It used to be that when I went to Merritt Island NWR, my sole destination was Blackpoint Wildlife Dr. It is by far the most popular part of the refuge, especially for visitors from out of town. But the refuge actually has many wonderful locations. Some are wildlife drives, and some allow you to get […]
A Bubbling Bee
A while ago I wrote a blog about the fly pictured above.I’d caught it in the unlikely act of blowing a bubble. Although no one knows why flies blow bubbles, theories range from concentrating liquid food by evaporation, to aerating to reduce some kinds of microbial activity, to fly sickness, cleaning the mouthparts, cooling off […]
Naranjero (Blue-and-yellow Tanager) Pipraeidea bonariensis
Durante los últimos días he visto en la red social Facebook distintos perfiles de personas que se dedican al tráfico ilegal de aves silvestres, son tan cortos de cerebro que fotografían y publican el material que disponen como ser jaulas trampa para la captura de las aves, inclusive publican sus trofeos, lugares de captura, cuentan […]
VOTE for the Best Photo of the Week 01 Aug 2015
Welcome to the “Best Photo of the Week” competition showcasing and celebrating the biodiversity of Planet Earth. Voting is easy and lots of fun. First click an image and browse through the slideshow. Then select the three images you like best of all and click the VOTE button at the bottom of the page. […]
Spring Migration Tour on The Strait of Gibraltar with Stephen Daly. 13th-20th April 2016
Spring Migration – Watching Birds and other Wildlife crossing from Africa to Europe. A male Montagu’s Harrier displaying near Casas Viejas-Benalup A White Stork flock arrives at Bolonia, with Morocco in the background The Strait of Gibraltar awaits the return of wintering birds from Africa to Europe each spring On this special spring tour, we […]
Flight School
The 2015 class of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) naval aviators started flight school this week! I’ve been watching these youngsters on daily dog-walks in the park since early May. When they first showed up I noticed the their resemblance, in size and coloration, to the yellow puffball flowers of the American sycamores (Platanus occidentalis) towering […]
Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, 7/18/2015
The Lake Apopka North Shore Restoration Area arguably boasts the best inland birding in the State of Florida. But until recently most of the area has been closed to the general public most of the year. During the annual Christmas Bird Count, birders are granted access to the restoration area, but most of the area […]
Red Milkweed Beetle
The red milkweed beetle is another nice summer insect. It’s a longhorned beetle, in the family Cerambycidae. Check out its extreme antennae. The red milkweed beetle’s genus and species names are derived from Latin and mean four-eyed. Many species in the longhorned beetle family have antennae that originate close to the eyes, some so close […]