Drama. These guys all normally get along pretty well, but here a squirrel decided to start something and nearly got kicked in the head as reward. Moments later they were back to munching sunflower seeds side-by-side again.
UVIVF
I brought a tripod + remote shutter
I managed just a few quick shots from the car as an Osprey flew by with a fish over the Pedernales River in Johnson City, Texas. This was the only shot of the 4 or 5 that was in decent focus. This fish has been identified as:
American Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum)
http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4870751
Had a pair displaying in front of the county jail
A young Ocelot visiting water feature at Visitor Center headquarters. Tragically, the Ocelot was ill and found dead a few days later.
I am not sure what this one is.
Look close! The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher landed on the Caracara's back and is riding along just to pester this over-sized intruder.
Standing in a shallow creek bed
Looks to be half blind, got just a few feet away from it with a spotlight
on Danthonia spicata. The smut prevented flowering.
With Aphid as prey
i am perfectly safe holding this Loxosceles reclusa, they have a fused chelicerae (mouth parts) that makes it extremely difficult for them to bite unless they are being pressed up against you, like in clothing or being slapped to name a couple ways
A few weeks baby cottontails found nearby (released agree picture)
Cattle checking out some of our brush piles at the Sonora Research Station
Yellowing bushes on left
On Tragia vine
Some sort of plant disease, unsure if animal, fungal, or bacteria caused
The beast sleeps
With egg
Prescribed burning, though not yet used to its full potential, is one of the most economical and ecologically sustainable tools available to rangeland managers. Many global ecosystems evolved through regular fire intervals, however, not all fires are alike. Prescribed fires have the ability to sculpt habitats, suppressing the growth of certain plant species and promoting the spread of others. Historically, natural and man-caused fires occurred frequently across fire-dependant systems. Biologists and land managers use fire to manipulate vegetation for the benefit of wildlife and ecological health and restoration. A prescribed burning program is an effective tool for managing wildlife habitat, an invaluable benefit to livestock production systems, and a powerful driver of biodiversity conservation. Just a few of the benefits associated with prescribed burning include:
• Enhanced habitat diversity by increasing plant quality/vigor & increases the quantity of wildlife foods (forbs) by suppressing non-native grasses.
• Decreases flammable fuel loads, lessening the intensity and frequency of catastrophic wildfires.
• Can increase nutrient cycling by fixing nitrogen in the soil from burn debris, thereby having a fertilization effect on the range.
• Can increase moisture filtration into the soil.
• Can control invasive vegetation and undesirable woody encroachment.
• Opens vegetative overstory to allow light penetration to the soil surface for forb and browse production.
Adapted from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: There is an art and a science to using this powerful tool. Fires can be cool or hot. Depending upon weather conditions and management practices before and after the burn, various plants can be selected for or against. Cool fires seldom harm mature trees while hot fires can top-kill trees. A late winter/early spring (before green-up) burning schedule gives priority to ensure the most productive results for wildlife. Even with the best planning, however, windows of opportunity always depend on humidity, wind, and fuel moisture. Landowners/land managers are encouraged to learn how to use prescribed fire by first assisting on a planned controlled burn before attempting one on their own.
If you have any questions, or if you would even like to consider using prescribed burning as a tool on your land particularly in Texas, please feel free to contact me at austin.kelly@aggienetwork.com
For more info on Prescribed Range Burning in Texas from TPWD: https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0196.pdf
Mary Kay noticed this fly stuck to a bundle of pine needles; it had apparently succumbed to a fungus (?). Or is this mold on a dead animal?