Wildlife Sightings (Image heavy)

Mediancat · Post by **Mediancat** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 1:47 am

Critters from various locations this weekend. From Quarry Lake, here's a male American goldfinch.

And here's a green heron.

From Oregon Ridge park, this wasp is a brown-legged grass carrier.

And this is the most awesome insect on the planet, a hummingbird moth.

And here's a ruby-throated hummingbird.

from Nixon Park, an Aphrodite fritillary and a banded longhorn beetle.

A great blue heron.

A probable Acadian flycatcher.

A frog.

And a hackberry emperor.

Rob

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 2:21 am

Very nice. The heron is looking grumpy.

I'm in Maine at the place these two week. Vacation half way over. Will post some fun stuff I hope next weekend when back..

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 1:18 am

We went to the place in Maine for vacation June 27 to July 8. We go to an old homestead that's owned by my wife's mother and will be ours some day. 150 years old. It's where we go every summer.

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It has a great view across the street Frenchman Bay and Acadia National Park. Unfortunately the rich people own the field across the street. We hope that they never build there.

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But we are allowed to use the field and go down to the shore.

Down at the shore a lobster washed ashore and is in the seaweed. Dead.
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The next day was overcast at the shore but I went over to the Schoodic section of Acadia. A great blue heron with lunch.

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It was clear inland. The Osprey are at their same nest at Mud Creek.

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Next day overcast again. A herring gull with an invasive green crab at the harbor.
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An Eastern Phoebe. They are constantly on the wires in front of the house. This one appears to have a snack.

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There is a bald eagle nest somewhere near the house. They frequently fly by. They sometimes sit in the trees in view from the shore in front of the house. Not sunny but this appears to be a juvenile bald eagle.

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I took the photo from here. It's in the trees in the center of the photo. I'm on the rock we use to get down to the shore from the field.

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Song Sparrows are all over the place. Here is one with food probably for the chicks.
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End part 1 of 4

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 1:19 am

Cedar Waxwing back at Bud Creek

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Also at Mud Creek, today the Osprey chicks showed themselves.
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Back at the house, a Loon in breeding plumage just off shore.
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On the wire in front of the house, an Eastern Phoebe with a snack.
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Back at the Schoodic Section of Acadia, an American Robin looking for bugs in the dried seaweed.
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A Horse Fly bit me on the hand. I swatted it.

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Back at the house at the shore, a Loon in non-breeding plumage.

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On the way past Mud Creek on the way to Mount Desert Island, a wild turkey chick. There were a bunch but out the car window I didn't get many good shorts. Didn't try hard.

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On Eagle Lake, a mother Common Merganser and some chicks on a rock.
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Back at the house, a young red squirrel in a tree.
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End Part 2 of 4

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 1:34 am

I went to Petit Manan National Wildlife Sanctuary up the coast. A common Yellowthroat in bad lighting. It has a snack.

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Out on the rocks, 4 double crested cormorants.
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Song sparrow
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I think a common tern
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Laughing Gull
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Myrtle Yellow-Rumped Warbler
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Next day I went to Seawall/Wonderland at Acadia. Two Mallards nosing around in some extremely stinky seaweed.
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I have never seen common Eider chicks before. The families mix with each other in groups. I wonder if they even know whose are whose.
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A crow crowing
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A black capped chickadee with a snack.

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End part 3 pf 4

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 1:45 am

I think that this may be a juvenile Golden-Crowned Kinglet. Not sure.
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Looks like a female Goldfinch.
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Common yellowthroat
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Yellow Warbler
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Back at the house I was down at the shore an an adult bald eagle went by.
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On the wire at Mud Creek a belted kingfisher.
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That's it on the wire. Love the zoom I get.
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Last full day of vacation and back at Schoodic. A great blue heron in a tree.
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Once again, can you see it on the top of the tree in the center of the photo? This is where I took the photo.
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Finally our animals love to look out the screen door of the house.
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End part 4 of 4

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 3:54 pm

A few goings on.

First the cotton tail bunnies have started to show themselves finally. I typically see then as soon as spring hits but now they are coming out.

Yesterday two adults in my yard. Here is a good photo of one of them.

Down the street, clearly a different family, there are 4 baby cottontails that come out to eat on the grass. Can't tell from the photos but they are ony about 1/3 the size of an adult.

While we were away on vacation something has made a mess of the stone wall by the driveway and the house. What a pain. It dug in and caused an avalanche. Since our return I've been seeing a small ground hog/woodchuck/whistle pig in the yard. He is my prime suspect though I see no foot prints in the dirt. I suspect that after the avalanche he gave up on that spot.

And finally the caterpillars and my trees! Before we left for vacation the invasive European gypsy moth caterpillars had been decimating my oak trees.

Below one tree that overhangs the top of my driveway the caterpillar poop is just sick.

Fortunately the oak trees appear to be sprouting new leaves where they had been totally denuded of leaves.

Now we have the moths all over. I can't whack a bush without 2 dozen flying out. Here is one of the monsters.

And there are more to come. They are quickly coming out of their metamorphose. I see these under every large branch of any of the chewed up trees. Not a good sign for next year.

In previous years we had been hit by the invasive green winter moths that have killed many of my smaller ash trees. We didn't have a problem with them this year. But now these.

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animal ... ew-england

Mediancat · Post by **Mediancat** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 3:01 am

You've had a nice run. The warblers and the eiders I particularly like.

Here are some recent ones I got from Nixon Park in PA.

Here's a black rat snake.

A hummingbird moth.

A ruby-throated hummingbird. Female, I believe.

An Aphrodite fritillary.

An Acadian Flycatcher, which I forgot to mention as a lifer the first time I saw it.

