The Old Folks Birds N Bugs Blog

Wood Ducks on the Pond!!

2012-01-21T18:54:00.001-06:00

Aix sponsa Wood Duck
We could not believe that we had a pair of Wood ducks on the pond! This is the first time I have ever seen them here and the first time ever to see them within the city limits. Thanks to Valerie for keeping a watchful eye out or we would have missed these ducks.

How beautiful they both are!

Everyone should recognise the male, but that white eye ring of the female just takes my breath away! She's a real cutie!

Even the Great Blue Heron took note of the Wood Ducks!

But of course, Wood Ducks are not the only thing on the pond. We still have a small flock of Ring-Necked Ducks that come around each day and we have also had a pair of Nothern Shovelers!

And... We have a dozen Gadwalls.

The ground isn't idle either with all the flocks of birds coming to feed.

But the resident Red-Shouldered Hawk knows all and sees all! Keeping a watchful eye on all the other birds around.

It's been a busy month so far and we are lovin it!!

Ring-Necked Ducks

2012-01-02T10:36:00.001-06:00

We have 107 Ring-Necked Ducks (Aythya collaris), on our Pond! It is truely amazing!
We have never seen so many ducks here. I can only assume it is because of the drought and because our pond is full and fairly healthy. They are feeding here like crazy.

We are so excited about having all these visitors, inside the city limits of Tyler!

Over 50 Ring-Necked Ducks on our Pond!

2011-12-30T13:10:00.000-06:00

About a week ago, Ring-Necked Ducks started coming to the pond. At first it was just 2 or 3, but as time has progressed, more ducks come. Now we have over 50 of them on our pond! It's so wonderful to see these birds here!

I made a video to show you that we aren't crazy!

It's been a long time! Black Vultures are Here.

2011-12-24T01:11:00.000-06:00

The colder weather has killed off the Tilapia in the pond. Now the Vultures has food for a couple weeks. They come every day to try to get the dead fish.

These fish were huge this year, probably due to so much heat. Tilapia thrive on heat.

More bickering than eating, but they still manage to eat up every last bit.

They even take a break on our rooftops.

White-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata)

2011-11-06T20:06:00.003-06:00

In our garden on Friday night.

Monarchs come to Tyler!

2011-10-15T20:23:00.001-05:00

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

I have been seeing increased numbers of Monarchs over the past few days. Not huge numbers, but 30, 40, 50 per day. Today I grabbed a couple of shots of Monarchs feeding on a couple of Lantana Bushes by our home. It truly was a "Butterfly Bush" as we watched up to a dozen at a time feeding and flying so elegantly around the bushes. I can't say that the Monarch is the most beautiful butterfly, but I have to say it is the most unique, as it migrates up to 3,000 miles from Canada to Mexico in the fall and back again in the spring.

Did you know that it takes four generations of Monarch to make One Full Migration Loop!! Four generations each full year!

Read more about the Magnificent Monarch - below:

http://www.monarchwatch.org/

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/

RAIN! FINALLY!

2011-10-12T14:04:00.001-05:00

We actually had a little rain today! I mean real rain, like droplets falling out of the sky! We got over half an inch and that's more rain than we have had in more months than I can count!

The birds loved it! I'm afraid that some of the young ones didn't even know what rain was! This Red-Shouldered Hawk knew what to do. It opened it's wings and tail as far as they would open and it just let the rain wash its feathers out! I shot this with a slow shutter speed and if you look close you can see the streaks of rain falling.

Click on the photo to see a larger one!

Enjoy!

We have closed the website

2011-10-08T19:07:00.002-05:00

butterflies-n-birds.com has been closed due to funding.

Okay, so something finally flew in the house (read previous post)

2011-09-30T13:00:00.000-05:00

Well it almost flew in the house! This little House Wren flew into our breezeway and landed on the screen door. Yes, right on the screen... This Wren seems to have adopted our breezeway garden for its winter home. We see it every day now and it works the garden for food. Great to have such a beautiful Wren stay the winter with us.

I also failed to post our first Monarch of the fall season. This was on 8-29-2011. Shame on me... Click on the photo for a much larger picture that shows more detail.

This picture isn't perfect, but it's damn close to the best I have ever gotten with this little P&S camera.

The Last Post?

2011-09-12T10:59:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted since July. We are not getting out at all any more. Between the heat, lack of rain, inflation costs and health, we won't be going out in the future. I don't intend to close the blog, but I don't intend to make posts of how I just sit in the chair all day either, so this may be my last post... Unless something flies in the house...

Good luck to all of you birders, it's a great time to see migrants now and I hear they are out all over.

Justin

Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)

2011-07-20T13:13:00.002-05:00

Giant Swallowtail in our Garden today!! We haven't seen a Giant here in at least 2 years! This is a treat! Brought to you in living color by Valerie, who's photos give us such a wonderful look at these beautiful butterflies. There's a reason they are called Giants. They are Huge! This one is feeding on our Zinnia Thumbelina (over 3 foot tall, for a plant that's supposed to only be 6 inches tall!) A Giant feeding on Giants! Ha!

Two of the photos are saved as 1600x1200 just in case someone wants to use it for a desktop wallpaper. Click on the photos to get the "Big Picture" and right click on it to save.

Enjoy!

The 2 photos below are 1600x1200 for wallpapers

Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae

2011-07-13T12:19:00.002-05:00

First Cloudless Sulphur this year, in our Garden, feeding on Tithonia

Banded sphinx - (Eumorpha fasciatus)

2011-07-10T20:04:00.001-05:00

Banded Sphinx moth in the garden today. Valerie found it hiding out in the Purple Coneflower leaves. It's a really big Sphinx moth and we are glad we don't have any host plants for it!

Northern Cricket Frog - Acris crepitans

2011-07-03T23:34:00.001-05:00

A very well camouflaged Frog in our garden.

Northern Cricket Frog, may be the Eastern sub-species (A. c. crepitans)

White-lined sphinx, Hyles lineata

2011-07-02T21:41:00.000-05:00

White-lined sphinx moth on Lantana, in our garden tonight.

Thank you Valerie for getting the photos.

Hollow-spotted Blepharomastix Moth - Blepharomastix ranalis

2011-07-02T00:16:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the wonderful people at BugGuide we have an ID for a moth that visited yesterday.

Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius) - Female

2011-06-30T14:11:00.000-05:00

Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius) - Female, in our garden, on Zinnia Thumbelina

Females have much larger spots than Males (usually). This one is fairly fresh and you can tell by the amount of purple dusting on the edges of the wings in both photos. Older ones will hardly have any of the purple colored scales on their wings.

Rain!!!

2011-06-23T13:14:00.000-05:00

First real rain in I don't know when. Just about an inch and a half. So we are only about 44" behind the average now!

I took a photo so I could remember what rain is. (for those of you in flood areas, you may not want to watch!).

Click on the photo for a much larger photo of Rain!

Two more "New to our Garden" Species!

2011-06-23T13:01:00.000-05:00

Eufala Skipper (Lerodea eufala)

We have seen Eufala Skippers before, but not in our garden. Of course that means we don't "remember" seeing them before, but we have probably seen them every year (what year is it now?)...

Hoary-edge Skipper (Achalarus lyciades)

Visitors to the garden in daylight & at night

2011-06-20T09:46:00.000-05:00

Of course the day of the first annual butterfly count, there wasn't a butterfly to be seen. The next day they are back as well as a surprise night visitor.

Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus) This is a male. The males have an orange abdomen. The females have a gray abdomen.

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)

These big swallowtails are eye candy and it looks like someone took a bite from one.

White-lined Sphinx Moth (Hyles lineata)

The first time we have had one in our garden area at night... At least that we have known about.

First Annual Butterfly Count in Smith County, TX today

2011-06-18T19:55:00.003-05:00

With the conditions as they are (weather & available counters), we held the first annual SCBE butterfly count at Tyler State Park in Smith County, TX. Here's the photos of the results...

Houston, we have a Problem!!

Well let's say that the butterfly population at the park and in most areas of Smith County this year is nonexistent. It has been another bad year for butterflies due to the lack of rain all spring and the constant 20mph+ winds every day. Since the end of May we have been faced with temperatures in the 100's as well. (Can anyone say global warming? - Of course not, no one wants to hear that!). We did see 4 butterflies in the park today, they were; 2 Red-banded Hairstreaks, 1 Hoary Edge Skipper & 1 Hackberry Emperor. We still need confirmation on one skipper, but that's it for the whole park!

I want to thank Boyd, Kait & Mike for doing the count. They put up with the lack of butterflies, the heat and they put up with me for over 2 hours, so they did an exceptional job!

I ended up taking photos of Dragonflies. I like Dragonflies and there are many in the park. There's also an over abundance of Grasshoppers there. Time to make some Chocolate Covered Snacks for the Concession Stands!

Maybe next year will be better...

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)

2011-06-17T10:30:00.000-05:00

In our garden, photographed by Valerie yesterday. On the Zinniz 'Thumbelina' of course.

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

2011-06-16T14:41:00.001-05:00

We have a Monarch in our garden today! I do believe it is a new butterfly, just emerged from right around the area. It is so fresh and beautiful.

Can you tell if it's male or female? You should be able to tell, but here's a link.

How does the Garden Grow?

2011-06-13T12:41:00.001-05:00

I thought I would show the progress of the garden. Here are some photos of what is growing and how it is doing. I will do that a couple more times this year as the garden turns into a jungle. We have several tall plants and by August some will be over 8' tall! You can click on each photo to see a much larger version.

Tithonia rotundiflora, Mexican Sunflower - this plant will be 7'-8' tall by August. I will have to stake all the branches, as it gets very brittle. It will reach 6; wide as well.

Vitex agnus-castus, Vitex, Chaste tree - These are rapid growing trees with beautiful purple blooms. We are trying to keep this one a bush, but it's growing so fast we can't keep up with it.

Agastache barberi, 'Ava' and Agastache Agastache rupestris, 'Orange Flare' - Both of these Agastache are new to the garden. It's their first year. We expect them to be much bigger next year.

Echinacea purpurea, Purple Coneflower - These are 3rd year veterans and have been moved once during the winter.

Solidago gigantea, Giant Goldenrod - Well we didn't expect this one! It was supposed to be Big Red Sage, but this ended up being the Biggest surprise in the garden. It's Huge! We are leaving it in because it will attract late fall butterflies. OH, behind the Monster is Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler', Trumpet Honeysuckle - It is also a first year plant. We wanted a vine that would shade the brick wall and give Hummingbirds a treat. It will be a great addition, but it will need a couple more years to establish itself.

