Great Blue Heron - Land Feeding

Recently I stumbled upon a Great Blue Heron.  OK, that's not uncommon - Great Blue Heron are common across much of the USA, and especially areas with lots of lakes, ponds, streams, and marshes.  But this Heron was having a leisurely stroll across a dry field.  That was odd.

Many bird species stick very close to their preferred habitat.  In fact, certain species can ONLY be seen in very specific habitat.  And herons are known for standing like a statue in shallow water, waiting for a tadpole, fish, or other aquatic meal to swim by, at which time their lightning-fast reflexes snatch it out of the water.

This heron was exhibiting some of the same stalking behavior in this field. And after a few minutes, it snapped at some sort of rodent on the ground. For some reason the Saturday Night Live skit involving the 'Land Shark' came to mind. :)

Apparently land feeding by Great Blue Heron is not totally uncommon. Places with lots of rodents and few predators provide a good option for an opportunistic heron. For what its worth, this heron was stalking the grounds of McClellan Ranch Park in Cupertino, CA.

A Snowy Egret Thanksgiving

Snowy Egrets are some of my favorite birds.  They are elegant, stunningly white, and easy to photograph.  And being a larger bird, easy to observe.

This Snowy Egret frequents the shoreline of Shoreline Lake in Mountain View, CA.  Recently on a morning walk I noticed that it was feeding on a fish.  I watched for about 5 minutes as it struggled to consume the largish fish, trying different angles and flipping the fish around in its beak.

Snowy Egret with fish head-first

Alas, I had to head to work so I was not able to see the outcome.  I know it was not good for the fish, but did the Egret succeed in swallowing the fish?

Snowy Egret trying a new angle

Snowy Egrets are common in shallow waters containing fish and shellfish in the southern 2/3 of the USA. In winter, their range pushes further south.

Is the fish looking at me?

This angle shows the size of the fish

Coot Foot

I don't know what it is about American Coot feet - I just think they are very cool.  Maybe it is because they are some of the few larger birds whose feet are readily seen?  Perhaps if I could inspect other birds feet I'd find that there are plenty of other cool ones?

American Coot Foot

Coots love to leave their aquatic habitat and graze on lawns and golf courses - and hey are fairly tame.  As a result, they make for an easy, if bland, photo subject.

Before I knew much about birding, I saw a Coot's feet and assumed that they must be camouflaged to allow them to hunt aquatic insects, fish, mussels, or other animals.  But it turns out they are primarily vegetarians.  When not grazing on grass, they dive for aquatic vegetation.

Coots are some of the most common aquatic birds in the US, especially west of the Mississippi.  So next time you see a flock tearing up your favorite golf course, take a look at their feet and gain some new respect for them.

Oh, and one more note.  Take another look at that foot picture.  Does the word 'dinosaur' come to mind?

Oleander Aphids

Well, we're at a new house and just finished planting a lot of plants (mainly natives) to attract birds and butterflies.  One of our favorites is the Mexican Bloodflower in the milkweed family.  In Arizona, these were magnets for Queen butterflies and their caterpillars.  My posts on the subject have been some of the most popular of this site.

Mexican Bloodflower close-up

Anyway, the milkweed family also (and more famously) attracts Monarchs.  So, I've been checking frequently to see if any migrating monarchs have stopped to lay eggs.  So far, none have been seen, but I was surprised to see a mass of little yellow "eggs" on the stems.

Upon taking a closer look, I noticed they were moving - not very egg like.  And they seemed to have tiny legs.  Grabbing my macro lens, I decided to get a closer look:

Yes, these tiny bugs did have legs.  And upon researching, they are Oleander Aphids, Aphis nerii, found only on Oleanders and Milkweeds.  They are believed to be introduced from the Mediterranean region, and have spread across much of North America.

They can occur in huge numbers, though from what I've read, are not a danger to the health of the plant.  They can produce a 'honeydew' substance that can look bad, but it seems most gardeners let the aphids take their course.   Often, predators or parasites (such as parasitic wasps) will wipe them out in short order.  Note, however, that the list of predators is small for the same reasons why Monarchs have few predators - the aphids are pick up toxic chemicals from the milkweed!

Altamira Oriole

Last summer I had the pleasure of taking a trip to south Texas (the Rio Grande Valley) in search of birds and wildlife.  I came away with a number of new bird and butterfly species seen and photographed, and look forward to sharing some of the highlights over the coming months.

One highlight was the Altamira Oriole and nest seen at Estero Llano Grande State Park.  The Altamira Oriole is only found in the Rio Grande Valley in the USA, and this conspicuous nest made for an easy sighting:

The bird itself was a  bit harder to photograph.  It made a couple of brief stops on the wire and then flew off.  As a result, I only ended up with a few blurry shots, but it is enough to see its vibrant orange coloring, extending to its median coverts, along with the black facial markings.

While the photos were not spectacular, the bird certainly is!

A New Home, Charleston Slough, and American White Pelicans

It has been awhile since I've posted - what can I say?  Life got in the way.  A new baby, a new job, and a new home in a new state tend to disrupt hobbies.

I'm now in the Bay Area, and excited to explore the local flora and fauna.  I'm lucky enough to work very near a birding hotspot - Shoreline Park at Mountain View.  And that of course places me close to Palo Alto Baylands and not too far from the Alviso birding hot spot.

I've already made three or four trips over to Shoreline, and have some good material and photos to post.

I'll post more about the area in the near future, but I'm excited to post some photos.  One of my walks to Shoreline took me across the park to Charleston Slough, which borders Palo Alto and Mountain View.  Charleston Slough is affected by tides, making it an excellent shorebird spot or duck/grebe spot depending on the tides.

This time of year, American White Pelicans congregate in great numbers, drawing the attention of birders and non-birders alike.  I've seen American White Pelicans in Nebraska, Arizona, and even in Yellowstone, but never anywhere close to the numbers that occur at Charleston Slough.  I'd conservatively estimate a count of 200 the evening I stopped by in mid/late September.

 Pelicans are one of the easier birds to get nice flight photos of.  Their white/black contrast make it easy for auto focus, as does their size.

Greater Earless Lizard

It never fails - new visitors to Arizona usually have the same "take away" comments.  "It's Hot."  "Those Saguaros are amazing!" "I never saw so many lizards."

In Phoenix you might see Ornate Tree Lizards, Common Side-Blotched Lizards, Tiger Whiptails, some non-native geckos, and maybe a Chuckwala if you hike one of the parks.  

Get a few miles outside of town and you'll find all sorts of other interesting lizards.  In the foothills and mountains, the Greater Earless Lizard, Cophosaurus texanus, is one of the most spectacularly colored. 

Greater Earless Lizard, female

The above photo is of a "dull" female.  The males will get a greenish-blue hue on their legs and tails, and even a bit of yellow.  Unfortunately, I do not have a decent male photograph in my collection (yet!) By the way, it is called an "earless" lizard because of the lack of an ear hole.

Greater Earless lizards can be seen from central and south Arizona into central Texas, and south in Mexico.  Like many lizards, it is a ground-dweller that eats insects (spiders, grasshoppers, crickets, etc).  As alluded to above, it is generally seen above the low desert, but usually not in high elevations.

If you're looking for an excellent (albeit large) field guide to lizards, I highly recommend Lizards of the American Southwest.