Shadows

Something new for my shadow collection. It's a tiger bee fly. It gets the three-word name because it is a fly that looks like a bee, with patterns on its wings that resemble tiger stripes. No surprise that it is casting its shadow on dry untreated unpainted wood of the kind that carpenter bees make nests in. The tiger bee fly preys on carpenter bees, leaving eggs at the entrance to carpenter bee nests -- the fly larvae enter the bee nest and attach to and consume pupae.

Here's another noteworthy shadow photo of perched turkey vultures. 

 

And a fence lizard with a shadow that seems like a second head.

Fly details. 

And the shadow of a great blue heron that seems to be hunting while the bird rests. Click on the photos to enlarge.

August

 

Spicebush swallowtail butterfly. 

 

    “August is the slow, gentle month that stretches out the longest across the span of a year. It yawns and lingers on with the light in its palms.” Victoria Erikson    

 

Monarch butterfly. Click to enlarge.

Black-crowned Night Herons

 

The weather finally cooled off in South Jersey. I celebrated with a trip to Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, despite clouds and drizzle. The overcast was so thick that it obscured the buildings of Atlantic City across the bay. I think the big gray shadow is the Ocean Casino.

Swamp rose mallow flowers were blooming everywhere. I call them marsh mallows. :-) 

It was moody and lovely. And while I was looking along the shore through my camera lens... 

A black-crowned night heron literally poked its head into the frame.

And stayed for this pose. Night herons, as the name implies, are mainly active at night and at dusk. But they come out on dull days like yesterday. What a nice bonus to go with the cool breezes. Click to enlarge.

And it happened again later. Another one flew in and landed near where I was standing. 

Love the big yellow feet. 

Geese in the Park

A Canada goose family walking on a park path. Click to enlarge.

All heading to the pond. 

This one paused for a close up. 

Quiz Bird

 

Do you know this bird? Click on the photo to enlarge it. A clue -- it's a female.

The male of the species looks like this. They are red-winged blackbirds! Tricky, right? Because the female is smaller than the male and has sparrow-like stripes, it is often misidentified. 

Black Squirrels in Toronto

 

I just returned from a trip to Canada, where I saw the famous Niagara Falls.

I also saw the less famous local black squirrels of Toronto! They have a coat-color mutation that seems particularly well suited to the area; black fur absorbs sunlight efficiently and helps keep them warm during cold Canadian winters. 

Just last year, I saw the famous white squirrels of Olney, Illinois. Click on this sentence to go to my blog about them.  The white fur mutation persists with help from local people who actively protect white squirrels. The squirrels have the right-of-way on the streets of Olney. 

 

Squirrels in New Jersey usually look like this. Black, white, and gray forms are different colors of the same species, the Eastern Gray Squirrel, for which this gray is the standard color. Reddish highlights are common. Click to enlarge.

Any questions? 

Osprey

 

The osprey is about two feet long with a five-foot wingspan. This one is hovering while hunting. It eats mainly fish, which it catches by diving feet-first into water, sometimes to a depth of more than a foot. Not surprisingly, it is also called a fish hawk. Click to enlarge.

The osprey is not one of my backyard birds. But there is a nest on the Delaware River that is close enough to my house that I can walk there to watch them. 

The male catches fish in the river, carries them to the nest, then flies out again. 

And again. 

This shaggy character is one of this year's young. So... well done, osprey parents!