Solidago x, 'Little Lemon' - This Goldenrod is more what we wanted, just a small plant for the center bed. This is a first year plant.

Lantana x hybrid, 'New Gold' - We always try to keep Lantana as it is just about the best overall draw for Hummingbirds & Butterflies. It blooms all season and it loves heat & sun. We only had room for a pot of it this year.

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii, - Flame Acanthus - These plants are veterans here and they will not bloom till late in the year. The Hummingbirds LOVE them! This is a sun/heat loving plant.

Boehmeria cylindrica, False Nettle AND Astillbe x. - The tall flowers are False Nettle and the smaller ones are Astillbe. We have issues with this shady area, so we are trying to use plants that will take full shade and still attract butterflies. So far the Nettle is doing good and the Astillbe is only first year.

Panicum virgatum, Switchgrass - Valerie loves grasses and this one should be a host plant for some butterflies. We will see how it goes... Looks like grass to me.

Southern Broken-Dash (Wallengrenia otho)

2011-06-13T11:18:00.003-05:00

First one in our garden this year. Feeding on Zinnia 'Thumbelina' with all the other skippers in the area.

These two photos show how hard it is sometimes to ID skippers. The very light color of this butterfly is a variation, as they range from very light to very dark (click on the title of this post for more photos showing variations). The second photo shows a butterfly that has seen better days. Colors are faded out and it's very hard to ID older butterflies sometimes. Thank goodness for experts like Nick Grishin who has been our go to expert for some time. Nick is a great guy and an expert in many more things than butterflies. He is part of Butterflies of America. Check it out...

Tagetes patula & Zinnia elegans

2011-06-12T19:10:00.000-05:00

We have some flowers in our small front garden beds which have exceeded any expectations. I put out seeds for "Dwarf" Marigolds and "Dwarf" Zinnias in the spring and a strong downpour washed them all together in one lump. I didn't think much more about it and now there is a bank of plants crowding each other, but you know what? I like it and the Butterflies LOVE it. The Skippers (several species) spend their days here and the grouping of the flowers gives them a concentration of nectar and shade down in the leaves.

By dwarf, I mean that these plants should be less than a foot tall. The Zinnias are 'Thumbelina' and should reach 4"-6" tall. The Marigolds are French singles and should reach 10"-12" tall. Well here's proof of what they are reaching and they aren't done yet! Almost Three Feet Tall and still growing! I had to thin them last week & I already need to do it again.
These plants are getting Lots of sun, all day long and plenty of water, as well as 10-10-10 from Vigoro. They love full sun even here in Texas. Zinnias and Marigolds are great Annuals for a Butterfly Garden!

The seeds came from Botanical Interests

Sachem Skipper (Atalopedes campestris)

2011-06-09T10:51:00.000-05:00

The first Sachem skippers of the year arrived on the Zinnias out front and we got a couple of photos of one.

(The word sachem, of Algonquin Indian origin, was used among some northeastern tribes to refer to their leaders. In contrast to chiefs, who were chosen for their skill in battle or oratory, sachems held hereditary, civil positions and ruled by consensus.)

On Heron Pond

2011-06-08T12:44:00.000-05:00

Three species in the Ardeidae family were at the pond yesterday. All three were here at the same time.

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Valerie's Big Butterfly Day!

2011-06-07T01:12:00.001-05:00

Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus)

This was a big day for Valerie, as it was the first Zebra Swallowtail she has ever seen and it is the first I have seen in Texas. It is also special because it was in our garden! It stopped to feed on (Zinnia elegans) 'Thumbelina'. Thumbelina are supposed to top out at 6 inches. Ours out front are hitting over 3 feet and getting larger. The Zebra Swallowtail was only here for just a couple of minutes, but we both got to see it's beauty and we snapped a few photos of it.

Valerie spotted it and called me to see it. She has a knack for being in the right place to see a rarity. I would say this butterfly is a rarity in Tyler Texas and at least uncommon in the area. It is an Eastern butterfly, usually East of the Mississippi.

Here are a couple photos of it. Click on the photos for much larger versions.

Zebra Swallowtails (as with most Swallowtails) are not seen perched very often. Even when gathering nectar their wings are constantly in motion. They do not perch on a flower, but they keep their wings fluttering while they use their legs to balance on the flower. This shot was at a high enough shutter speed to get an almost stop action, allowing for a good look at underside of the wings.

It's hard to get an open wing shot and this is not a good one, but it does show the two red dots on the hind wings and a hint of the blue on the back edges of the hind wings as well.

Thank you Valerie for getting my attention before this beautiful butterfly left our garden, probably for good.

Odd flowers

2011-06-06T12:45:00.002-05:00

We stopped by the Rose Garden in Tyler, to check out the Heritage and Idea gardens, for butterflies. It was totally uneventful. The only thing of interest were these blooms from some type of Gallardia or Basket flower. Apparently there was a disfigurement to the stems or the blooms, but it appears that at least two blooms grew together on both of these flowers. One was horizontal and the other (on the exact opposite side) was vertical. I found them very interesting, but of course I'm a little off anyhow...

The butterflies were not present. We only found about 6 butterflies in the whole place and nothing was worth noting. It's another poor year here and as I have stated before, I feel it will not be better unless the change in the weather pattern reverses. I can't see that happening, so I think it will be slim pickens for years to come. The high winds all spring along with no rain and no flowers stopped any butterfly activity and now we have gone to the 90's & 100's already, with no rain in sight. It's not pretty, but that's the way it is. Soon not only will there be no butterflies, but the higher species up the chain will also disappear from our area. No bugs out for birds to eat, no moisture in the soil, just too much cement and way too many uncaring people.

Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis)

2011-05-29T16:33:00.000-05:00

This little butterfly ended up being a lesson for me today. The female pictured here has a lack of certain markings that would suggest she might be a Tropical Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus oileus). In the photos I will show you where my thoughts first led me, but with further time spent looking in guides and with the photos Valerie took of the Male Common Checkered-Skipper on the same patch of Lantana (that was the give away), we decided it was a Female Common Checkered-Skipper with an "odd coloration". In other words, a variation which happens a lot with butterflies.

First photo shows what I thought odd. There is a patch here without any white markings, on the front side of the fore wings. That area looks exactly like a Tropical female, but other areas show it is not a tropical.

Here's a shot of the Male Common Checkered-Skipper found near the female. You can see the difference in the fore wings and I would have expected the female to have smaller, more lightly colored markings like the male has here, but I was wrong.

Now here's an under wing shot of the female. This shows that it is a Common, not a Tropical. A Tropical will have 3 blotches along the upper edge of the underside of the hind wing, where this has just one spot on the hind wing.

Here is the male Common and he has two spots where the female has just one.

Thanks to Valerie for helping with the ID. We try to ID together, just to help prevent mistakes like this one. When all else fails I use an expert to help ID, who has never failed to make an ID in all the times I have sent him photos.

Snowberry clearwing moth, (Hemaris diffinis)

2011-05-28T17:24:00.002-05:00

I have always been fascinated with Sphingidae. Some of the most beautiful and the largest moths are in this family, as well as the daytime flying moths, such as the Snowberry Clearwing. This moth imitates a Bumblebee in coloration, flight and sound. It loves to gather nectar on Lantana as well as just about any flowering perennial you can imagine. It's wings beat faster than a hummingbird and it maneuvers like a hummingbird. They are just wonderful to watch and we are blessed to have them come here. Here's a couple of photos that Valerie took (naturally)...

You can click on each image for larger versions of them, with more detail.

We call them "Fuzzy Butt" and you can clearly see why that is

You can see how the antennae are more club shaped like a butterfly or bee, than a moth.

Again, you can see some detail of the antennae, as well as how long the proboscis is.

Here you can get a feel for the clear sections of the wings, hence the name Clearwing.

Notice how the wings can flex to lift the moth straight up. These moths really do fly like hummingbirds and they can maneuver just like a helicopter. This comes from the ability to flex, tilt & pivot the wing sections in flight.

They are amazing insects and so much fun to watch!

Oh, because I'm just lazy, I am also adding two good shots of butterflies in the garden as well...

Male Fiery Skipper

Orange Sulphur

Meske's Skipper (Hesperia meskei)

2011-05-28T11:55:00.000-05:00

Valerie hit a Home Run! Hell, she batted it out of the Park!! I told you she's the photographer and she's the one who doesn't give up. She just keeps taking photos of butterflies and now she found an uncommon butterfly and (to us) a Rarity, especially in a garden in Tyler, TX, & a lifer too!

Here's a female Meske's Skipper!! (ID confirmed by Nick V. Grishin, Butterflies of America)

The Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

2011-05-25T12:29:00.000-05:00

I knew I heard a Green Heron at the pond about a week ago, but I never saw one. Today I got to see Two of them, here at the pond!

Hey I actually got to still walk up to this bird. I guess it was too interested in activity to the far side of the pond, to pay attention to me. It was so windy and the bird was so backlit that I didn't think I would get any shots. These are barely useable, but it works for me!.

How our Breezeway garden grows

2011-05-24T10:48:00.001-05:00

As I have stated before, we only have a small breezeway garden between the house & garage. It isn't much, but over the years we have seen well over 40 species of butterflies here, as well as Ruby-throated Hummingbirds every year. Here's a shot of what the garden looks like now. It will be a jungle by July, as the Tithonia will be over 7' tall and 6' wide. We also have several Firecracker plants on the front porch.

Click on the photo for a larger version

Here's a couple of butterflies in the garden. We have only seen 2 or 3 species so far this year and for a total maybe a dozen butterflies for the whole year to date. It's not looking good, but I didn't expect much. The winds are 20-40mph every day, no rain and "progress" is laying down cement here in the "New Downtown Tyler" so fast it makes my head spin. I think soon we will have to give up and settle for House Sparrows and Cockroaches for wildlife... Haaa....

Male Fiery Skipper Hylephila phyleus

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis

Bumblebee & Butterfly sharing a flower

2011-05-17T14:30:00.000-05:00

Out of our garden comes a photo of a Bumblebee and a Horace's Duskywing sharing nectar from a Vitex bush. We aren't seeing many butterflies at all this year and it appears it will be yet another hard year for them. The windy spring with no rain didn't help, so I don't foresee doing much looking unless the pattern changes later in the year.

Update for Our Products

2011-05-16T13:05:00.000-05:00

Originally I offered the Bluebird House complete, with all the predator guards and pole assembly. I did this because I don't want to see people putting up the house on a fence post or tree, where predators are sure to follow. I have decided that might not be what others want, even though I disagree, so I have modified the website products list, to break down the components.

