We have two contributors today. Reader Ivar sent some diverse photos, and we’ll have some moths (not from readers) later today. His notes are indented.
I bought an exceptionally versatile new lens that has helped create beautiful bird images as well as bugs in good detail.
Grasshopper– I don’t know for species details [readers?]- caught amongst my cannabis plants this spring.
Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) observed at the pacific Ocean near Westport, WA.
Red-flanked Bluetail– (Tarsiger cyanurus) included more for its rarity in North America, this bird near Lewiston, Idaho being only the fourth instance of its observation in North America. It is native primarily to Russia.
Northern Shrike, Lanius excubitor , juvenile
Reader Greg Geisler sent owls, or rather Four Ways of Looking at an Owl. His notes:
I don’t have a fancy camera so I’m hoping that these pass your standards!These are photos of a Western Screech Owl [Megascops kennicottii]that lives in our backyard about 25 feet from my office window. We put up this roosting box about four years ago and we have had a Winter tenant every year since. He appears a bit miffed by the paparazzi in the first image!
Cool photos. A screech owl’s call at night will turn your insides to jelly (if you are walking around outside in the dark).
This winter, a few times, I’ve been lucky enough to have both a screech owl and (one or two) Great Horneds both calling some nights. Like some primordial symphony.
All great pics! The disgruntled stare of that owl with the wicked talons…
Definitely needs some of the chillin’ cannabis owned by that guard grasshopper!
That hopper freaked ME out when I saw him. 🙂
The snowy plover has 4 leg bands that I can see. Left leg: red above pink, right leg: white above green.
Red is port, green is starboard. Not sure what the others mean.
Snowy Plover leg bands:
http://ca.audubon.org/banded-snowy-plovers
Here in MI, it’s the Piping Plovers that present with all the leg bands, said plovers having been the subject of a concentrated effort to save their breeding populations via habitat protection. Snowy Plovers are unbanded, as they seldom even occur. As a matter of fact, I reported only the 4th state record Snowy Plover 2 years ago… 🙂
Stoned out Grasshopper.
Very good! I really like the screech owl. Your nice grasshopper picture is likely of a
two-striped grasshopper, Melanoplus bivittatus: http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Melanoplus+bivittatus&search=Search
Nice pics. I’m taking my kid out on an “owl hike” this Friday evening, though I expect we will only see pellets, no actual owls.
Hearing owls is a lot easier. 🙂 But pellets themselves are fascinating.
Love those owl pictures. Nice house.
Ivar, can you tell us just which lens helped you get these photos? Great color. Sign me envious.
Canon’s new 100-400 Mk2 is an exceptional lens. Add a 12mm extension and resolve down to 0.0001″. In the spring I’ll find more small targets to shoot, like bugs. Am thinking about braving temps down to 10F this weekend to shoot pics/vid of coyotes. (Believe it when you see it!)
I’d like to hold you to that! 🙂
Beautiful owl shots. But he (she?) does look pissed-off with the paparazzi.
Owls – so good. Interesting tags on plover.
All nice. Yes, what is the lens?
Ivar–none of my business, but are you in one of the increasing number of Cannibis-safe states?
My son, now a graduate student in Idaho, got the Bluetail last week–what an incredible find for Idaho! And thanks for the shrike pic–I’ve never seen a juvenile before!
Greg, what great shots of such a sweet owl! I am envious of your close association with this bird. Interesting that it is only a winter resident.