Readers are invited to send in their GOOD wildlife photos; some have answered my plea yesterday and I’ve put their pictures in the queue.
First at bat is Jacques Hausser from Switzerland, who’s sent us some rare marine photos:
During the annual field course of marine (or rather coastal) ecology and faunistic of the University of Lausanne, at Roscoff in Brittany, the students easily miss this tiny cephalopod, Sepiola atlantica (extended length about 4.5 cm [JAC: about 1.8 inches: tiny!]). First it is usually burrowed in the sand, and more, with its remarkable black, yellow and brown chromophores, it can change its coloration to adapt to the local background. Coloration changes also very quickly when the animal is perturbed. These two pictures were taken exactly 1 minute and 13 seconds apart (you can see the same bubble growing on the rear of the mantle). The animal was returned unharmed to its biotope after observation.
I love pictures of raptors: they’re dignified and gorgeous, although what they do to other animals isn’t pretty. And here’s a great photo by a new contributor, Adam Mitchell, showing one in action—or rather right after action:
This photo was taken in Bend, Oregon in December last year. I believe it is a female Merlin (Falco columbarius) holding a freshly caught Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum). The bird landed on the fence outside my wife’s home office window; the photo was taken at a distance of about four metres through glass. I presume it was resting after the hunt as it stayed for approximately ten minutes holding the Waxwing then flew away.
These photos, sent by reader Randy Schenck from the American Midwest, aren’t really of wildlife, but for those of us who don’t know where our food comes from. or foreign readers unacquainted with American large-scale farming, I thought they’d be interesting. It’s corn harvest time here:
Just something different from here in farm country. Today the farmer handling our place is “picking” the corn as they sometimes call it, using a combine seen in the first two pictures. They are currently running two of these machines as he does have many acres to get to. The third photo is support equipment as the object is always to empty the combine so it continues to work without delay. This is called a grain wagon along with an appropriately sized tractor to handle the load. This wagon handles 1150 bushels of corn when full: 64,400 lbs. of net weight [JAC: about 29,400 kilos].
This can be a family enterprise as it is in this case. The farmer works with his dad, another son and one hired person. It is not unusual to see his wife driving a tractor or one of the combines.
Farming is a profession that deserves considerable respect. A farmer has to be a businessman, a weatherman, a mechanic, and a laborer. I am sure I have forgotten several other fields to which they must also attend.
Another thought I had about the popularity of the large 4-door, four-wheel drive pickup. The farmers need this vehicle because the bankers sit in the back seat.
Cooking, and having a separate heavy duty house entrance with cleaning utilities. I learned that from a farmer friend.
Even though it shows a dead bird, I really like the merlin. True nature!
Kind of a sad picture of the Merlin but that’s what they do. Surprised you were not also exposed to the eating part of the story right there in front of the window for all to see.
The hawk is an Accipiter species. I have no experience of North American birds but it looks like Accipiter striatus, the sharp-shinned hawk.
I second Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus). Definitely not a Merlin (which is a falcon).
Thanks for the feedback on the raptor species; I’m a newcomer to the USA and don’t have a lot of knowledge.
I went to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife to attempt an identification and from the photographs I picked the Merlin:
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/species/birds/raptors.asp#Top
The Sharp-shinned Hawk photo had a lot of white on the chest which is why I nominated the Merlin…not that the ODFW pictures are particularly clear!
Well, I can see why that confused you! For whatever reason their picture of the Sharp-shinned is of a juvenile–see streaky breast, which is indeed a bit merlinish–rather than an adult, like the one in your photo!
Birds have an annoying trait of exhibiting varying plumages throughout seasons and/or ages, apparently evolved to confuse birders. If your interest in them is as strong as your photography skills, I think you’d enjoy acquiring a field guide or two. 🙂 Bend is a fantastic place to bird-watch.
(Note that even with guides, Sharp-shinned & Cooper’s Hawks can be difficult to distinguish from each other.)
Yes, people often mix up Merlins with Sharp-shins. I had a similar discussion with a colleague when I showed him a picture of a sharp-shined I took.
Thanks Diane X 2
Yes, I agree. I’ve seen them here a lot. Sometimes they will go right into the bushes to get birds (usually they are unsuccessful with this tactic, hence (hens?) why the birds hang out there).
Octopi have a variety of forms, but I wonder what is the benefit of having such short arms in this little guy? Or perhaps it is a juvenile?
This is actually what’s known as a “bobtail squid.”
http://tolweb.org/Sepiola_atlantica/
Huh. It sure does look like it, but i do not see lateral fins on this one.
The bobtail squid is one of the most amazing little creatures, btw, with their use of luminescent bacteria to ‘mimic the moon’ in the sky. Everyone should know about this, and just thinking of it makes me smile.
That looks like a Coopers Hawk to me: Accipiter cooperii
Agreed. Although I usually recognize them by their tail feathers which aren’t visible in this shot.
Agree with Accipiter, but I say Sharp-shinned.