I now offer:

The Basic Cedar House
The House with the Metal hole guard & Fish Line Sparrow Deterrent
The House with the Pole mount
"The Works" (complete system with deterrents, pole mount & predator pole guard)

I am also doing this with the Bird Feeder:

The Basic Cedar Feeder
The Pole Mount system
"The Works" (with the feeder and the pole mount system)

Hopefully this will appeal to some people

http://butterflies-n-birds.com/Butterflies-N-Birds%20Products.htm

Remember the Non-profits such as Audubon and Smith County Master Maturalists get a special pricing, just email me for the link.

Justin

Little Blue Heron

2011-05-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

First Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) of the season for us, here at the pond. Great to see one back here again.
We have also heard the Green Heron and the Common Nighthawks are back as well.

Thanks Valerie for the photos.

Cedar Feeder Lives!

2011-05-14T16:37:00.006-05:00

The first "Cedar Feeder" has been made

here's the specs:
The roof is made of two 12" pieces of 1x8 Cedar
The Sides are made of two 11" pieces of 1x6 Cedar
The floor is made of two 12" pieces of 1x6 Cedar
There is a piece of 1x2 Cedar inside to help strengthen the sides (see photos)
Glue is Tilebond III and I use paneling nails
The plastic sheets are 8x10" Acrylic
Overall the feeder is 12x12x12 (Approximately)
Update: Valerie noted that water will wick down the rope and get the seeds wet. I agree, so I am enclosing the rope within a rigid plastic tube, from top to bottom, so the water will just travel down inside the tube and be carried out the bottom. I will be adding this mod to all feeders.

Here's a few photos: (click on the photo for a larger version)

The feeder comes complete with the Nylon rope to hang it with. These are unfinished Cedar. I don't use any finish on anything that birds will be using. The roof & sides have the Smooth side out. The floor has the Rough side out.

I will price these special for any Tyler Audubon or Smith County Master Naturalist member at $28.00 Each. Compare that to $45 each for the general public and you see that it's just about at cost for members.

Lead time will be from 2-4 weeks and is Pick-up Only Please. For this price I don't want to deliver these and eat the gas.

I will wait to see the response, as it's easier to make up 4, 5, or more feeders as it is to just make up 1 at a time.

Yes, one side of the roof extends farther than the other. When I butt two boards together for the roof, one will always be extended more than the other and since all my stuff is made just by hand tools only (no power tools at all), I do not try to rip lumber lengthwise using only a hand saw.

Next up will be the “Hotel California for the HOSP” House Sparrow Ground Trap

Texas Coneflower - Rudbeckia Texana

2011-05-14T00:55:00.001-05:00

I just happened to see this plant by the side of a road. It's Huge & it's Gorgeous!
It's a Texas Coneflower and it's supposedly found in costal praries. Well we're just a little ways away from the coast, but these flowers are all over here. I am hoping to be able to get some seeds from this plant, or from others like it. It only is found in Texas and western Louisiana.

Click on the photo for the full size one.

Butterflies in our garden - Finally!

2011-05-13T14:36:00.000-05:00

We finally have a couple of blooms in our garden and with that we now have butterflies coming in.

Funereal Duskywing

Horace's Duskywing

Gray Hairstreak

Fiery Skipper

Thank you to Valerie for taking the photos. She waits till I leave for work, so she can take photos in peace!

Male & Female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds

2011-05-07T21:17:00.000-05:00

These photos are of the hummingbird video camera monitor, but they show how to ID a female Ruby-throated from a male, besides the Red throat.

First photo showing the Red throat of the male, but notice the tail of the female. See how it's rounded?

Now look at the second photo. This is the tail of the male. See how it's Forked? Now you know how to ID a Ruby-throated Hummingbird from the rear.

Here's how to drain a feeder fast.

And here's how to tip one over or overload it's capacity. Silly House Finches, don't they know it's not a Finch feeder?

Thank you Valerie for taking these photos and for teaching me about Hummingbird tails.

Bluebird House Sold & Installed today!

2011-05-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

The first Bluebird House to be sold and installed was done today. I want to thank Helen for buying one of my houses and letting me install it. Here's a couple of photos of the whole setup and if you are interested please see our website for Pricing, as I have changed the pricing to reflect Retail prices. I also decided to offer just the house itself, the house with Sparrow control on it and the whole system with pole and predator control.

Audubon Members and Smith County Master Naturalists, please email me and I will send you a link to the "special pricing for you"!

Thanks everyone, and remember that I will have the Bird Feeder and Sparrow Ground Trap photos up soon. Those are the other items I have to sell right now.

I'm Blessed

2011-05-03T14:22:00.002-05:00

I'm a natural born Pessimist and Perfectionist. You know what happens when a Pessimist & Perfectionist happen to reside within the same body? A constant and consistent anger at life and dissatisfaction of just about everything under the sun. That's got to be hard to live with and I pity my wife, for the most part.
Every once in a while though, I stop to remember that I'm Blessed with riches that I never seem to take the time to consider.

I'm blessed because my wife loves me. What a wonderful thing for her to do and how nice it feels to be loved.
I'm blessed to live right next to a pond where the Great Blue Heron & the Great Egret come to fish along the shores. What a blessing it is to see them alive and fishing.
I'm blessed to have Ruby-throated Hummingbirds come to our flowers & feeders. What a thrill to see all of their antics throughout a whole summer. To see the little ones come to the feeders for the first time and to see the colorful males that never stop defending their turf. To see the beautiful females so delicately taking nectar from the flower blooms.
I'm blessed to see Swallowtails flitting through our garden, so beautiful and so delicate, yet so alive and unerring in their destiny.
I'm blessed to be able to live in a house, with a good roof over my head and to be able to have food and clothing and work.
I'm blessed that I woke up today and I need to wake up every day feeling that way, although that is not my nature.

I just wanted to tell you all that no matter how bad I think things are, no matter how many bad things happen to our wildlife here or to mother earth, well I can't stop that and though I'm not a beacon in the darkness of humanity, I need to feel blessed for each and every bird and bug I do get to see and I need to let my wife know how much I love her and how much I need her with me for as long as we have together....

Honey, I love you with all my heart.

I hope all of you can count at least one blessing in your lives.

Just stuff

2011-05-01T20:16:00.001-05:00

Just a couple of shots of birds & butterflies.

Variegated Fritillary in our front yard, on the only non-windy day in a month.

This Football turned out to be a puffed up Blue-winged Teal, I wonder what he's lookin at?

Oh, he's lookin at her and a fine lookin gal she is.

She was much more interested in feeding than in him, so I guess it "deflated" his ego a little.

So, what's for supper?... Fish again?... Dumb question...

We are having a riot with the Hummingbird cam. We now seem to have a flock of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds around. Well, maybe not that many, but you get 3 or 4 of them all together and it seems like a flock... zoom, zoom...

Taking a photo of a monitor does not work very well, but the camera has really been a lot of fun. We can watch their antics without scaring them away.

Update on the Bluebird House

2011-04-23T19:53:00.003-05:00

4/30/11 Update: Sparrows come but they don't land! I have had the house in a House Sparrow infested area now for a couple of weeks and they come every day to sit in a tree by the house, but they will not go to the house. The Fish line works! Other birds have approached the house (2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers & other birds) and the fish line does not bother them, but it bothers the sparrows. I will now be putting the house in an area where Bluebirds are and see if the Bluebirds will try to use it!

I have now moved the house to another location where there are House Sparrows. I did not find that a House Sparrow actually came to the house in the first location. I do not believe they will come to it in this location either. Already today there was sparrow activity around the house. As before there was lots of cheeping and flying around it, but I do believe that they will not come to it and nest in it. I think the fishing line is the reason, but why?

Many birds and animals can see UV light in different bands. We don't see the UV light, but they do. The fishing line looks very bright and shiny to the House Sparrows, just like certain colors look to us when we use a black light. Here's a couple of photos of what I'm talking about;

These are all plastic fibers that show you just what the Mono filament fishing line looks like to a House Sparrow. It basically glows and scares them off. I have tested with a UV light and the fishing line does "glow" in it. I would imagine that sooner or later, they might get used to it, but right now they don't want to go near it.
So why would it bother them and not a Bluebird? My belief is that the Bluebirds may not see those bands of UV light, so the fishing line looks similar as it does to us and the Bluebirds don't pay it as much attention.

Of course I'm a layman and my thoughts about this fishing line idea are just my thoughts. I have no scientific proof of it.

I'm Published!

2011-04-23T02:36:00.000-05:00

After all these years of taking crummy photos, someone actually wanted one! I have been published courtesy of the state of North Carolina for a photo of a Giant Swallowtail butterfly. It's only small photo on page 30, but it's the first time in my life that someone has published a photo of mine!

It's like a lifelong dream that is now reality.

Here's a cropped photo of the original.

With my Point & Shoot I couldn't even capture the wings fast enough to keep the edges from seeming fuzzy, but hey in a small size, in a magazine, no one can tell.

A Bluebird House design

2011-04-18T14:22:00.012-05:00

Update 4/22/2011: Well the House Sparrows have been checking out the Bluebird House, but so far only from a distance. They seem to be afraid of the hanging fish line. Hey, that's Great! Time will tell and I will be moving it to a different location to test more Sparrows, but I'm hopeful. Now if only a Bluebird will go near it...
I have come up with a Bluebird House design and I am going to be doing some testing...

The basics are:

Upper venting on both sides - a 1/2" open slot for venting on both sides just below the roof.
A large roof overhang - Shade is increased with this large roof and weather is less prone to get into the house as well.
Right side opening - 4 Pins hold the right side in place, just pull them and the Right side pivots open on two hidden pins at the top, for easy viewing/clean out.
Sparrow control - The use of Mono filament fish line seems to deter House Sparrows. The front of the box has Mono filament on it and 2 lines hang down from the roof as well.
Metal post - Using 1/2" Conduit for a post, the conduit is in two sections and is put together in the field using two 7/16" wrenches. The conduit is sanded and waxed to deter predators.
Predator Control - I will be including a "stove pipe" baffle on the pole as well, to prevent snakes, raccoons and squirrels from going up the pole.
Metal hole plate - I will fit a metal entrance hole plate on these houses (optional if you desire, at no extra cost), to prevent the hole from being chewed open by other birds or predators.

