time to strike out and catch prey. These interesting looking insects can even mimic sounds to attract insect species to get a little too close them. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History.

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Yard Sharp-shinned Hawk

Posted on May 21, 2015

Yard Sharp-shinned Hawk

Here is a somewhat bigger recent bird from Twan’s yard, the Sharp-shinned Hawk! Hey, raptors have to eat too, and they are doing their biological function by preying on the various other avian populations in the area. They have growing young that need all the food they can get…after all, a significant percentage of their soon to be fledged and subsequently juvenile birds will starve to death. Nature is a difficult balance to say the least.

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Black-and-white Warbler

Posted on May 11, 2015

Black-and-white Warbler

I couldn’t let Twan have all the fun with the Black-and-white Warblers (Mniotilta varia), and this little creeper was spotted last week as it furiously crawled and flew all around tree trunks for its insect prey. You can even see one such snack in the last photo. These birds seem like they have so much personality, but when they are visiting us in May they are move, too busy to stop to chat for too long. I am envious of anyone who gets to enjoy them while they are more relaxed on the wintering grounds. However, even then they are said to be aggressive and territorial. Did you know that...

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Deer Overbrowsing

Posted on May 11, 2015

Deer Overbrowsing

I may not be an expert on vegetation, especially ornamental, but something seems…not right…here. You have probably seen similar sights in the last couple of months now that the ice and snow have fully cleared as White-tailed Deer did a number on anything they could eat in the Northeast. Everything just above their head is bright and green, and parts below are bare and brown. Our overpopulation of deer wipes the forest floors clean to the point where they must pick at what we could call scraps like these in our neighborhoods. Some people may object to wolves in their backyards,...

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Red Fox Kits at Den

Posted on May 8, 2015

Red Fox Kits at Den

Check out the video evidence of this Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) family growing up and all the more red! Taken at the second and more hidden entrance to their den, you can even see them teething on some of the branches covering it up! So cute it hurts.

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