A great blue heron, which literally ran down the stream when my Dad and I walked over the footbridge it was hiding under.

A fishing spider.

A common pondhawk.

Seven frogs.

(Continued)

Rob

Mediancat · Post by **Mediancat** » Wed Jul 20, 2016 3:11 am

From Irvine Nature Center, a male cardinal.

And an indigo bunting.

From Cylburn arboretum, a red wasp.

A cicada killer.

A summer azure.

And a dark morph eastern tiger swallowtail.

Again from Nixon Park, an ebony jewelwing.

Another hummingbird moth.

A male common whitetail.

And a female common whitetail.

Rob

Mediancat · Post by **Mediancat** » Tue Sep 06, 2016 12:55 am

From a recent trip to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge:

An eastern garter snake.

A black swallowtail butterfly.

A black saddlebags.

A ruby-throated hummingbird.

A black-and-white warbler.

A northern water snake.

A great egret.

Forster's terns:

A great blue heron:

And a common buckeye.

Rob

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Tue Sep 06, 2016 12:57 pm

It's very rare for me to see Terns. Never seen that one.

I've got some photos to post that I just haven't gotten to yet. We went to Maine in August and a few from that as well as some form around home.

Mediancat · Post by **Mediancat** » Sun Sep 11, 2016 2:52 am

I've only ever seen terns there or Assateague.

Here are a few more recent sightings.

This is an eastern tailed-blue.

Here's a woolly bear.

This is a variegated fritillary.

Here are mallards practicing synchronized swimming.

A mallard wood duck size comparison.

A rather rumpled treetop goldfinch.

A red-spotted purple.

And a great blue heron.

Rob

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 8:28 pm

I'm finally getting to posting some photos from the summer and fall.

In Maine in the early August, a herring gull with a star fish for lunch.

A bald Eagle by the house

A great blue heron just swallowing food

This is a first for me. Two dolphins off Fraiser Point at Acadia National park. Probably common dolphins.

Two crows making a yak.

Look to me like greater yellow legs due to the very long bills.

Double Crested Cormorant drying off.

Bald eagle in a tree by the shore of the house.

It's in the tree in the center of the photo.

Late August back to Mane for a weekend

A flock of cormorants

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 8:37 pm

A common loon in non-breeding colors

A red-necked Grebe off shore from the house

One more weekend in Maine. Got back today.

These look like Common Eider younguns

A harbor seal just off shore.

Looking around

Goes under

Common Eiders in formation

Perhaps another greater yellow legs.

Sea Urchin and Starfish at very low tide

Wood Ducks

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Mon Oct 17, 2016 8:41 pm

On the Carriage Roads at Eagle Lage in Acadia a great blue is very close to the road.

Closeup of the head

I tried to take this photo so that the bird appeared as it appeared when I was lot using the camera. I was able to get very close. Other people stopped. I guess it's used to being watched.

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 10:36 pm

Today I saw this hawk fly off with a rock pigeon. I expect a cooper's hawk and I don't know if a sharpie could actually carry off a pigeon. It dropped the pigeon to the ground and sat nicely posed in the fall colors I expect until I gave up and left.

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Mon Nov 28, 2016 5:32 pm

A couple weeks ago in the yard I managed a few shots on, for me, a very rare sighing of a pileated woodpecker. I have only really seen one perhaps 4 times and these are only my second reasonably good shots of one.

What was at least as interesting is that soon after I took these shots a hawk came by and was out to get this bird. This bird took off like mad while also making it's alarm squawk. I think that it got away mainly based on hearing the squawk for quite a while as it grew more distant.

I was a bit surprised a hawk going for something so large and with such a large weapon to use in defense but being attacked by the rear I guess it's vulnerable.

Mediancat · Post by **Mediancat** » Wed Nov 30, 2016 2:03 am

Impressive shots.

It's been a while since I posted anything.

From Nixon Park in PA, here's a Carolina wren.

Here's a winter wren on the surface of a frozen pond.

From Lake Roland Park, a gray catbird.

And a female belted kingfisher. This is a regular perch for this female; I've seen her there several times.

from Quarry Lake, a female dark-eyed junco.

And three ring-necked ducks.

From Sandy Point State Park, a song sparrow.

A double-crested cormorant.

A blue jay:

And a great black-backed gull.

Rob

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Wed Nov 30, 2016 4:43 am

It's been a hard summer and fall for me to get out too. Family stuff. I hope to get out more and got myself for xmas a new camera with greatrr zoom.

But i have bèen out to the ususl spots recently and with the exception of the mass arrival of the dark eyed junkos, no migration birds yet. No ring neck ducks or hooded mrrgensers at all yet for example. Still mainly just the house sparrows which frankly i'm tired of photographing.

I nèed something more interesting to show up.

AnnieJoh · Post by **AnnieJoh** » Mon Jan 30, 2017 1:44 pm

Great shots. I love to see wildlife images. Great work and awesome clicks.

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 3:00 am

It's been a long time since I had been out to the state park. Today I got the best photos of a northern river otter I've ever had. About 100 good ones. This otter was coming up through this hole in the ice every few minutes and then would go down again in search of food.

crazyfingers · Post by **crazyfingers** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 5:07 pm

This is my annual post on first hearing of spring peepers.

Arctish · Post by **Arctish** » Fri Sep 29, 2017 1:47 am

Last week I found a Wilson's snipe in the road, apparently killed by a passing car.

It's now part of the ornithology collection at the Museum of the North.

Mediancat · Post by **Mediancat** » Fri Sep 29, 2017 2:53 am

Poor snipe.

Here's a wood duck and a painted turtle.

Rob

Arctish · Post by **Arctish** » Fri Sep 29, 2017 3:27 am

^ That belongs in a Caption Contest thread.