The floor is 5" x 5.25" and there is a 1 1/2 " entry hole that is 6" from the floor. The floor has drainage in four corners as well. The house is made of Cedar boards, but I will also consider pine and poplar. I want to look at making and selling these, if there is interest. Construction is with Nails & Glue.

These are handmade 1 at a time, by Justin. Click on the photos to get larger images.

I am doing this "at cost" for any Audubon member in the Tyler Audubon Society, as well as any Smith County Master Naturalists... And any "Non-Profit" organization in Tyler, which promotes our goals of protecting wildlife, promoting wildlife habitat and preserving natural resources...

As it stands now, the pricing would be $40.00 for 1 house. Of course, more than one house would cut the costs, as I can get two houses out of the boards purchased for one house, so the cost of a second house is less than the first, since the boards were already purchased for the first one (I hope that makes perfect sense, or at least perfect confusion). If more houses are needed just contact me. If anyone is interested, just email me for more information.

These prices reflect current pricing of supplies, so as inflation increases, so do these prices. It's best to contact me via email to confirm the price.

"A Birdhouse" is All Inclusive with the house, the pole and the predator protection on the house and pole, as well as setting it up for you, if you desire me to. I would be more than happy to help within a 10 mile radius of Tyler, TX.

A Great Blue at the Pond

2011-04-11T14:51:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to show a few photos of a Great Blue Heron and how it dries off, as well as how it catches and swallows a fish.

There's been some controversy about the pond here. I am trying to keep it more natural, so that the fish have cover, but some people just want that "pristine swimming pool look". Anyhow, a few people here try to find a balance and it's always a struggle for them, since you can't ever really please anyone and that's the truth.
Right now we have water plants growing along the shoreline of the pond. They help to give small fish cover and help to clean the pond as well. I just want to show this Heron fishing at the pond, which means the fish are using the cover of the plants and also the pond is clean enough, due to the plants, that a wild Heron will come here to fish.

The first photo here shows how a Heron uses the weeds to stalk its prey.

The next two photos show how a Heron "shakes itself dry" after leaving the water. I just thought it was cool to see.

The next series shows the Heron spearing a fish and swallowing it.

Now this is what I call a Panfish, Punkinseed or Sunfish. It's a fish (actually several species) that can be found in almost every body of water. The Heron has speared it with its upper bill, while holding it with it's lower bill, squeezing the fish and is carrying it to shore.

Now the Heron has cleaned it out of the moss and is now getting ready to swallow it. It has already dropped the fish and picked it back up, to get the moss off of it. Notice that when it picked it back up, it uses the lower bill as a spear and the upper to hold. This is to get better control while flipping the fish?

The Heron has turned the fish to swallow it head first, so the gills don't puncture the bird, or get stuck in the throat.

It's amazing just how big a fish these birds can swallow. I have seen them take bigger fish than this and keep on fishing afterwards.

Well that's it, hope y'all enjoy the birds every chance you can.

Photos Courtesy of my wife Valerie (the real photographer in the family)

A Heron Sunning itself open wing??

2011-04-10T20:17:00.000-05:00

This is a First for me! I have never seen this before. This Great Blue Heron was standing fully upright with it's wings open, directly facing into the afternoon sun. It stayed that way for more than 10 minutes and seemed to be letting the sun dry it's feathers, or what, helping to get bugs off itself? Warming itself? Sure is a new one on me...

Our first Great Egret of the season

2011-04-02T14:59:00.007-05:00

It's so nice to see shore birds at the pond. I really love to watch them fishing.

Crows & Waxwings

2011-03-27T16:05:00.001-05:00

More Cedar Waxwings are coming into the area. We have some Holly trees in the area and the Waxwings sure do love those Holly berries.

The American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) are working the lawn for food and they come right up to the front door. They get all types of insects from the lawn and they aren't real picky about what they eat.

Cedar Waxwings - Finally!

2011-03-25T15:19:00.000-05:00

Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum

We have been very impatiently waiting to see the first Waxwings come through, but we felt they might not be here at all this year. Finally a few drifted in. The numbers are down Horribly! We have seen only about 20 birds so far this year, where in previous years we would see hundreds. Maybe there will be more to come. I hope so, but with bird numbers declining so rapidly everywhere, I wonder how soon it will be before we don't see any birds here. That will be a very sad day & one I had hoped not to ever see before I passed away...

I always felt like I was born about 20 years too late and that would be about right. I would have become a birder during the big birding boom and I would not be here to see such loss of habitat & nature's swift demise.

Finally a Great Blue Heron arrived!

2011-03-23T13:19:00.001-05:00

We used to see these Herons all the time here, but it's been many moons since one came through. It's great to watch them fishing out here on the pond!

So all I take photos of are..........

2011-03-23T12:23:00.001-05:00

Scaup.
We still have a small flock of them here. I got close enough to take a photo that shows a little more detail, so I uploaded a full sized photo in case anyone wanted to see. Click on the photo here to see the full sized one.

We have a Freakin Flock at the Pond!

2011-03-22T10:42:00.002-05:00

Well... It's just so surprising to see so many ducks here. In previous years we would feel very lucky to see a single duck come in, due to bad weather in the area and it would never stay here. We might see one or two a year, but this year WOW, we have had Scaup and Ring-necked ducks here for going on a month now. Some days they fly off, but most days they are here. Today is a new record, as we have 11 ducks here!

Unbelievable!

What fun it is to watch them, especially when they feed! It's like a water ballet. They're diving ducks, so they go underwater to feed, but I never knew how choreographed the dives were! One duck goes under and the rest follow in sequence, one after the other... And they come back up that way! It's hilarious to watch and beautiful as well! I wish I had a video cam to capture it.

Lifers! Lifers! Lifers!

2011-03-19T18:32:00.001-05:00

Today my wife & I went on a short field trip to look for butterflies and WOW, we found two lifers today!
Caution, the photos below are not good! They are way past lousy! They may hurt your eyes or cause blindness!... But, a Lifer is a Lifer and these are both Lifers for us!

Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon)

and Sleepy Duskywing (Erynnis brizo)

The Sleepy Duskywing is one of only a couple Duskywings without forewing spots.

My Friend Flicker

2011-03-18T11:53:00.000-05:00

Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus

I think this one was getting small worms out of the front lawn this morning.

Also a pair of Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis, have adopted a Bluebird House and are building a nest there.

Spring is In!

Scaup, Scaup & More Scaup

2011-03-16T01:18:00.001-05:00

Funny how you never see a bird and then all of a sudden you just can't get rid of them. We have had Scaup on the pond for several days now, as well as Ring-necked Ducks. It's really great to see them and I keep taking more photos every day, hoping for a good shot... I'm still trying...

I'm also debating the Lesser/Greater thing here. Since we finally have a Male, we can see he looks like a Lesser Scaup and out of the 3 females around him, 2 of them look like Lesser and 1 of them looks like a Greater. That may just be the way the bird looks. Odds are that they are all Lesser, but I just keep feeling that one of the females looks Greater than Lesser.

Click on the photos to see a larger version for better ID

Of course Ducks aren't the only things at the pond. I sometimes forgrt the Permanent Residents, such as this pair of Red-shouldered Hawks that are nesting at the end of the pond. Gee, I wonder why they chose that view?

This is their 3rd year here and they have mated each year, but so far no offspring. I hope they aren't strerile, but it's a possibility.

Well now... More Duck activity at our pond

2011-03-13T18:37:00.002-05:00

It's really getting ducky here at the homestead!

3 Scaup are now on the pond along with 3 Ring-necked Ducks. They have been feeding and napping all day here. We are getting to be the preferred pond around, I guess. That's fine and dandy with us.

Click on the photo to see the full sized version.

Update! It appears that we may have, might have, possibly have, could have Both Lesser and Greater Scaup on our pond, so I am taking liberties to go ahead and say we have both. Hey, that's a double lifer for our pond!

Greater Scaup Aythya marila

2011-03-12T22:12:00.001-06:00

Cool!!
First ever Greater Scaup (Lifer for Justin) and it was on Our Pond today!!

I got lots of shots and this one is about the best.

Mourning Dove?? Optical illusion or Courtship?

2011-03-12T20:08:00.000-06:00

Ok, we have here a mystery, but then again Life is a Mystery. This Mourning Dove was perched on top of the roof calling and these photos show a bit of an oddity. The first one shows what I would call a typical dove, but the 2nd and 3rd photos show a ruffing of feathers on the Neck and legs. Now this may just be coincidence or the full moon or high tide or swamp gas, but whatever it is, I have never noticed a Mourning Dove ruffing it's neck feathers like a collar before.

Could it be some kind of mating thing or is it just static electricity? Maybe it's a gust of wind, but why only the neck and leg feathers in just these concentrated areas? Why not a gust of wind that ruffs the breast feathers also?

Anyone got a sure answer for this? Let us know please...

SCBE LOGO

2011-03-09T01:26:00.000-06:00

SCBE Smith County Butterfly Enthusiasts (that's us) has a logo now!

It's a Birdy day...

2011-03-08T13:06:00.001-06:00

Cloudy, calm and a good chance of rain.
That's a good birding day.

Right out our front door we find a Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) on the pond

Also we find a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Then we find 5 Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris)

And finally, on the ground we find the first migrating American Robin (Turdus migratorius), that we have seen this year. Even though we should have Robins in the winter, we never see them here at our location, except for fall & spring migrations. Why is that?

And this Robin says HOWDY Y'ALL

Not bad for standing at the front door watching the world go by...

Falcate Orangetip and others today

2011-03-06T15:51:00.001-06:00

Falcate Orangetip (Anthocharis midea)

I went looking for Henry's Elfin on some Redbud trees, but I wasn't able to find any. Instead I found several Falcate Orangetips, an American Snout and a Gray Hairstreak.

This is a Male Falcate Orangetip

Oh, I also found this Polar Bear taking a nap in the ditch. I thought they would have all been back North after vacationing here, but I guess this one will be late in leaving this year... Sometimes I feel like this guy.

More on the CCTV Live Bird Cam Project

2011-03-03T01:19:00.005-06:00

I figured I would give some more information on the project in case someone else wants to do one.

CCTV Live Bird Cam Project

I decided to put up a camera so that my wife could see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds whenever they come to the feeder in our breezeway. This was about 6 months ago and I took a long time to do research. What I thought I knew became the total opposite of what I learned and what I found out through research was that the selection for outdoor color cameras has not developed compared to all the technological developments in other cameras, such as digital still cameras.

