This is the crowning moment of the Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis. Seeing the butterfly pushing open its sheer chrysalis casing door and flipping out into the world whole and perfect is a joyous observation and one that causes one to pause and ponder at the marvels of our natural world. While we pause, the Monarch butterfly‘sover […]
Category: Wildlife
Interview with Peter Chadwick, Award Winning Photographer
Peter Chadwick is an award-winning photographer. His image “Taking Off” won the Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife in 2011 Your photograph, “Taking off”, won the Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife last year. What did it mean to you to win in this category? My picture of the African Black Oystercatchers taking off from […]
The Red-breasted Nuthatches Are Still Here!
The Red-breasted Nuthatches (Sitta canadensis) that came to my home about a month ago are still here! The male shown above (click on photos for full sized images) is distinguished from the female shown below by his black forehead, crown and nape. The top of the female’s head is a more bluish-gray rather than black […]
Wildlife Photo Adventure in Costa Rica!
A great surprise came when Tony asked me if I wanted to join as a participant on the TTL tour with Greentours – Natural History Holidaysto Costa Rica that he was leading with Chris Gardner. As we had our own little Birding & Photography tour there in March this year, I was very excited with […]
Assassin Games
A katydid nymph at the brink of dawn, waiting out the threat of an assassin’s games – Greater Angle-wing Katydid – Microcentrum rhombifolium
Hepatic Tanager in Brazil
Photo made in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil. This beautiful bird measures about 17.5 centimeters and has a great sexual dimorphism: The male is brightly colored, red orange, the female is yellow very much alive. In Brazil it is known as Sanhaçu Fire. Canon 7D, ISO 1000, f9 and 1/100s
Short-toed Eagles
There is a very interesting paper written by members of Fundación Migres here in Andalucía, entitled ‘Autumn Migration of Juvenile Short-Toed Eagles Circaetus gallicus from Southeastern Spain‘. Onset, duration and routes of migration differed between the two individuals, but both eventually settled in approximately the same area (c. 170 km apart). The wintering grounds were […]
Stewart Island.. The Worlds Largest Predator Free Environment ??
New Zealand And Introduced Predators As far as I am aware only New Zealand and Hawaii were mammal free lands before the arrival of human beings, and as such have very real issues with some of the mammalian species which have since arrived, either as accidental or later regretted introductions. Because of course our ecosystems […]