I’m a pretty serious birder and, to me, the hawk is Sharp-shinned (Accipiter striatus). Cooper’s Hawk (A. cooperii) is very similar (though larger), but the rounded head, eye that looks proportionately large, lack of contrast between cap and nape, and very thin legs indicate Sharp-shinned. I would have expected Cedar Waxwing, which isn’t that small a bird, to perhaps be more the prey of Cooper’s than Sharp-shinned, but one of the interesting things about accipiters is that females are much larger than males and can take bigger prey. This looks like a female.
What a cute little cephalopod!
I like the raptor but feel sorry for the pretty cedar waxwing.
I saw that exact piece of farm equipment out early this morning taking down the corn in a field near my place.
All God’s creations have to nom each other.
That reminds me of those pictures of scenes with dinosaurs where every single animal is biting another animal.
The harvest pictures could have been taken by a Herr Schenck in Northern Germany, landscape, name and all. No wonder a lot of Germans felt right at home in the Midwest. They only had to get used to different trees (in the distance in the upper shot) and of course, tornados. 😉
Very good. Lots of Germans settled around here for sure. Many Lutherans I am afraid to say. However, since my mother’s name was McFarland other than the name Schenck, not much German left here. The common names here are Sunderman, Herzberg, Wagoner, you get the idea.
During WWII, there was a German POW camp here. They would take the prisoners out to work on the farms and I am told, in many cases the prisoners were treated better than the guards by the farmers.
The raptor definitely is an accipiter. Based on its size relative to the waxwing, its short neck, and its skinny legs, I agree with Graham, it is a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
It’s an adult – they visit the littoral zone in the spring for reproduction. But they look quite babylike indeed, and the students always give them affectuous nicknames – this one was dubbed “poulpette”, what’s taxonomically incorrect – it’s closer to a squid than to an octopus (= pouple in french). And like the squid, it has two longer arms (kept hidden) to catch its preys beside the eight short ones.
was meant to answer Mark’s comment #5…
Thank you.
What an adorable and fascinating cephalopod! Very cool pictures! Thank you so much, Jacques!
Adam, wonderful portrait of that little hawk (Sharp-shinned, IMO) with its prey! Few of us are lucky enough to get such good looks at a situation like this!
Randy, excellent idea for a change of subject, so appropriate to this time of year. “The farmer who handles our place”–land baron, are we? 😀 Srsly, I’m interested in your situation there.
In case anyone is unaware, that’s a harvest of field corn for livestock food (not sweet corn for humans).
You are correct, however science comes up with many additional uses for the field corn. The corn syrup in all your food and drink is one place and the always popular ethanol that goes into your auto. The farm here is very small, only about 150 acres, but has a 25 acre lake, which is what brought me back here. My grandfather bought the place in 1942, but his interest was not farming. He wanted land to build an airport and had one here for many years.
Doh, I need to remember to think beyond livestock!
Wow, a 25 acre lake! And a heritage farm that used to have an airport. That sounds just wonderful!
May I ask what general part of the Midwest you’re in?
This is southwest Iowa, Page county, Clarinda is the town to be specific. About 80 miles to the big city of Omaha, Nebraska. No attractions really, but they do call it the home of Glen Miller. If you are familiar with the 4-H, I think Jesse Shambaugh was from here, but will need to look that up.
Not that familiar! But now I do know who she was, thanks. 🙂
And thanks for the locale–sounds quintessentially American.
Clarinda! I used to live on a farm in Mills County (mailing address Hastings) and for a few years worked for the Page County parks department. (I too have farm land still, farmed now by a neighbor.)
It’s a small world. Also a really small town, Hastings, with pop. 146. Drive by there on highway 34 all the time. Probably had to go to Red Oak for supplies.
I think the hawk holding the cedar waxwing is either a cooper’s hawk or a sharp-shinned hawk. Both of those birds have the red eyes and reddish breast feathers; the merlin has neither. Both do hunt birds, though. Great photograph!
I never met a cephalopod I didn’t like. I can see how the students could miss that little jewel.
The corn around here (Western Washington) was harvested a few weeks ago. You must have a longer growing season in the Midwest. Being a farmer would be a wild life. I don’t think I have the fortitude. I hold farmers in high regard.
Corn doesn’t have to be harvested immediately, even if the plants have died (unless silage is the goal, I guess). The limitation may be when the field becomes inaccessible due to snow. Soybeans may have a higher priority. I’ve seen farmers who were late harvesting their corn the next spring after the snow melts back.
Corn and soybeans are planted in rotation here to suppress pests. I recall hearing of one corn pest that had evolved so it was laying its eggs in soybean fields.
Thanks for the information.
As I’ve mentioned before, my grandpa retired from dairy farming in 1959 without ever owning a tractor. He and my uncle harvested about three acres of field corn by hand. They’d pull the ears off, cut the stalks close to the ground with corn knives and lay up the stalks into rows of shocks. This time of year was always as picturesque for us as it was backbreaking for them.