Video cameras for outdoor situations, on the whole, still use 640x480 lines of resolution at 30fps. That has been the standard for a long time and continues to be the standard. You can find “megapixel CCTV cameras”, but most all of them are for running on a network, meaning they are routed to a PC via CAT5 network cable. That’s fine for businesses where you want a central PC and monitor set up to see many cameras at one time, but for an individual it is not a good way.

If you were to tie one camera into your home PC, you would need a software program for it and you would also be using valuable resources to run it. It would slow down your PC and that’s not something I wanted to do. I went for a “Stand Alone” camera system with a separate monitor, so the camera can be viewed 100% real time all the time through the monitor and I can shut them off and on at will without affecting my PC. This brought me to using a CCTV camera that sends a video signal via a RG59/U cable. That’s a cable similar to what is used for Satellite Dishes.

Of course, the first thing I thought of is eBay and all those “no name brand or rebranded Security cameras”, which turn out to be total junk!! Don’t do it, it’s NOT any good and you will be unhappy. As in anything else in life, either pay the bucks or forget it right? Well almost…

I took some time to find a couple of CCTV forums and I started to learn quite a lot about these color CCTV cameras. What I found out is that there are primarily two makers with good dependable units. One is Panasonic and the other is Bosch. I ended up going with the Bosch because of their reliability, quality and warranty. I could have just as easily gotten a Panasonic, but the Bosch ended up being in my “price range”.

I will tell you the things I found out about color CCTV cameras and what you should look for. First of all, as I said before, the resolution is only 640x480 lines at 30 fps. There are a bunch of “Chinese cameras out there boasting higher res, but it’s a fake. The Sony 1/3” CCD used, only does 640 lines and these Chinese sales tactics are just simply bunk. I found that I needed a camera that had “BLC” Back Light Compensation and “WDR” Wide Dynamic Range. The reason for both is that in situations where lighting changes constantly, these features help dramatically to keep a good well lit video. It has been a great help with the camera I bought, since there is some backlighting and the camera automatically adjusts for it.

So the camera I got was the Bosch LTC 0485/21(this is the daylight model, since I did not need night vision for a feeder) and I purchased it used through eBay. Ok, so let me tell you that used may not be right for you and that’s fine. I could not afford to do this project if I bought new. These Bosch cameras run about $300.00 or higher new and the one I bought used was less than $100.00 through a 100% positive feedback vendor that deals with these type of cameras.

I had to get a lens also and I bought a new LTC 3374/20 5-50mm DC iris Bosch lens. I figured Bosch with Bosch was a good idea. The lens is adjustable from 5mm to 50mm in focal length and that came in very handy for getting the final view that I wanted. If I had not gotten a variable focal length lens it would have been much harder to get the exact distance set. This way I picked the distance and then just adjusted the focal length to give me the view I wanted. I would highly recommend using a variable focal length lens like this one. This lens is a DC Iris lens, meaning that the camera adjusts the iris automatically as needed and that is also a must have. The focus is set manually and that is ok, since once I get it focused on a stationary feeder, it should never have to be focused again.

The camera is located on the wall of the garage and it faces the house, where the feeder is located. Powering the camera with 12VDC makes a power supply necessary and I bought a Bosch TC120 PS for the camera. It converts 110VAC to 15VDC. Since the camera is at the garage and the monitor is at in the house, I had to run cable and I opted for the best RG59/U cable with the added power wires. This means that the cable and power both run from the garage wall to inside the house. It was the best solution for me. I used 1/2" PVC electrical conduit from the local Lowes hardware center. They had everything I needed from straight pipe to elbows and a junction box. I ran the conduit up along the underside of the eves and down the outside of the house and went thru the wall into the office.

The monitor is a 10” Haier HLT10 LCD. I didn’t want a big screen, nor did I want a tiny one and this Haier seemed to be the right size to fit on a cluttered desktop. Make sure your monitor has “AV” inputs, as you will need the “RCA” jack to hook to the camera cable.

Here’s what I used for parts on this installation:

• Bosch LTC 0485/21Camera

• Bosch LTC 3374/20 5-50mm DC iris lens

• Bosch TC120PS Power Supply

• Camera Bracket

• PVC Conduit and fittings (at your local hardware store for electrical supplies).

• Haier HLT10 10” LCD Monitor

• Inner wall cable faceplate

• RG59/U Cable W/Power Wires (Must be 75 ohm cable with at least 95% pure copper braid and solid copper center) This link is just an example.

• BNC RG59 Male Twist on Connectors (75 ohm) for both ends of the cable. This link is just an example.

• BNC RG59 Female to RCA Male Adaptor. For the monitor end of the cable. This link is just an example.

• RCA Coupler for the monitor end of the cable. This link is just an example.

I installed the camera bracket & camera first. Then I measured the PVC conduit and fitted it temporarily into place so I could make sure of getting it right. Then I glued it in sections, put it up and fed the cable in. I had to feed the cable into sections and then do the final gluing due to the fact that the cable is difficult to run and trying to push it through more than about 20” at a time does not work. I drilled the hole through the wall and put the final junction box in and ran the cable through the wall. From there it’s all fairly easy. I installed the BNC male ends on the cable and then I hooked the cable to the camera and to the monitor. Then I hooked the power wires to the power supply and the camera and I’m ready to go. I used screw on BNC ends because I didn’t have the tools to use crimped ones. I used the female BNC to RCA male connector and the RCA coupler to get the signal connected to the RCA connector of the monitor and then I powered it up and attached the Bosch lens to the camera. The camera has its own “on screen” program, so it’s fairly easy to set up the parameters. The Bosch manual was very easy to use. The lens has to have the “back focus set”, then the focal length needs to be set and the focus needs to be adjusted. It takes some fiddling, but it is a really good picture, nice and clear!

Now my wife can watch the Hummingbirds come to feed any time during the day and it’s just great!

The only thing I cannot do is record this video. I could not afford a recorder, but it would be very nice. I also did not want to get a large bulky recorder and the only one I have been able to find that is small, stand alone and uses an SD card for the memory is this one. 1CH Real time Video HD DVR Recorder and it’s Chinese. I can’t find one thru the US so far, but this is probably the one I would buy. It isn’t that I don’t want Chinese (the camera and monitor are Chinese made, yes Bosch went to China like everyone else!), but I don’t like the 2-3 week shipping delay…

Hummingbird Cam is Up and Running!!

2011-02-17T12:26:00.001-06:00

I set up a Hummingbird Feeder Cam for my wife. It's a Bosch Video camera hooked up to a 10" LCD monitor. It's way Cool! We can't wait to see the first birds of the spring come in to feed!

The Gate Crashers are Here! Quiscalus quiscula

2011-02-07T11:29:00.000-06:00

The Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)

Mr & Mrs Grackle brought a few friends over Yesterday... We didn't have enough to feed them all, so they moved along quickly, but they ate everything in their path through the whole community. It's like grasshoppers only bigger, Much Bigger.

We had 750 (approx) Common Grackles come thru the area. It's a sight to see. Although I don't necessarily favor Grackles, they may be one of the few species to survive the next few years of mankind and the way they flock and devour, I can see them as survivors, that is until they get to the wind powered electrical generators (windmills) that are going up everywhere. I can see devastation of flock like these when they hit (literally) a windmill farm.

Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina

2011-01-21T14:52:00.001-06:00

A Chipping Sparrow at our feeder. Man, we never see them at the feeder. We see them on the ground around the area, but it's the first one on the feeder. They will not go after the sunflower seed, but I see this one has found the suet block, with the millet seeds in it. Now I understand... They like millet.

The January Tilapia Festival

2011-01-12T12:14:00.001-06:00

We are having a real cold snap and that means the Tilapia are dying. That's what the association uses to control algae and weeds in the pond. It is cheaper than chemicals and better than cemicals, as long as you have enough cold weather to kill the Tilapia in the winter. The nice thing about them is that they can't take the cold, so they may be considered invasive, but they die off every year here. So far, they do ok, but they don't do as good a job as the chemicals. I imagine that the association will probably go back to chemicals, as they want the pond to "look pristine", which of cours means "dead".

For now though, the birds are really enjoying the Tilapia floating up to the shore. The Vultures, Hawks and Crows are having a festival out there. At least they have a good source of protien for a few weeks...

Red-shouldered Hawk and a crow harassing it.

Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture and Crows

I just love watching these big Vultures sunning themselves.

Oooooh Snow!!!

2011-01-10T12:11:00.002-06:00

Well we don't get it very often and most people here go nuts when they see it, but it snowed yesterday. Any snow is a big event here, but all I was hoping for was something to come in to the pond due to the weather. Well, we got what we wanted...

First of all, here's a couple pics of the snow...

Of course the snow brings more birds to the feeders, so we had Goldfinches for breakfast...

Now, we have had this male Ring-necked Duck here on the pond for about a week and it's nice to have him here,

but we hoped he might leave and find a mate, well I guess we got our wish in the form of this "Snow Bird"

So now he's got some company to keep him warm.

We also had 2 Turkey Vultures and a Red-shouldered Hawk at the pond, all at the same time...

Our first Duck at the pond this year

2011-01-06T01:14:00.002-06:00

Ring-necked Duck - Aythya collaris

Our community pond is too close to traffic and people to ever have much peace and quiet, but once in a while a stray will come in. The first stray this year was a Ring-necked Duck. I happened to get a shot of him while he was in the shallows preening. It was nice to have a visitor...

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2011-01-03T00:37:00.000-06:00

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT for Tyler and Smith County Texas, Residents!!

(& surrounding areas too!)

We now have a Butterfly Count Circle! Yes, that's right, in cooperation with NABA (North American Butterfly Association) we have started up a Butterfly Count Circle right here in Smith County Texas!

We need Counters! We are looking for a few individuals who would like to learn more about Butterflies and take part in our Summer Count.

Please click on the link here for all the information!

New Year's CBC here at Tyler...

2011-01-01T19:20:00.003-06:00

Well, I participated in the CBC here and it was a poor way to start out the year. I ended up working my area plus another area and the birds (What Birds?) didn't cooperate much. I can safely say that I got skunked, big time! All the spots I go to were devoid of birds and I saw less than 5% of the bird totals I saw last year! That's a shocker! I only saw 41 species and less than 500 total birds! I think it's the really dry weather. Last year we had huge flocks of Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds, but this year there was nothing. We have been very dry and with no wetlands or good fields, there's not much of a reason for the flocks to be here. I miss them!

SO... I hope someone Else's New Year got off to a good start, but I could have waited for another month or two, to start this year off...

The only photo I took was of a Pileated Woodpecker. I just love those birds, but I never get close to them.

