Friday, September 30, 2022

Following the path

  

While walking in Wellfleet, MA, yesterday (29 September 2022) every now and then we noticed these tracks crossing the sand.  

I had an idea about the animal responsible for them and I was hopeful that we might find one, but for a while we just keep running across more tracks:

 

We were just about to give up when we finally found the individual that made some of the tracks:

 
Yes!  I hadn't seen one for years, but this is a Northern Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) hatchling.

These turtles live in salt marshes on Cape Cod and the young turtles emerge from nests at this time of year.

Here's a view of the hatchling from the side:

 
And another view from above, this time with a ruler for scale.  The turtle's shell is only ~2.5 cm long:

 
Turtles are one of the groups of animals that led me down the natural history path, so I was glad to spend a few moments with this little terrapin.

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Fall beauty

 
A beautiful DeKay's Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi) crossing a trail in Chatham, MA, today (29 September 2022).
 
This is a relatively small snake it was approximately 12 inches long (and that's about average size for this species).  
 
Here's a view of the entire snake:

 
 
And I can't help ending with a close-up.  The coloration and markings are subtle, but check out the blueish iridescence on top of the head:

 
 

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Agility training?

 
This wonderful jumping spider was jumping (and I mean jumping!) across a trail to Race Point beach in Provincetown, MA, today (28 September 2022).  
 
I think it might be Habronattus agilis (agilis would be a good descriptor).  Check out its cool alternating stripes: 
 
 
P.S.  For a fun video clip of this species (and many others), see Dick Walton's web page on jumping spiders here.  

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Out for a swim

  

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) out for an afternoon swim in Walpole, MA, on 26 September 2022.

A close-up view: 

 

And one showing the ripple effect of the side-to-side motion of the laterally compressed tail:
 
 
 

Monday, September 26, 2022

An unusual ending

  

I took a short walk in Walpole, MA, today (26 September 2022).  I ended up at a small pond and started noticing a few interesting animals in the warm afternoon sun (more on that later).  I was taking photographs and noticed a dragonfly a bit further away along the shoreline.  It was a female ovipositing (laying eggs), so it was in the same area long enough for me to snap a few distant photos.  

When I finished photographing the first subject, I decided to take a quick look for the dragonfly as I wasn't certain which species it was.  I was scanning for a dragonfly in flight and wasn't having any luck when I noticed a fluttering movement near the ground.  I looked down to see this:

 
I couldn't believe it, but the dragonfly had been caught by a Bull Frog (Lithobates catesbeianus)!
 
And amazingly it looked like this was a Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans), a dragonfly that used to be rare when I last lived in Massachusetts.  It sounds like Great Blue Skimmers (a southern species) have become more common in Massachusetts during the last 18 years, but they are still infrequently encountered.
 
Here are a couple of different angles:
 
 

 
P.S.  Many thanks to Blair for helping to confirm the dragonfly identification and the current status of Great Blue Skimmers in Massachusetts.

Saturday, September 24, 2022

Eastern star

  

Eric captured this nice underwater shot of a Forbes' Sea Star (Asterias forbesi) in Scituate, MA, today (24 September 2022).  Here's a close-up:

 
 Thanks, Eric!

Friday, September 23, 2022

Migrating visitor

  

A couple of quick photos of a Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) visiting flowers while we were visiting family today in Massachusetts (23 September 2022).

 

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Fish-hawk

  

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Bodega Bay, 21 September 2022

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Calligraphy in the prairie

  

Eric spotted these tiny flies hovering among the grasses in a coastal prairie site up in Mendocino County on 11 September 2022.  Although they were quite small, when they landed it was easy to appreciate the beautiful colors and patterning on their abdomens and the light reflections in their wings.

We don't have experience with this group of flies, but our best guess right now is that they are Margined Calligraphers (Toxomerus marginatus). 

A couple more views:

 
 
Thanks to Eric for his excellent fly-spotting!  
 

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Towering

  

Interesting weather today, with rainfall totals so far in Bodega Bay at around 0.5-0.7 inches.  The clouds in the late afternoon were impressive towering, and changing so quickly!  Photographed looking east from Cotati on 18 September 2022.

