Kanab Creek
Eating a fish.
Cicindela mouhoti pseudosiamensis (Horn, 1913)
18mm
Cicindelidae
Copyright © 2017 Jan Dauphin
First U.S. Record
Copyright © 2017 Jan Dauphin
First U.S. Record
1st of season, on this snowy blizzardy day
Single individual seen. Larger than the more common E. togata
As demonstrated here, butterflies that perch head down have a peculiar posture for defecating.
Left side Ani
Dead Specimen-
I found this beetle in a restroom inside of a store. It was on its last breath, so I brought it home to document it. Of course, eventually it met its fate within time.
I saw this salamander and another smaller one in my garden, several times, during the winter.
Snake was observed foraging on a warm Spring morning.
Found this awesome Tener on a cloudy day around 7:50pm
Busy raiding column crossing the trail with many pupae and cocoons. Followed it "upstream" but couldn't find the nest being raided.
Phidippus sp. (jumping spider) with Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata), Chaumont, NY
In the spring of 2003 at Valley View site in Yosemite Valley my wife saw a female Harlequin Duck. None had been seen in the valley for apparently 80 years. The following March we saw a pair from Pohono bridge. Later, park naturalists found the female was raising some young. We found her each spring through 2006 but no nesting was noted. We have not seen a Harlequin there since.
In the spring of 2003 at Valley View site in Yosemite Valley my wife saw a female Harlequin Duck. None had been seen in the valley for apparently 80 years. The following March we saw a pair from Pohono bridge. Later, park naturalists found the female was raising some young. We found her each spring through 2006 but no nesting was noted. We have not seen a Harlequin there since.
Ascalapha odorata
Auke Bay, 12 mi N of Juneau, Alaska.
A female Black Witch Moth found October 4, 1957 at Auke Bay, 12 mi N of Juneau, AK
Photo by: Steve Henrikson, Curator of Collections, Alaska State Museum
Spangler, P.J. 1957. A record of the black witch, Erebus odora (Noctuidae), in Alaska. The Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society, 11(6): 205.
https://images.peabody.yale.edu/lepsoc/jls/1950s/1957/1957-11(6)205-Spangler.pdf
Ascalapha odorata - Female
nr. Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
August 18, 2006
Collected on a rocky headland jutting out into Hudson Bay near Churchill, MB, by the Barcode of Life Initiative.
This specimen represents the northernmost Black Witch Moth ever collected
Sometimes you just gotta mash the shutter for too long
I put this into 4 separate observations.
The story is, I was metal detecting in the mountains while waiting for the 4th of July drone light display and stumbled upon this poorwill. I dropped my metal detector and followed it through the woods to get a picture (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124902166). I finally got a picture and when I went back to get my metal detector, right next to it I noticed 2 tiny eggs (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124902168). Since I was there anyway I took a quick photo and then left it be. It was with 2 or 3 other individuals. I then found a feather I am guessing belongs to this species (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124902167) and a couple minutes before the drone display I recorded an audio clip (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/124902172). This was perhaps the best 4th of July I have ever had because I am thankful they are trying something less destruction of explosive noise pollution and air pollution. The explosions from South Lake Tahoe's fireworks display made the forest quiet and as usual went on so long I got bored.
I spooked away whoever was sitting on it. I’m 100% sure it was a nightjar of sorts, 80% sure it was a poorwill because of the white corners on the tail as it flew away.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) Mill Creek, Mono County, California, USA, 9 July 2009
Feeding on crustacean (crab or crayfish). In corner of old concrete stock tank with no outlet — prey may have been caught and unable to climb out.
Beautiful and mysterious species
Golden-backed Frog
Mushroom grown on frog body
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.
This is ssp bowditchi - road ditch along the hwy. Appropriately named.
Spring brood. We conducted some careful habitat management during the winter months. We will continue to monitor this population.
The banks of the creek were primarily composed of an overstory of Betula occidentalis (Water Birch) and Salix lutea (Yellow Willow), with an understory largely dominated by Carex hystericina (Bottlebrush Sedge), Berula erecta (Cutleaf Water Parsnip), Verbena hastata (Blue Vervain), and Juncus torreyi (Torrey’s Rush).
Growing along the sides of the road were Eriogonum strictum (Blue Mountain Buckwheat), Grindelia squarrosa (Curlycup Gumweed), Sisymbrium altissimum (Tall Tumblemustard), and Verbascum thapsus (Great Mullein) in bloom.
The blue was not observed on any plant, only seen flitting about on wetted pebbles on the stream bank where Birch Creek Rd. intersects Birch Creek.
Seen at Manester Tract- I saw 3 or 4 of this species
Yowza if this is true!
Or could it be a Hermit Warbler x Townsend's Warbler hybrid?
Was found at a rest stop near colfax California at approx 10:30 am in a very vegetated area underneath a small log over dead plant debris. The pictures actually show 2 different sharp-tailed snakes they were both next to each other under the log. One was active and tried escaping deeper into the debris while the other just laid on top. The timid one was about 3 inches longer than the active one small one was about 8 In and larger one was about 11. Both of them had two vertical red bands along their body.
Petaluma-Freestone Valley Ford Rd. Easily 200+ on site, all fresh
Have seen a couple of these fly by the last couple of days.