Here's hoping that the birds were having a Happy New Years somewhere...

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T11:41:00.003-06:00

For the Birds that is...

We have been feeding since October 15th. Now we are starting to get quite a few customers. I think they are all going to have Christmas dinner here, or maybe Christmas breakfast...

The Goldfinches come in small flocks of 15 to 30 birds and just dominate the feeder and lawn for a few minutes at a time.

The Juncos tend to stay on the ground and get their seeds from whatever gets knocked off the feeder and that's quite a lot. They tend to hang around longer and really work the ground.

The Cardinals just come in really quickly and grab a snack and leave.

The Chipping Sparrows tend to just want to be with the group, but they stay in the background and feed off what they find in the lawn. They don't care for the sunflower seeds, but I think they just like the camaraderie.

The Carolina Wren always stops by and it just throws seed everywhere. I think it is the suppleir for all the birds on the ground.

The little star of the show is a Pine Warbler that has taken to feeding and is just so wonderful to watch!

I hope y'all have a merry Christmas......... for the birds!

Now that the website is up...

2010-12-08T14:53:00.002-06:00

Now that I have the New/Old website up, I am working on doing it all differently. I am going to use all free software for making all new photo galleries, new menus and probably new main pages. I think FrontPage is past it's time and I will try to revamp the site.

I still won't get to a really modern site, but maybe I can at least get into something only 5 years behind the times instead of 10 years behind...

Feedback will help, if anyone has a mind to.

I may also try a stab at wordpress, but it looks fairly intimidating...

I'm still not birding any more and I miss that, but that's life. I hope to bird a Christmas count if possible and I would really like to do a "Hollycreek Village" count, just to see what's here, but that may not get done. Time will tell...

A New Website!!!

2010-12-02T12:52:00.001-06:00

Well, maybe an Old Website, put back up again... I used to maintain a site, but gave it up. Now I'm putting it back up, to have something to do... We will see...

http://butterflies-n-birds.com/

Butterfly Life List..........

2010-11-26T11:08:00.000-06:00

We started looking at butterflies in 2007. It started because of the American Snout. We had one in our breezeway and because of the funny looking snout, we decided to fine out who it was and that's how we got into butterflies. Once we figured out that we could go birding in the early morning and then go look for butterflies afterwards, the two became one and we would look for birds and butterflies on the same trips. After the middle of 2008, when the butterfly/insect Boom/Bust occurred, we just didn't look any more, since there weren't any around and then as we just couldn't look any more due to health, we just sort of gave up all together.

So here's the list of butterflies we saw, in the span of one year. 60 something species, here in Smith county, TX.

American Lady Vanessa virginesis 5/8/2007

American Snout Libtheana carinenta 4/29/2007

Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes 6/2/2007

Brazillian Skipper Calpodes ethlius 9/18/2007

Broad-winged Skipper Poanes viator 7/23/2007

Carolina Satyr Hermeuptychia sosybius 4/15/2008

Checkered White Pontia protodice 7/15/2007

Clouded Skipper Lerema accius 7/24/2007

Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae 9/4/2007

Common Buckeye Junonia coenia 5/5/2007

Common Checkered Skipper Pyrgus communis 7/29/2007

Dainty Sulphur Nathalis iole 5/4/2007

Dorantes Longtail Urbanus dorantes 8/31/2007

Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris 9/2/2007

Dusky-blue Groundstreak Calycopis isobeon 10/8/2007

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Papilio glaucus 7/12/2007

Eastern-tailed Blue Cupido comyntas 5/20/2007

Eufala Skipper Lerodea eufala 8/7/2007

Falcate Orangetip Anthocharis midea 3/5/2008

Fiery Skipper Hylephile phyleus 5/17/2007

Funereal Duskywing Erynnis funeralis 5/8/2007

Giant Swallowtail Papilio cresphontes 8/8/2007

Goatweed Leafwing Anaea andria 9/6/2007

Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinus 5/4/2007

Great Purple Hairstreak Atlides halesus 7/23/2007

Gulf Fritillary Agraulis vanillae 7/9/2007

Hackberry Emperor Asterocampa celtis 7/23/2007

Henry's Elfin Callophrys henrici 3/12/2008

Hoary Edge Achalarus lyciades 4/7/2008

Horace's Duskywing Erynnis horatius 5/12/2007

Juniper Hairstreak Callophrys gryneus 9/4/2007

Juveneal's Duskywing Erynnis juvenalis 3/5/2008

Large Orange Sulphur Phoebis agarithe 9/6/2007

Least Skipper Ancyloxypha numitor 4/15/2008

Little Wood Satyr Megisto cymela 4/5/2008

Little Yellow Pyrisitia lisa 7/9/2007

Long-tailed Skipper Urbanus proteus 9/6/2007

Marine Blue Leptotes marina 7/14/2007

Monarch Danaus plexippus 10/26/2007

Northern Cloudywing Thorybes pylades 7/23/2007

Northern Oak Hairstreak Satyrium favonius 5/18/2008

Northern Sicklewing Eantis tamenund 10/28/2007

Ocola Skipper Panoquina ocola 9/6/2007

Orange Sulphur Colias eurythme 5/31/2007

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui 9/3/2007

Pearl Crescent Phyciodes tharos 5/27/2007

Phaon Crescent Phyciodes phaon 10/10/2007

Pipevine Swallowtail Battus philenor 7/8/2007

Question Mark Polygonia interrogationis 9/19/2007

Reakirt's Blue Echinargus isola 5/10/2008

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta 5/22/2007

Red-banded Hairstreak Calycoips cecrops 8/7/2007

Red-spotted Purple Limenitis arthemis 8/21/2007

Sachem Alatopedes campestris 6/7/2007

Silver-spotted Skipper Epargyreus clarus 5/20/2008

Silvery Checkerspot Chlosyne nycteis 9/7/2007

Sleepy Orange Sulphur Abaeis nicippe 8/10/2007

Southern Broken-dash Wallengrenia otho 9/2/2007

Southern Dogface Zerene cesonia 10/26/2007

Spicebush Swallowtail Papilio troilus 7/23/2007

Tawny Emperor Asterocampa clyton 7/12/2007

Variegated Fritillary Euptoieta claudia 4/28/2007

Viceroy Limenitis archippus 9/19/2007

White M Hairstreak Parrhasius m-album 10/11/2007

White-striped Longtail Chioides albofasciatus 10/7/2007

Wild Indigo Duskywing Erynnis baptisiae 4/20/2008

My Smith County TX Life List

2010-11-22T12:25:00.001-06:00

Not a very good format, but it is my "Smith County TX" Life List. Since I've only been here a short while and only been birding a short while And since I'm not really birding any more, it amounts to just a few species. Oh, you will see a lot of HCV in the list. HCV is Hollycreek Village, where we live.

This list is 72 species. The total life list is about 124 species and the Butterfly/Moth/Dragonfly life list is another 80 species, approximately.

Species Name, Common Name, Date, Location

Carduelis tristis American Goldfinch 2/11/2007 HCV

Falco sparverius American Kestrel 8/6/2007 Carrier Warehouse

Setophaga ruticilla American Redstart 5/10/2010 HCV

Anas americana American Wigeon 2/25/2007 Lake Tyler East

Strix varia Barred Owl 5/13/2007 HCV

Ceryle alcyon Belted Kingfisher 1/1/2007 HCV

Coragyps atratus Black Vulture 12/23/2006 Lake Tyler

Mniotilta varia Black-and-white Warbler 7/9/2007 HCV

Guiraca caerulea Blue Grossbeak 5/7/2010 HCV

Polioptila caerulea Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 7/10/2007 HCV

Vireo solitarius Blue-headed Vireo 12/26/2009 HCV

Toxostoma rufum Brown Thrasher 10/15/2007 Tyler Rose Garden

Molothrus ater Brown-headed Cowbird 3/11/2010 HCV

Aytha valisineria Canvasback 2/25/2007 Lake Tyler East

Poecile carolinensis Carolina Chickadee 4/19/2007 HCV

Thryothorus ludovicianus Carolina Wren 4/18/2007 HCV

Bombycilla cedrorum Cedar Waxwing 2/11/2007 HCV

Spizella passerina Chipping Sparrow 1/14/2007 HCV

Bucephala clangula Common Goldeneye 11/24/2007 HCV

Geothlypis trichas Common Yellowthroat Warbler 5/2/2007 HCV

Accipiter cooperii Cooper's Hawk 11/16/2007 HCV

Junco hyemalis Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 11/26/2007 Work

Junco hyemalis Dark-eyed Junco (slate) 1/3/2007 HCV

Phalacrocorax auritus Double-crested Cormorant 1/31/2010 Lake Palestine

Picoides pubescens Downy Woodpecker 3/4/2007 Sabine Bottoms

Sialia silis Eastern Bluebird 12/9/2006 HCV

Tyrannus tyrannus Eastern Kingbird 4/17/2007 Lake Tyler East

Sayornis phoebe Eastern Phoebe 3/17/2007 HCV

Streptopelia decaocto Eurasian Collared-Dove 2/18/2010 Parking Lot

Sturnus vulgaris European Starling 1/17/2007 HCV

Spizella pusilla Field Sparrow 11/26/2007 Work

Regulus satrapa Golden-crowned Kinglet 12/19/2009 South of Tyler

Ardea herodias Great Blue Heron 12/19/2006 HCV

Ardia alba Great Egret 1/7/2007 Lake Tyler East

Quiscalus mexicanus Great-talied Grackle 5/8/2007 HCV

Picoides villosus Hairy Woodpecker 5/7/2010 HCV

Catharus guttatus Hermit Thrush 2/4/2007 Sabine Bottoms

Lophodytes cucullatus Hooded Merganser 2/25/2009 HCV

Carpodacus mexicanus House Finch 12/9/2006 HCV

Passerina cyanea Indigo Bunting 5/8/2010 Camp Tyler

Aythya affinis Lesser Scaup 1/31/2010 Lake Palestine

Egretta caerulea Little Blue Heron 4/21/2007 HCV

Zenaida macroura Mourning Dove 2/26/2007 HCV

Colaptes auratus Northern Flicker 2/11/2007 Sabine Bottoms

Circus cyaneus Northern Harrier 1/22/2010 HCV

Mimus polyglottos Northern Mockingbird 4/12/2007 HCV

Icterus spurius Orchard Oriole 5/8/2010 Camp Tyler

Icterus spurius Orchard Oriole 5/13/2010 South of Tyler

Passerina ciris Painted Bunting 5/1/2007 Carrier Warehouse

Carduelis pinus Pine Siskin 1/14/2007 HCV

Dendroica pinus Pine Warbler 1/17/2010 Tyler State Park

Carpodacus purpureus Purple Finch 1/4/2010 HCV

Progne subis Purple Martin 3/25/2007 HCV

Melanerpes carolinus Red-bellied Woodpecker 1/21/2007 Lake Tyler East

Melanerpes erythrocephalus Red-headed Woodpecker 2/4/2007 Sabine Bottoms

Buteo lineatus Red-shouldered Hawk 1/12/2007 Lake Tyler East

Larus delawarensis Ring-billed Gull 1/13/2007 Lake Palestine

Aythya collaris Ring-necked Duck 1/15/2007 HCV

Archilochus colubris Ruby-throated Hummingbird 4/19/2007 HCV

Tyrannus forficatus Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 5/8/2007 FirstBank

