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Post Your Own Wildlife Photography

It sure has been a while since I posted any photos here. I've been a slacker. I've wanted to but it sometimes seems so much work to resize files.

But today I was just out enjoying the fall colors and brisk temps and was driving down the road and all of a sudden saw this along the lake. It was a surprise to see one here in my home town. I usually see them in Maine. It was very cooperative. Too bad bald eagles are thieves. 2021 10 24 12 57 27a.JPG2021 10 24 12 57 29a.JPG
 
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For some reason there are fewer birds than usual in my garden than in past years. I was therefore particularly happy to see a bird of a species I had not seen before. Curiously named Magpie-Lark (it is neither a magpie nor a lark) this male made himself comfortable in one of my cedars for a few minutes.

Magpie-Lark.jpg


Magpie-Lark_(Grallina_cyanoleuca).jpg
 
For some reason there are fewer birds than usual in my garden than in past years. I was therefore particularly happy to see a bird of a species I had not seen before. Curiously named Magpie-Lark (it is neither a magpie nor a lark) this male made himself comfortable in one of my cedars for a few minutes.

Magpie-Lark.jpg


Magpie-Lark_(Grallina_cyanoleuca).jpg
They're absolutely endemic here in SEQ, where they are also called 'Pee-Wees'.

They are highly territorial, and often spend hours attacking windows, car mirrors, and other reflective surfaces, where they can clearly see an intruder making exactly the same threat displays.

They are part of the clade 'black and white birds', which includes magpies and butcher birds; Not to be mistaken for the (also endemic) Rainbow Lorikeet, largely because they look completely different. (Can you tell I am not a real ornithologist?).
 
Something very like that (but not identical) used to be called a Mudlark around here, but was recently renamed the Magpie Lark.

I wonder if genetic studies caused the rename?

The same happened with the Plover, now the Lapwing.

I wish they would leave bird names alone, it takes me long enough to learn them.

Curses on scientific accuracy.
 
Something very like that (but not identical) used to be called a Mudlark around here, but was recently renamed the Magpie Lark.

I wonder if genetic studies caused the rename?

The same happened with the Plover, now the Lapwing.

I wish they would leave bird names alone, it takes me long enough to learn them.

Curses on scientific accuracy.
The difference between a Plover and a Lapwing is that you can't knit yourself a nice Lapwing.
 
Something very like that (but not identical) used to be called a Mudlark around here, but was recently renamed the Magpie Lark.
Identical bird, actually, and it's been called the Magpie Lark since before the 1850s.

The Mudlark/Magpie-Lark's habitat

667px-Distribution_magpie-lark.jpg
On my tiny phone screen, I thought that a few of them were on holidays in the Central Highlands of TAS, but it turns out to be the Lakes District.
 
There were some "Chirp, chirps" and some rustling in the bushes. It started on the right hand side about 6 feet up. I could see the little branches move. Every now than then I saw something block the small specks of light shining through from the other side of the bush. In a few moments I could tell that there was a second bird following the first one.

They were going left in the row of bushes that probably extend at least 20 feet from the side of my house. The canopy 9 feet high and contiguous.

Once or twice I thought I saw some red. And the chirp chirps kept up. There as a pause where a gap below the high twigs covers the lower section in darkness. Something dark staggered across the gap. A moment later I saw a flash of bright red.

And then more rustling. I had my camera. At the end of the line, where the bushes meet the house, was the creature. My camera zoom was set to squeeze through the densest twigs.

And... A fledgling northern cardinal showed itself.

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Have this hawk eating a squirrel in my treelawn. Came back the following day. Usually we have hawks and eagles in the area, but they’ve scoping our neighborhood more often now.
 
Two years ago this huntsman spider was my housemate.

spider.jpg


I named her Lisa del Giocondo on account of her alluring smile.

spider.jpg


She roamed around in my study and kitchen for a few weeks, then disappeared. Not enough prey to jump at, I guess.
 
I like how it's not necessary to reduce the file size any more.

Baltimore Oriole in my yard
Wild turkey in my driveway
Bluebird with a snack
Phoebe I think
Yellow Warbler
Bunny in my yard

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Two years ago this huntsman spider was my housemate.

spider.jpg


I named her Lisa del Giocondo on account of her alluring smile.

spider.jpg


She roamed around in my study and kitchen for a few weeks, then disappeared. Not enough prey to jump at, I guess.
How big was that?
 
Quite small, really. She only looks big because I held the pocket camera really close to her.

Huntsman-spider.jpg


Even smaller, but can be fatal, are the redbacks. There are dozens of them in my garden. This one shot out of the spout of the watering can while I was filling it up. Pretty thing, though it's a good idea not to back it into a corner. They can be fatal, but since antivenoms became available in 1956 only one death has been recorded.

redback_spider.jpg


Much rarer around here is the funnelweb spider. I have only seen one in the 17 years I lived here.

Trapdoor_spider.jpg


It looks nasty, but unlike its relatives, which are confined to some leafy suburbs north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, not deadly.
 
Ik spiders. They are the monsters of the insect world. Fascinating but Ik.

I like birds most.

More animals this spring with some March.

Carolina Wren
Mallard
Painted turtles
Goldeneye
Ring neck duck
Can't tell if it's a Sharp-shin hawk or a Cooper's hawk. The two are hard to tell apart in the best of times.
Red tail hawk - I like how it shows what's feather and what's muscle and bone in the wings.
Chickadee
Eastern Towhee
Blue jay
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