We’re running low on photos, folks, so if you have some good ones, you know what to do. .
Today’s batch comes from Brian Cox, an instructor at Assinboine Community College in Manitoba (see his earlier photos here). Brian’s notes and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.
A crayfish claw jammed between dock boards in Kenora, Ontario, Canada. I don’t know the species of crayfish, but here are some possibilities.
Stilt sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) in my hometown of Brandon, Manitoba.
A neighbour threw his Christmas tree on a bonfire. I was able to capture the vibrant colours, but I can only guess at the tree species. Is it a white or black spruce? Perhaps a jack pine?
Capturing a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) in flight with a manual-focus zoom lens can sometimes come down to luck. My city is surrounded by farmer’s fields, prime hunting grounds from these hawks.
This red-tailed hawk was happily stripping pieces off a Northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) until I got too close. The image is a little out of focus…
And this gopher completely objects to the hawk’s lunch preferences.
I startled this North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), but waited for it to find the right safety-tree to climb up. I think it gave me a little smile.
Riding Mountain National Park is a one-hour drive from my home. There are approximately 1000 American black bears (Ursus americanus) in a 2,969 km2 (1,146 sq mi) area. This one was enjoying fresh dandelions (Taraxacum officinale).
Lovely pictures! I knew black bears were more or less omnivorous, but I didn’t know they ever ate dandelions.
Thanks you for these lovely photos. The sandpiper is actually a Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes).
Thank you Paul. In this case, less is more. Got it.
An interesting set! The burning pine is very unique. Thank you for sharing.
I don’t know my spruces, but it’s not a pine. But of course, still a great pic!
GCM
Jerry, please tell Dr. Cox that the photo he labeled Stilt Sandpiper is a Lesser Yellowlegs.
best,
Doug
Thank you Doug. Correction noted.
I’m an instructor working on my master’s degree. No doctorate yet…
Lovely photos, Brian! My favourite is the porcupine. Why do they look so cuddly and huggable when they’re not?!
You are not wrong. Porcupines are not easy to get close to. That is why natural selection has selected for male porcupines with a long penis. 🤪 It’s true.
Also, the objecting rodent is a ground squirrel, not a gopher. Probably a Franklin’s but don’t have time to check that out right now.
Richardson’s, I think, going by the colouration.
I have some identification work to do for next time. Thanks.
Wow! Great photos. The bear and especially a porcupine!
It’s not a spruce at all. It’s a fir tree – the balsam fir. (You can see the flat needles.) Its sap is highly flammable.
Also, hello fellow Manitoban!
Please warn that cute little gopher to steer clear of Bill Murray’s greenskeeper, Carl:
I hope that bear photo was taken with an extreme telephoto lens.