Mountain lady’s slipper

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Alistair

 

This is the third wild orchid found in the last few weeks. The first was the fairy slipper; second was the striped coralroot; this time it is the mountain lady’s slipper.

Two mountain lady’s slippers in the forest.

 

Posted in wildflowers | 5 Comments

May goulash

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Alistair

 

This is a collection of some of May’s images that did not have postings of their own.

A honey bee has collected pollen from a wild rose, and is carrying it as a packet on its hind leg. Honey bees have been rare in my yard for a decade, but this spring they are common. Has a neighbour started an apiary?

Kingbirds are classified as flycatchers, but this warm-season predator eats various flying insects.

Here, an Eastern Kingbird has landed in a bush. The captured wasp was quickly eaten.

A Killdeer, which seems to be breeding nearby, grabs a grub from the Lake. 

The forest floor is becoming decorated with queen’s cups.

This white-tailed buck must have felt trapped for it rushed past me with its tail raised as a flag.

This was an unexpected sighting: A Wilson’s Snipe perched atop a five-metre snag. Usually this snipe hides under low vegetation alongside water. Why was it suddenly being ostentatious? 

A female Varied Thrush seems to be hanging out in my yard. Does she have a nest? Also, the whitish bar on the head is a tad unusual. It is usually orange.

“Humans describe me as yellow bellied, but I think mine is a lovely shade of apricot.”

A Great Horned Owl takes a moment to preen. 

I am playing the cuteness card with a shot of a Great Horned Owlet peaking out from its nest.

 

Posted in birds, bugs, mammals, wildflowers | 9 Comments

Striped Coralroot

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Alistair

 

The striped coralroot orchid is my second sighting of a wild orchid this year. The first was of the fairy slipper. OK, truth be told, I did not find this orchid on my own: a small child spotted it — who told an adult — who told me. So kudos to the child.

My first images of the striped coralroot orchid were acceptable, but because the flowers drooped on the raceme, it was difficult to look into them. 

So, I tried again, this time moving the camera lower. Now the bilateral symmetry and the enlarged petal that are characteristics of an orchid is obvious.

 

Posted in wildflowers | 2 Comments

Then there were two

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Alistair

 

Yesterday, I posted pictures of Great Horned Owls and their owlet. Today, there are two owlets. Might tomorrow bring three?

Two Great Horned Owlets look out from their nest.

 

Posted in birds | 2 Comments

Great Horned Owlet

Posted on May 23, 2019 by Alistair

 

The Great Horned Owl is widely spread across North America. It is also fairly common, yet not particularly easy to find. There is, however, a local nest site that had been used other years. It merited exploratory visits.

With the Great Horned, both parents attend the nest, and as far as I can tell, both have been seen, but on different occasions. They have two owlets, but I have only seen one.

This is one of the parents.

The markings of this owl seem different, so I assume it is the other parent.

The star of today’s visit was one of their owlets.

 

Posted in birds | 4 Comments

Yard birds

Posted on May 18, 2019 by Alistair

 

When I think of yard birds, I think of robins, Steller’s Jays, and Song Sparrows. I don’t think of Mallard chicks and teals.

But, there they were wandering about my front yard.

Mallard chicks explore the grass at the behest of mommy.

What the Blue-winged Teal was doing there was unclear.

 

Posted in birds | 3 Comments

Fairy slipper

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Alistair

 

The fairy slipper is perhaps the first wild orchid to bloom each spring. It seems to have evolved to fool the earliest of pollinators, queen bees, into pollinating it — yet the fairy slipper offers bees no rewards in return.

Some years I have seen dozens of fairy slippers as early as mid-April at my favourite observing spot. This year it was mid-May before I saw even one — indeed, at that time, there was only one to be seen.

There are two varieties of fairy slipper in North America: the eastern and the western. The western isn’t found east of the Rocky Mountains. However, we get both varieties.

This bloom is the eastern variety, which blooms earlier than the western.

 

Posted in wildflowers | 4 Comments

Muskrat’s callisthenics

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Alistair

 

These images were taken during the same event as the previously posted muskrat’s kiss.

Midst its feeding, the muskrat climbed out and preened — almost as if it were doing callisthenics. 

The first step is to shake off the water.

Then there is the stretching.

A test of the jowls.

Some more stretches and scratches.

All exercise should involve some pain.

And back to tranquility.

 

Posted in mammals | 6 Comments

Muskrat’s kiss

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Alistair

 

I went for the beaver; I stayed for the muskrat.

Beavers and muskrats are known to share lodges carved into the bank of a stream or lake. It seems that they not only tolerate each another, but even share duties. I had gone to visit the beavers, and two of them were present, but distant. However, also emerging from the lodge was a muskrat. It proved more interesting, and not just because it came close to where I was sitting along the shore. Indeed, it will require a second posting to show some of its antics. 

A muskrat came out of the (beaver) lodge in the early morning light and swam along the shore. What is only barely apparent is that it is carrying a mouthful of aquatic weed. 

The muskrat climbed into a hollow stump in the water and set about eating its salad. It sallied forth for more vegetation two more times and each time returned to its hollow stump to eat. The next shot shows one of the times it headed out. However, the picture looks much more as if it is an example of the whimsical title I have given it…

The muskrat’s kiss.

Another muskrat posting will follow.

 

Posted in mammals | 3 Comments

Stotting mule deer

Posted on May 11, 2019 by Alistair

 

The mule deer is not seen as often at the valley bottoms as is the white-tailed deer. Among its distinguishing features are its largish ears (after which it is named), and a white black-tipped rope-like tail.

The mule deer is also the only local animal that stots. 

Stotting is a travelling gait (e.g., walking, trotting, galloping) in which the animal moves forward by leaping into the air with four stiff legs. It seems to be a response to seeing a perceived predator and says: I see you, so you lack the advantage of surprise.

Two mule deer were standing on the edge of a forest when one of them started stotting.

After a brief pause, it stotted again, this time leaping higher.

 

Posted in mammals | 1 Comment