Accipiter striatus Sharp-shinned Hawk 3/13/2007 HCV

Egretta thula Snowy Egret 4/17/2007 Lake Tyler East

Melospiza melodia Song Sparrow 2/11/2007 HCV

Actitis macularia Spotted Sandpiper 4/28/2007 HCV

Baeolophus bicolor Tufted Titmouse 11/27/2007 HCV

Sitta carolinensis White-breasted Nuthatch 5/2/2007 HCV

Vireo griseus White-eyed Vireo 4/20/2007 HCV

Zonotrichia albicollis White-throated Sparrow 2/7/2007 HCV

Aix sponsa Wood duck 2/4/2007 Sabine Bottoms

Dendroica petechia Yellow Warbler 5/2/2010 HCV

Dendroica coronata Yellow-rumped Warbler 1/21/2007 HCV

It's not much compared to real birders, but I'm glad that I got to see all these birds in the short time that we were able to get out and see things.

Great Blue Heron Roosting?

2010-11-20T10:51:00.000-06:00

I didn't know they roost in trees, but then again, there's a LOT I DON'T Know.......

This Heron was about 10' up in this tree this morning. It's the first thing I have photographed in over a month. I almost didn't photograph this one either, but I felt a little guilty for abandoning the blog. I don't go out to look at birds any more. I walk for health and that means a brisk, purposeful walk, without stopping, so I don't get to look for birds. My personal health needs now outweigh my love of wildlife. Life sucks and then you die. Ha!!!

Common Plume Moth - Emmelina monodactyla

2010-10-10T19:31:00.001-05:00

We had another visitor yesterday. It stopped by and hung on the front door for a couple hours. It never knocked, but it stared in through the glass, for a long time, before moving on.

Common Plume Moth - Emmelina monodactyla
AKA Morninglory Plume Moth

Here's a photo (click on it for a larger photo with more detail)

You just never know who's going to drop by......

There be Monsters in our Garden!

2010-10-10T13:05:00.001-05:00

Carolina Mantis (Stagmomantis carolina)
The Order is Mantodea
The genus is Stagmomantis of which there are six native species
A Mantis is a predator and is a general predator, meaning it is neither beneficial or harmful. It eats what it can catch.
Called a Praying Mantis because of the posture taken when a Mantis is ready and waiting to capture its prey. It retracts the front legs and positions them tucked in front of its body and when it attacks, the legs come out to capture the prey in a vise like grip. It eats the prey while alive. It does not kill or stun the prey before eating it. It is what we would call a cold ruthless killer and a mutilator, but in nature it is just another predator. Feelings don't work in nature, just facts and just life and death.

The Mantises in the photos are on our Turk's Cap plants. Seems like the Turk's Cap is a great place to find nectar for some species and meals for predators.

I believe that these are a Male and a Female, but I'm hot in a position to say for sure. More like wishful thinking...

Click on these photos for much larger ones, with more detail.

I believe this is the female. It is in position waiting for prey to come.

Here's a better closeup of the "praying" position. The front legs are folded up and they are waiting to "give a bug a hug".

I think this one is a male. It seems to have fully developed wings, where the other one did not. I believe the females do not fly, only the males.

What were they watching? Basically anything that comes in range, but this morning it was bees. I have a couple photos of what the Mantises were watching.

Look close now, as I was surprised to see this one...

I did not know that a bee would crawl inside a flower and gather nectar, but I watched them this morning and they would crawl completely in, to where you couldn't see them and all you could see is that the flower was moving! It was funny to watch, but the Mantises were also watching, although they never got a bee this morning...

So I'm fickle, well that's ok?

2010-10-05T13:11:00.000-05:00

I had stated that I was not going to go out, well that wasn't exactly correct. I need to walk for my health, but walking for one's health isn't exactly creeping around for birds. Walking (as I do it) would be very brisk and without stopping at all. Just meandering doesn't take off the calories or get the circulation going, so I had decided to give up the birds and concentrate on me.

So how's that working for me?? Don't ask...

I went out yesterday to walk for 15-20 minutes. Of course at the last second, I took the binocs and the camera. I wasn't going to use them... really... I was just going to use them as weights while I walked... That's my story...

So yesterday I happened to hear the Belted Kingfisher at the pond and he seemed upset. He is always upset about something. Kingfishers love to bitch about anything that comes near them or their domain. So I took a long shot photo of him complaining to a hawk. I don't blame him for complaining to a hawk, since this hawk is the one that tried to eat him a couple days ago... Yes, while gardening I saw the Red-shouldered Hawk try to catch the Kingfisher. It was an exciting show, but of course the Kingfisher out maneuvered the hawk. Now he's sort of upset and he's watching more closely...

So my non-stop walk didn't get started yet. I went on walking and then I happened to see a Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted female), a long ways away. I stopped to take a photo from a long ways off.

Then, as I was turning back to my walk... Something I couldn't believe cam flying over my head. I was shocked! It flew into a tree quite a ways away from me, but I didn't dare to try to walk to it, since this species is pretty shy (which is why I am amazed it was here in the city of Tyler).

It's a bad photo from way too far off, but yes it's a Pileated Woodpecker! What's it doing here in the city? I have always thought of these birds as needing large treed areas to live in. Here we have a few trees, but just more of trees along the edges, like a hedgerow, so it's not near enough to support one of these guys.

Well, needless to say, my walk for health got shot down pretty fast. Today I didn't take the binocs or camera and the walk went well, but it wasn't much fun. I keep thinking maybe someday I'll figure it all out, but it doesn't work that way. Old men aren't really any smarter, they're just older..........

Nothing New here....

2010-10-03T21:14:00.002-05:00

I haven't gotten out at all and probably won't for a while, so.......

For now, I wish all of you to have a good birding season during migration. I don't plan to get out till Christmas bird count, if even then...

If I happen to shoot a photo of something on my front walk, maybe I will post it ;-)
Take care,
Justin

Edit: I'm just depressed due to the fact that as the housing projects and highways right here increase at a maddening pace, the habitat is all gone and the birds aren't moving through as they used to. It's hardly worth the walk around the place any more.. Just depressing at times, for Mr. Pessimist (Me)...

Hummingbird Candy - anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii

2010-09-25T20:27:00.001-05:00

Flame acanthus
Hummingbird bush, Wright's desert honeysuckle, Wright acanthus, Mexican flame, Wright's Mexican flame.

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii - The species name of this plant is for Charles Wright, 1811-1885, world-wide botanical collector who collected extensively in Texas in (1837-1852).

We have what we dub as Acanthus, in our breezeway garden. We have it for one reason - for Hummingbirds. We will be doubling the amount of them next year. They are a Huge hit with the hummingbirds.

These deciduous shrubs tend to grow up more than out, reaching to about 4' tall and about 2' wide. They bloom from mid summer to late summer/fall and they give out with bunches of bright orange flowers that contain nectar the hummingbirds love. These are a Native Texas plant, but you can't find them hardly anywhere. You can't even find the seeds (especially the seeds) and there's a reason for that. I find that the seed pods of these plants are very interesting. They basically explode when ripe and fling the seeds out. In fact you can "Hear them Pop!" when they open up. It sounds like popcorn. I'm not kidding and I have a few pictures of the seeds to show how they do this. You can click on the photos to get a larger version, so you can see more detail of this crazy seed pod.

First of all, here's a photo of the Flower of the plant:

And here's a photo of the seed pods, still green on the plant:

Here's a photo of a seed pod that has been harvested by Valerie. Notice that there is a seam down the length of the pod. Once this pod dries out, Poof!

And here is a pod that has popped open. What you find is that there are two "triggers" inside the pod. Each one holds a flat round seed. When the pod opens, the triggers fling the seeds out. The seeds can travel several feet from the plant! The triggers are not what opens the pod. There is a hinge in the bottom of the pod, that shrinks as the pod dries and as it does, it pops the pod halves apart and then the triggers throw the seeds out. You can actually push on the triggers and see how they are hinged. It is really amazing! Valerie has to harvest the pods before they turn brown, or it's too late and the seeds are gone. They get thrown all over and you can't find them, so she gets the pods just before they open and puts them in a covered dish, so they will pop in the dish. She puts them out in the sun, to help them dry out and pop sooner. It's an art as to when exactly the pods need to be harvested. I leave it to her, cause she's good at it.

So that's the story of the popping seed pod from the Flame Acanthus. All our Anisicanthus are growing from seed that we got from an original plant, that we started out with 2-3 years ago.

September Dragonfly Migration??

2010-09-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

Dragonflies, I'm sure most of you have seen them. They are a very interesting bug, but they don't get much love. They are seen as anything from pests to painful, but of course they are much maligned and very necessary in the intricate natural world (which of course we are destroying to the point of oblivion).

Dragonflies Migrate, did you know that? I didn't. Not all species of Dragonfly migrate (at least we don't know for sure), but some do for sure. One thing I see is that September has been a big month for Dragonflies. I have seen countless swarms of them in areas where I normally do not find them. They seem to be moving through the areas, not staying, but moving in groups and feeding and moving on, just as birds and butterflies do. If you click on the links in this blog, you will learn more about Dragonfly Migration and maybe you will want to learn more about them. It's possible and highly likely that birds follow the dragonfly migrations, to feed on them along the way. We just aren't smart enough to see how highly evolved and intricate the natural world is.

I just snapped a couple of photos the other day, of dragonflies around our pond, which has become a gathering place for hundreds ans hundreds of them this month.

From WIKI:
A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies are similar to damselflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest.

Pawpaw Sphinx (Dolba hyloeus)

2010-09-18T18:35:00.000-05:00

Valerie took some photos of a moth in the breezeway and she put it up on BugGuide to find out what it is. That's the best place to get info about a bug.

