Initially in the same tree as the fledgling, so a nice look at her size!
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), 112_7545-Edit.tif
Inferred mountain lion feeding. Mtn lion killed the deer with apparent puncture wounds from canines in the back of neck. Probably last night before the rains. Coyote tracks apparent in the area so likely that coyote found it in the morning and dragged it away and fed on it. Found 1 fetus outside of canyon. Probably ate one earlier and took the other.
Bummer it was so foggy and dark, just in terms of photos, but no complaints!!
The bird displayed this stick for several minutes.
On exposed rocky ridge top amidst significant buffelgrass infestation. Never seen it in such a habitat.
Caught and released during mist netting surveys.
photographed as found
I finally got a Wyliea! I wasn't expecting them to big this impressively big-- I'd been picturing a Machimus-sized thing. Several of these perching on sticks and branches at this site along the Bursum Rd 1.7 mi E of the bridge in Mogollon. There were also Proctacanthus, Machimus, and Laphria engelhardti out flying. And Tragidion (another Pepsis mimic!) The Wyliea were rather wary and strong fliers. Specimen in collection. TAM_1463
Stumbled across this rare eastern warbler while looking at sparrows. Was gone in 15-20 seconds to no success of relocating as I lost where it went in general.
Approximately 70cm long.
Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) Co. Rd 12A, Yolo County, CA
Tentative id based on the large amount of grey underbelly, distinct transition from brown to grey, the short tail with distinctly darker tip, and the overall size (subjective, I did not get a measurement). Habitat = open spruce forest about 300 meters below treeline.
It was -5 F. Shrew was crossing the road and had to do some searching to find a soft spot where it could get back under the snow. I wonder if its extremities are red due to increased blood circulation to keep from freezing. Normal subnivean temp should be around 28 F.
Bird day (mostly) along Feldspar Trail near Tom's Thumb trailhead
Juvenile on the nest
Found in our trash can at the nursery. First time we have recorded this mammal onsite.
This youngster flew up onto my hat and stayed there until it was time to make another net run. Cassin's Vireo in hand
Tonto N.F. - Granite Reef Rec Area
Pogonomyrmex barbatus
Nest with single entrance in soft, sandy soil. No gravel mound present.
Many workers active. Some seen retrieving dry plant parts.
Not particularly aggressive.
This is the 3rd P. barbatus colony we have found at this general location.
Sunny
TEMP: 23°C/74°F
ELEVATION: 405m/1330ft
DLQ LOC: A19145
at night, very large (~ 2 inches?)
Plateau Lizard (Sceloporus tristichus) at Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Cottonwood, Arizona.
Caught in Malaise trap 28 Sep - 5 Oct 2019, photos taken at California Academy of Sciences, tentative species ID, also posted to BG here:
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1735889
Yellowish Flycatcher. Photographed at Sendero Los Quetzales, Chiriquí Province, Panama on 16 February 2019. Nominate subspecies flavescens.
Caught in Malaise trap 3-10 August 2019, photo taken at California Academy of Sciences. I think this is a male and it keys to Tephritis californica in Foote and Blanc 1963, but I'm not certain of the ID. Two upper frontoorbitals and two lower frontoorbitals.
Photo to identify snake not scorpion. Scorpion ran off with dead snake.
Adult male, discovered about a week ago by a class from "ole miss" in Crystal Wash. Since then, seen by many observers.
Soil under spruce, Douglas fir and pine. Water logged from heavy rains overnight.
DNA Sequenced
Probably my favorite garter snake. Highly underrated, in my opinion.
A young animal that paused before catching up with a parent.
Trying to ID the rodent being swallowed, not the American Bittern
chaparral yucca, Hesperoyucca whipplei, White Mountains, elevation 1595 m (5240 ft).
This is a recently discovered northward range extension (or maybe more accurately, remnant of range contraction) for this species at the southern edge of the Great Basin in the White Mountains. Only this single very healthy plant was found despite multiple further searches of the area. The main range of chaparral yucca is in the southern Sierra Nevada and southwestern California chaparral, into northern Baja California.
Specimen number Morefield 5818.
Uploaded from my Flickr site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/127605180@N04/
Amazing encounter watching this lizard biting snake. Snuggled up to tire after we stopped to look. (Not stuck or driven on!) Eventually all departed separately. Lizard ran down road full speed way up on its feet.
Mono County phacelia, Phacelia monoensis, Nevada, White Mountains, Pinchot Creek - Columbus Salt Marsh drainage, elevation 2626 m (8615 ft).
This rare annual species is a study in paradoxes. In a genus known for its showy purple flowers, Mono County phacelia belongs to a small group of yellow-flowered species adapted mostly to alkaline clay soils.
This species is found only along and near both sides of the California-Nevada boundary in the southwestern Great Basin, and is limited to isolated patches of shrink-swell clay soils derived from andesitic volcanic deposits at middle elevations in the mountains.
But paradoxically, most populations are found where these deposits have been bisected and disturbed by mining roads and other dirt tracks. Plants have been found in low densities on undisturbed clay deposits, but populations are generally densest on clay road banks that experience infrequent re-disturbance. It's even possible that seeds are dispersed between clay deposits by riding on muddy vehicle tires.
But even so, the plants do not spread outside their preferred set of soil patches, and remain rare and vulnerable to more intensive or frequent disturbance, including road maintenance and mining exploration and development activities.
Uploaded from my Flickr site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/127605180@N04/
Grusonia kunzei, La Posa Plain, south of Quartzsite, east of South Trigo Peaks and southwest of the Livingston Hills, 33.4221 -114.2134, Yuma County, Arizona, 19 Feb 2017.