mthew

“Flycatcher” you say? A big fat caterpillar being battered to death. The bird actually dropped this juicy specimen and re-caught it in the air. Quite impressive, as I noticed this when reviewing my pictures. The bird’s upper bill is missing. *** Oof! I put the wrong link in yesterday for tomorrow’s Snail Safari. It’s updated…

There were a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets foraging in this oak, and that got some of their hackles up: *** It’s almost the last chance to sign up for our Snail Safari on Saturday…

This is the second year for this nest. The mate, presumably the male. Distinctively wing-gapped. This one is banded with both a federal band (silver–not much good to the observer unless the bird is in hand) and a light blue with alphanumeric 10 over A (just readable in photographs) band. I reported to the Bird…

April 9th: Cabbage White April 9th: Sylvanelater cylindriformis (I think) April 9th: a small mining bee April 9th: another unknown bee April 10: American Lady April 11th: mining bee (species unknown) April 11th: Ichneumonidae wasp April 12th: Cabbage Whites don’t waste time. April 13th: Common Blue Darners, a migratory species, the first Odonata I’ve seen…

There were four or five female Red-winged Blackbirds in this blooming Eastern Cottonwood. Well, it certainly does look delicious. These are the anthers, and yes, they were shedding pollen.

Louisiana Waterthrush Palm Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Swamp Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Brown Creeper Carolina Wren

Some American Winter Ants/Prenolepis imparis attempting to reproduce. The female is much, much larger than the males. Two or three came down to the ground with her, but only one got to connect: Once her nuptial flight is done, she sheds her wings and goes back underground. The males, called drones, will die soon after…

Though perched on a Red Deadnettle/Lamium purpureum, this Black-shouldered Drone Fly/Eristalis dimidiata is covered in what I think is Dandelion/Taraxacum pollen. Another Black-shouldered on the same patch of Dandelions. Narrow-headed Marsh Fly/Helophilus fasciatus on the same Dandelions. Flesh fly/Sarcophaginae. Look at how pollen-y these field ants are! Pale Field Ants/Formica pallidefulva In Lesser Celandine/Ficaria verna.…

Ten days ago, an American Bittern touched down besides Crescent Water in Green-Wood. I wasn’t there. Today, I was about to enter the 5th Avenue tunnel when a car pulled up and a guy named Chris asked me if I’d seen the Bittern he’d been alerted to. I hadn’t and hadn’t known to look until…