Here's a photo of the Pawpaw Sphinx:

I think just about every tree, bush and flower has a moth associated with it.

"Lepidoptera, which includes both butterflies and moths, comprises at least 125,000 known species including 12,000 in America north of Mexico. These enchanting insects have 4 membranous wings covered with delicate pigmented or prismatic scales. Butterflies generally fly during the day, while most moths are nocturnal." Quoted from Moths of North America

Large Orange Sulphur

2010-09-13T13:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday and again today we had a Female Large Orange Sulphur in the front beds. She was feeding on Acanthus, which sort of surprised me. Sulphurs tend to like plants that other butterflies don't go for. Acanthus is one of them. This female is in the White phase, which happens with most of the females. The easiest way to ID is the line of dots going angular across the forewing. Actually you can see the dots start at the hindwing and continue across the forewing. Both the male and female have the line, but in the male it's very hard to see. The males are usually bright yellow and their dots are very subtle, if seen at all.

In contrast, here is a Male from 2007, which is the last time we got to see one.

Hummingbird Migration has been upon us for quite a while now

2010-09-13T12:59:00.000-05:00

We are lucky to have plants in our Breezeway Garden for Hummingbirds and we are most lucky to have Hummers come to our garden patch as they pass along the migration route.

We get Ruby-throated Hummingbirds as summer residents and as spring and fall migrants. Our fall Migrant season started about August 15th and I think we hit a peak this week, as we had 7 Hummers at the same time. We have feeders out and maintain them from April thru October. The feeders are vital for migrants and provide when the plants are not in bloom. We get to see Hummingbirds here several months a year and we never tire of their beauty and their antics!

Here's a shot of a couple Hummers at one of the feeders.

I've been lax as of late and I haven't posted three different species we have seen. First off is a Pied-billed Grebe

2010-09-13T12:49:00.000-05:00

We happened to see this Pied-billed Grebe on the pond, in our Community. We have had grebes here before and we usually get to see at least one a year here.

This photo is an older photo, as I didn't get any good ones this time. A Grebe, is a Grebe, is a ........

These guys are so ugly they're cute. We had a pair of them stop by here once before and it was fun to watch them play and swim together. They can swim very well underwater and when they go down, you never know which direction they will pop up again. Oh, by the way a Pied-billed has a white butt....

Nothing New Here

2010-09-05T13:01:00.001-05:00

Since I work 2nd. shift, I don't get up early. Between that and aging, I just don't seem to look for birds any more. I think that happens to many older people. You just get sedentary, due to age, health and conditions. It's been a very hot summer and I haven't stepped out except to water the garden, so I think there's birds, but I'm not real sure.

Anyhow, all I see are the things in the garden. so here's a couple of butterflies that have come to visit. The Horace's Duskywing - (Erynnis horatius) was very "Coppery" and we first thought it might be something else because most of the Horace's we see are rather dark brown instead of Coppery, but it is a Male Horace's. Notice the pattern of spots, 4 in a row near the top outboard edge of the forewings, with 2 spots inboard of the 4. One of the inboard spots is below the 4 and one is straight across from the 4. That's a Male Horace's. The female usually has larger spots.

The Spicebush Swallowtail - (Papilio troilus) never did sit still, as they often do. The ID for this butterfly is the elongated Orange spot midways along the inboard row of spots on the underside of the hind wing (second Photo below), with a blue patch next to it. The Black Swallowtail has similar spots, but with a double Orange spot next to the elongated one.

As always, you can click on the photos for a larger version and click on the links for more info.

Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius)

2010-08-22T20:47:00.001-05:00

Today we finally got a photo of a Clouded Skipper, in our garden. Skippers are some of the hardest ID's for me. Several of the species look so similar, it takes a lot of time to ID them and more patience than I have (which is zip lately).

This photo shows the coloration of the closed wing Clouded Skipper. Click on the other links for more photos from other sites.

Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)

2010-08-21T21:39:00.000-05:00

Valerie took some photos of a Red-Spotted Purple on Friday. At first glance of the upper side of the wings, it could be mistaken for a Pipevine Swallowtail. It's easy to see the blue coloration and I feel this is a mimic of the Pipevine. Even the under side of the wings has similar orange spots. From a distance this butterfly, moving through the trees, could be mistaken and I think that's what it is trying to do.

I was very surprised to see it in the breezeway garden and also to see it on the Cigar plants. Thank goodness Valerie is out there taking photos, while I am at work!

These are in the family of Brush Footed Butterflies and the Subfamily of Admirals. This Red-Spotted Purple and the White Admiral are actually the same species, but different sub-species. NABA calls the two Red-spotted Admiral.

As always, you can click on the photos for larger versions and click on the links for more information.

Pearl crescent, (Physiodes tharos)

2010-08-14T16:03:00.000-05:00

Today we had a Pearl Crescent come to the Garden. It tried the Cigar Plant and the Acanthus, but it soon went to the Tithonia and stayed there! Good old Tithonia really draws the butterflies and Hummers in...

I've never seen a lot of these Crescents and I've never had one come in to the Garden, so it's a first for us this year. They are a small orange/black butterfly and there are several Crescents/Checkerspots that look somewhat similar.

It's hard to get good color with an orange butterfly on an orange flower, with a P&S camera.

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)

2010-08-09T13:54:00.000-05:00

Well here's one I took photos of, in our garden, a couple weeks ago (7-24-10) and promptly forgot all about it. I was out to water and saw this Silver-spotted Skipper under a Purple Coneflower leaf, resting. I took a couple photos and just spaced it out, but here it is. Better late than never......

These are in the Subfamily: Spread-wing Skippers (Pyrginae) and they are large skippers. They have been in our garden before, but it was the first time this year that one had come in.

I don't have an open wing shot, since it never came out from under the leaves of the Purple Coneflower.

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

2010-08-08T13:22:00.002-05:00

Valerie and I saw a Northern Harrier in our community this morning. I don't even have any photos of my own, so I am linking to one that will give an idea of what it looked like. We happened to both go out this morning about 8AM, to look at the front garden beds and we saw the Harrier on a roof top, just a short distance from us. Of course we spooked it, but we did both get a good look at it. The gray upper wings and body suggest a male and the white butt is proof of it being a Harrier.

Male Harrier Hunting - Photo

Here's a Google Image Search for Northern Harrier.

From what I gather, the Females are usually a brownish color and the males more of a grayish color (upper side of wings and body as well as neck/chest). We have seen a few Harriers and this seems to hold true. This one is small, for the species and that's why I feel it may be a young bird.

EDIT: I saw it again this morning, a better look and it's a Male for sure. Maybe someday I will remember to take a photo instead of just standing open mouthed in awe...

2 Butterflies on our Zinnias out front

2010-08-02T12:34:00.000-05:00

We live in a town home, so the outside is not our area. It's called "common ground", which means people can let their dogs pee on our front gardens instead of letting them do it on their own property. It's convenient for them and a constant aggravation for us.
We still try to keep something in the gardens in front, but usually something kills it off. Either rabbits, or dogs or armadillos tear it up. This year we just put a few Zinnias out. It's part of the association's "spring color" thing..... They give you a flat of plants, which amounts to just a handful, but we are tired of buying our own, so that's what we planted.

Well, the butterflies will take what they can get, so here's two unexpected butterflies feeding on the Zinnias:

A Spicebush Swallowtail

And... A Female Cloudless Sulphur

I didn't think either of these species would use the Zinnias, especially as most of them are Doubles and supposedly butterflies like Singles. The singles have a lot more nectar, but I think beggars can't be choosers, so they took what they could find.
Neither one of these butterflies made it around back to our garden in the breeze way (where all the good stuff is).

Imagine that...

Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius)

2010-07-28T12:34:00.001-05:00

The Landscape People were out to mow this morning and sometimes that brings strange things into our Breezeway, where it's safe. We had a Carolina Satyr this Morning! These butterflies are not ones to come to flowers. They are a woodland butterfly. I believe this one came in due to all the disturbance from the mowers.

I'm glad it did. It is a first for our garden area. We have seen them before, but always in a woodland setting. Usually these Satyrs are shy and don't tend to linger in the open. This one seemed confused and it spent the morning hiding under many different plants and moving around the garden. Once the mowers were done, it left.

Carolina Satyr, Classification: (From Bug Guide.net)

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies (excluding skippers))
Family Nymphalidae (Brushfooted Butterflies)
Subfamily Satyrinae (Nymphs, Satyrs and Arctic Butterflies)
Genus Hermeuptychia
Species sosybius (Carolina Satyr)

Purple Martins at work (Progne subis)

2010-07-21T15:29:00.001-05:00

I've been seeing birds come to a radio tower for the last couple of weeks now. The tower is next to where I work. The birds turned out to be Purple Martins. They come in the late afternoon (6:30PM they start) and they gather till about 7:15PM. Then they feed on bugs and by the time the sun goes down (8:00PM), they are all gone again. Sometimes there's over 400 birds.

Here's some photos of both mature and juvenile birds;

These are mostly young birds, but some adults are present. Some days they don't show up at all and other days there's loads of them here. They come from all directions, in small groups and they gather to preen and feed on bugs. Maybe they are being sociable or maybe it's training for the young. Maybe a little of both...

Our First Monarch! (Danaus plexippus)

2010-07-17T12:18:00.000-05:00

Valerie was up early and was the first to see our first Monarch of the season. We don't know if it's a transient or if it's one that was born here. It's possible that Monarchs travelling north could have laid eggs on milkweed here, so it could be from a hatch close by, or it could be one coming back south. As fresh as it is, I suspect that it's a "local", that has gone through the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis & emerged as a butterfly.

It was feeding heavily on the Tithonia early this morning. The sun was just hitting the upper flowers, so photographing was hard for Valerie. She's a lot shorter than the Tithonia is. It's over 9 feet tall now!.

So...... The photos were taken with a lot of back lighting, so I did a lot of processing and this is what you get.....

OOps... What's this one doing here? Guess the camera messed up...

Here's the real shot. I guess I got carried away with the processing above...

I really like the way the sun shines through the butterfly and the flower on this shot. It's still here in our garden and it has adopted the Tithonia. I think Tithonia (if you can raise it), is the best overall bird/butterfly nectar plant around. Between Tithonia and Lantana, you could have a garden just about anywhere where there's sun and have food for butterflies and hummingbirds.

As always, click on the pics for larger ones and on the links for more information on Monarch Butterflies.