We’ll start with three photos from regular Stephen Barnard, including a rare insect shot:
Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis):
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis):
Lagniappe: honey bee (Apis) in flight
Two birds (more coming soon) from reader Damon Williford:
Here are photos of some of the South Texas birds. The White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) and the Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) are two of the most abundant birds in Texas. The White-winged Dove was originally restricted to riparian areas along the Rio Grande but has adapted to other habitats and has moved into urban areas and occurs as far north as Amarillo. This expansion has taken place in about 40 years.
White-winged dove:
Great-tailed grackle:
And finally, from reader Karen Bartelt, some photographs of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). I’ve often said that people don’t appreciate the beauty of starlings because they’re so common. I think the same is true of monarchs.
Last year we saw almost no monarchs, despite living in spectacular habitat. This year the numbers of monarchs are way up. Hope this is a harbinger of good things for them.The picture is from north of Menominee, Michigan. The second is from my extended backyard near Washington, IL (our 20 acres abut on 260 acres of undeveloped park).
Great shots. But is it a rare insect? 😉
The bee from the side in flight… very fortuitous shot.
The Grackle – great name & a beautiful bird. Note the pollen beetles – Nitidulidae? – around the Monarch on its Solidago – Goldenrod?… Thanks all!
Lovely photos, thanks. Stephen, I love the shot of the cranes. The curving flight primaries — beautiful.
Great pictures. My heart soars to see a monarch. I have seen several this year, but nothing like I would see in my youth.
Same sentiment here. I recently saw one at the garden centre (in SW Ontario) when I went to buy a couple of butterfly bushes! A neighbour saw a few in our neighbourhood and other neighbours saw several on a camping trip.
I have several fat and mature milkweed plants in the garden but still no caterpillars! 🙁 I might have to plant more milkweed, farther away from the trees. Butterflies like sunny spots.
I live those Monarch shots.
Here in NY, I’ve seen a number of Monarchs whereas I saw none last year. Curiously, all the milkweed plants along my walking trail are dying of some mysterious black mold-like process. Unfortunately, the milkweed pods are just about to pop but some of those are embedded in the black fungus and will produce no flyers.
I wonder how widespread this problem is.
A couple of years ago one of our main garden centre chains sold a whole lot of swan plants (type of milk weed) that had been sprayed with a long-acting insecticide. I was one of those who had some. Summer was almost over before I got any monarchs, and numbers were way down across the country.
It is reassuring at least that Monarchs have spread world wide and seem to be happy eating a variety of plant species. If they disappear in one place, they might persist elsewhere and eventually be reintroduced where lost.
Monarchs are not just an American thing.
Good link!
Great shots!
We’ve seen quite a few monarchs this year in Minnesota. Seems like more than in recent years. The milkweed seems to be doing fine here, also. At least it is in our neighborhood in the middle of Saint Paul. We’ve informally teamed with our neighbors on all sides to encourage its spread ever since a volunteer showed up behind a neighbor’s garage. We finally got some volunteers growing in our back yard this summer. And another neighbor has some growing in the crack between a retaining wall and a concrete driveway – whatever works I guess.
Anyone know anything about the propoasl to make Interstate 35 a “monarch highway”. I hear that there is a move afoot to encourage states along 35 to stop mowing the freeway right-of-way and plant lots of milkweed.
I love the pale blue around the white winged dove’s eyes. It found a unique perch too, and it looks like a tombstone’s behind it.
Nice bif’s Stephen (in this case, the acronym also stands for bee in flight).
I appreciate Monarchs and wish they lived around here in the NW. Perhaps they do, but I’ve never seen one. I think milkweed likes a drier climate than western Washington’s wetness.