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Going up

   

A nice orchid from a coastal grassland in Mendocino County on 11 September 2022.  I think this one is Hooded Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes romanzoffiana).  You can also see this species along the Pomo Canyon Trail or the Kortum Trail.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Marsh tones

 
Haven't had a chance to share this Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melonotos) from Bodega Harbor on 9 September 2022.

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Color matching

 
I love how the colors of this sculpin match so many different things in the tidepool rock gray, shell white, mussel blue, anemone green, coralline pink...even the reddish-brown markings on the tail match the encrusting algae on the rock!

Photographed in Mendocino County on 12 September 2022.

P.S.  I'm going to be giving an online presentation on Thursday night (15 September 2022) for the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods.  I'll be telling four tidepool stories.  Everyone is welcome to join (via Zoom) you can register here if interested: 

https://stewardscr.org/events/tales-from-the-tidepools/

Sunday, September 11, 2022

Reflections on scale

 
We've been doing some surveys up in Mendocino County.  Today (11 September 2022) we came across this tidepool (shown above).  It might be hard to judge the scale at first, but if you can find Eric in the photo you will see that this is a very large tidepool!  (You can click on the image for a larger version.  Eric is standing on the left edge of the pool.)  The water was very clear today and this pool had many sea urchins and a few bat stars.

Saturday, September 10, 2022

Attentive

 

Eric spotted this Bobcat hunting in a field (10 September 2022).  It paused to check on us and then continued on.

Friday, September 9, 2022

Copper highlights

  

Purplish Copper (Lycaena helloides) in the Bodega Dunes, 8 September 2022

Thursday, September 8, 2022

To catch a shadow

  

I made a quick stop this morning (8 September 2022) when I noticed two Peregrine Falcons on the top of sea stack off Highway 1 near Gleason Beach.

When one of them dove, I tried to get a photo of the falcon in a stoop.  I was so focused on the bird, that I missed the shadow entirely until I downloaded the photos after dinner.  Pretty cool!

 

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Beaming

  

Morning sunbeams photographed from Cotati on 6 September 2022.

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Lingering

  

We lingered at the coast for a little while after work today (6 September 2022).  The tide was pretty high, but there were some shorebirds gathered along the harbor side of Doran Beach.  Above, a shorebird flock mostly made up of Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) but there's one Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla), too.  [Look for the one with the brownest back.]

And below, a Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) was feeding on the flats.  It's the bird on the far right.  There are two Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus) in the center and on the left, and a Least Sandpiper on the foreground.

 

Monday, September 5, 2022

One way to stay cool

  

Although air temperatures in Santa Rosa rose to 112°F (44°C) today, temperatures in Bodega Bay peaked at around 68°F (20°C).  But since it's going to stay warm for a few days, I thought this photo of a Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) might be a good one for bringing cooling thoughts to the surface.

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Sipping nectar on a hot day

  

I made a quick stop at Harmony Farm Supply & Nursery in Sebastopol this morning.  There was a lot of butterfly activity at the flowers.

Above is a female Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus).  Male Fiery Skippers look quite different:

 


And there were several duskywings zipping around.  Not a great shot, but here's a Mournful Duskywing (Erynnis tristis):

 

Friday, September 2, 2022

A surprising flash

  

While eating lunch outside today, a bird flew by flashing a bright white tail band.  I immediately recognized it as an Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus), but didn't have a camera with me.

I retrieved my camera and then caught up with the kingbird again.  It was somewhat distant, but I zoomed in and ended up with some photos for documentation:

Eastern Kingbirds are vagrants to this area I think there are fewer than 20 records total for Sonoma County.  Not sure if this bird will still be around over the weekend, but it might be visible from other areas on Bodega Head, e.g., the Campbell Cove area or the Overlook Trail from the State Parks parking lot.

 
P.S.  Have to say thanks to Serena Williams for all of the inspiration over the years! 
 

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Morning tiger

 
Eric snapped a quick photo of a Painted Tiger Moth (Arachnis picta) this morning (1 September 2022).  This is one of my favorite local moth species, so although it's been a little while since I've posted about them, here are some links to previous posts:

https://bodegahead.blogspot.com/2012/10/painted-tiger-hidden-dragon.html

https://bodegahead.blogspot.com/2018/09/color-coordinated.html


https://bodegahead.blogspot.com/2012/10/now-you-see-me.html


https://bodegahead.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-fantabulous-night.html