Hairy Woodpecker
Here’s the next of the “John James Audubon” series of Meet Your Neighbours shots by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser – the Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus). The less common of our backyard black and white woodpeckers, the Hairy Woodpecker is often more elusive despite it being larger than our Downy Woodpecker. They have a larger bill, sometimes described as thorn-like, and feature all white outer rectrices unlike the black barred of the Downys. Photographed for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Connecticut while on assignment for The Roger Tory...
Read MoreGreen-winged Teal Size
I took this photo and I still can’t mentally process it correctly. Here we have a drake Green-winged Teal in front of an American Black Duck with Gadwall, American Coot, Mallard, among others. Teals are certainly small ducks, but that bird looks tiny compared to its friends. They are very close to one another and the little teal is closer to me…what a size difference in every feature! This guy seems like a toy in front of the Black Duck on a cold and snowy day. There will not be many more of those left… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
Read MoreFlicker vs. Kestrel
Feathered friends! Ehhhh…not so much. These boys were not getting along as well as this photo may suggest. The Northern Flicker was slowly chasing the American Kestrel while I looked on in the early morning. Amazingly, despite their relative sizes, Kestrels will prey on Flickers. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreFour-spotted Yellowneck
This extremely tiny moth seems to be a Four-spotted Yellowneck (Oegoconia quadripuncta). The wingspan of this nocturnal creature is little more than a centimeter! It is a good example of a life form the average person would never know existed if not for a targeted search and some help via mothing lights. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreOak Sparganothis Moth
National Moth Week continues! This moth looks to be an Oak Sparganothis (Cenopis diluticostana). It is another little gem that would otherwise go unnoticed if it did not join me at the mothing lights. Putting a ruler next to some of these individuals would be helpful, but considering how jumpy some can be and how tough it can be to get set up to take a decent photo of these creatures I am going to have to wait on that. This was probably a little less than a centimeter in length. Amazingly there are some that are half the size! Even when they are right in front of you some of them can be...
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