Hawkwatch 2012, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory
I can’t believe that I had never been to a hawkwatch event! These events occur every year, usually from August through early December when hawks begin to migrate South for the winter (check your local hawkwatch for exact dates). Above is the view from Hawk Hill in the Marin headlands north of San Francisco where […]
Kittiwakes – North East Scotland
The last 30 years have witnessed a dramatic decline in the Kittiwake population around Scottish coasts (RSPB figures), numbers dropping by almost 2/3. However, this trend seems to have turned this year, particularily in the colonies of Troup Head and Fowlsheugh in the North East. Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) are one of the nicest looking gulls, […]
Mount Kinugasa
Rising up 870m and situated just to the west of Mount Unzen, Mount Kinugasa has a magnificent 360 degree panoramic view of the Shimabara Peninsula. To the east is the hot spring town of Unzen and then the peaks of Mt Unzen itself; to the south are the Amakusa Islands; to the west is Tachibana […]
Memories of Tiny Fireballs
Summer is slowly dismantled, leaving only memories of tiny fireballs flickering just out of reach of small fingertips. • Firefly | Lampyridae | Photinus pyralis
Birding Late Summer into Fall
Tuesday September 25: What a most fantastic day! The sun was shining with blue skies, there was no wind, and there were birds everywhere! Starting the morning at Petrie Island with calm condition, we decided to do a full search of the woods. Black-throated Green Warblers, Chickadees, Gray Catbirds, Goldfinches, White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Flycatchers […]
Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis: Part One ~ Changing Casings
The Monarch Butterfly‘s metamorphosis is a journey through clear casings beginning with an egg. A tiny caterpillar carves a hole in a clear intricately etched dome capsule and exits while entering the hairy leafy landscape of its host plant Milkweed. The teeny caterpillar then makes a meal of the nutritious casing and begins chewing its […]
The Sunflower Bed & Breakfast
The nights are becoming chilly here in Brighton, Michigan, USA, but that doesn’t keep the insects from their foraging. After spending the warm days gathering pollen and drinking nectar they decide to spend the night on their dinner plate. I found three earwigs and a bumble bee on a mature sunflower atop an 8-foot tall […]