Archive for September 2010
September 29, 2010 | 
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Winner Challenge for Charity September 2010
The September, 2010 Challenge for Charity has concluded and we have a winner! Larry Jordan of The Birder’s Report has won $10 for his local wildlife rehab, Shasta Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation. Larry recently toured the facility and wrote an excellent post about it, full of pictures and a couple of videos. If you want to see what goes on at Shasta, have a look! Now, for the answers…
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My eyes almost popped out of my head when I casually glanced out my kitchen window and saw a flash of orange. Take a look at this photo, and you’ll understand why! I’ve had glimpses of Baltimore Orioles (Icterus galbula) in the past, but this is the first time I have had the chance to watch them for a little while. Though I recently bid farewell to the hummingbirds, I’ve had little time to dwell on their departure because of these new arrivals!
This is such a proud moment for me – sharing my photos of my first encounter with a species of dung beetle! Not only was this my first time to lay eyes on such creatures, it was my 2nd day with my new macro lens – so this is about the clearest photo I got of these active Coleopterans. How did I know these were dung beetles, you may ask?
My recent trip to Copper Breaks State Park was the first trip I have ever taken where I specifically went looking for herps (I was especially hoping to see rattlesnakes and horny toads). At the park, there were signs posted at the trail heads warning of rattlesnakes. so I was giddy (and a little nervous) as I set out for the day. The equestrian trail (always the best trails for wildlife viewing, IMO) was deserted and my cell phone had no signal. *Gulp* Early on, I spotted this snake skin:
I certainly cannot ID a snake by its shed skin, but we’ve learned that it is indeed possible. In my mind, I was sure this was a good sign that I would soon find a rattlesnake.
I’m pretty sure that the hummingbirds in my area have moved on – it has been at least a week since I’ve seen them buzzing around the garden. The weather in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas has finally started to cool…to the 90′s. Nevertheless, these tiny birds have a long way to go, so I can understand their willingness to leave still-blooming plants and abundant insects. Centuries upon centuries of of accumulated instinct hold dominion over their movements, and we can only hope that these and other birds can adapt to the relatively rapid changes in our climate over the past few decades.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) in the photo above is in mid-wink/blink, or looking down…look closely at the eye and you’ll see that the eyelid is half-closed.
This is one topic that I never imagined I would be writing about. The behavior I witnessed seemed like it must have been something more than the simple call of nature. I watched an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) expel copious amounts of fluid on the ground in a half-hour period. That I could actually see the butterfly doing this is a tribute to my telephoto lens.
Even as Fall is approaching, we’ve got one more month of pure summer for this September edition of Challenge for Charity. I hope you’ll take a moment to have a little fun and take your chance to win a donation to your favorite nature/wildlife/conservation non-profit.
I am especially excited to present this first photo, taken by a new friend I met on a nature trail. We enjoyed easy and fun conversation, and have stayed in touch as we both have gone on to more nature trekking.
Picture 1 | Turquoise Trail between Madrid and Santa Fe New Mexico, photo & © by Judy Martinez
Picture 1 Question: Name the species or common name of this dazzling grasshopper.
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