Peet-weet

 

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia), Bodega Head, 14 October 2013

On 28 July 2012, I posted a picture of a Spotted Sandpiper in breeding plumage (with spots).  These are my first images of this species in non-breeding plumage (without spots) on Bodega Head. 

 

In the next image, I liked the size comparison between the Spotted Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper...as well as their accompanying shadows on the sand.

 

P.S.  Peet-weet is an older nickname for Spotted Sandpiper based on their call.

Sunday morning visitor

 

We looked out the window this morning to see this Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in our potato bed!

Here's a zoomed in view of the delicate face and large, attentive ears.

 

These images were taken in Sebastopol, but if you missed them, I posted a few Gray Fox photos from Bodega Bay last September.

Day 92: Ta da!

Can you believe it?  After ninety-two days of taking care of her eggs, the female Red Octopus is finally getting to see her little ones hatch!  We actually saw a few early individuals hatch on Day 90 and Day 91, but thousands of individuals emerged today on Day 92.

These tiny octopus are very active swimmers and I must say were one of the most challenging animals I've ever tried to photograph.  But after lots of failed attempts, I ended up with a few decent images under the microscope.  Here are some nice examples of these wonderful octopus a few hours after hatching!

 

 

 

A rare view from the side:

 

And a close-up showing the small but well-developed suckers at the base of the arms:

 

Are you wondering just how small these octopus hatchlings are?  Eric helped me with a short video clip to visualize their size.  In the video, those are millimeter marks on the ruler below the octopus.  (Video quality will be best with the smaller screen.)

 

The octopus are ~3.5 mm long when fully extended.  That's much smaller than a grain of rice!

Admiring an Admiral

 

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), photographed on Bodega Head, 5 October 2013

This is one of the butterflies I was trying to find on 7 September 2013.  I've seen several Red Admirals since then, but I couldn't find one when I needed one! (Refer to the post called "The list stands at 9".)

It's easy to admire the variety of colors and patterns on the undersides of their wings!

Red Admirals may overwinter as adults in this area, so it's possible to encounter them year-round. 

"Cave-dweller"

Okay, I'll admit it — after a long day of traveling back from southern California, I feel a little bit like crawling into a dark cave and sleeping for while.  So tonight I'll leave you with another "cave-dweller."

 

This is a House Wren (Troglodytes aedon), photographed on Bodega Head on 5 October 2013.  The genus, Troglodytes, is sometimes translated as "cave-dweller."  The "cave" portion of the name likely refers to either the nest cavity or the dense vegetation or dark crevices that the birds favor.  [The species name, aedon, means "nightingale" and is a tribute to their complex song.]

 

 

Although more common elsewhere in Sonoma County, House Wrens are considered rare migrants and winter residents on Bodega Head.

Triggered by rain (or snow!)

 

I'm at a meeting in southern California this week, near Idyllwild which is close to 6,000 feet elevation.  It rained for most of the day and then started snowing around 5 p.m.  The photo above and the one below were taken looking up into the night sky.

 

Earlier in the day, when it started to rain, one of my colleagues found a very interesting beetle and kindly shared it with the rest of the group (Thanks, Paul!).  Upon seeing it, other people mentioned they had just encountered similar-looking beetles flying by.

These beetles are commonly known as "rain beetles" because they emerge with the first fall rain or snow.  They're in the genus Pleocoma.

They look a lot like June Beetles, but note the enlarged and spiny or rake-like front legs; the forked "horn" on the front of the head; the long and dense hairs on the underside; and how the antennal clubs are divided into distinct segments.  All of these features are visible in the next two pictures.  (And keep in mind that it's not June!)

 

 

These beetles have a fascinating life history.  The larvae live below ground for a long time — up to 13 years!  They emerge as adults for a brief time only when the conditions are right (the adults don't feed).  The males fly around searching for females, but the females are flightless and are waiting for the males in burrows (hence the broad antennae of the males for detecting the scent of a female and the mole-like front legs for digging).

There's a lot more about these beetles that kept me saying, "Wow!"  You can read more about them here.

Getting closer

The little octopus are getting closer to hatching.  Most of the embryos that we're tracking have now used up all of their external yolk.  In the next two images, look for the individual that lacks the white ball of yolk.  [These pictures were taken on Day 85.]

 

In the photo above, the outer two octopus are still gripping small white balls of yolk, but in the middle octopus you can't see any external yolk; all you can see are tiny arms above the eye.

 

These are different individuals, but the same is true.  The center octopus lacks external yolk.

Have any of you been wondering about the adult octopus?  Most of the time she sits in the same place, completely covering the festoons of eggs hanging from the inside of her mussel shell den.  

On rare occasions she moves to the side so we can catch a glimpse of her brood.  This happened a few days ago, so I took a few pictures for the record.  Although taken through an aquarium, I think you'll still be able to see her and the developing embryos.

 

Above, you can see her pale orange arms (with suckers) on the right, her eye (with white lower lid) in the center, and all of her silvery embryos to the left.  

Sometimes the embryos would turn red, see next picture, especially the ones just to the left of her eye.

 

Do you think she knows that the hatching date is getting closer?  If so, how does she know?

P.S.  For back story, click here.