Twenty Minutes of Wildlife
On Labor Day, I stepped outside about 5 PM, to feed the sheep before heading to a concert at a local winery. In a late-flowering boneset plant, I noticed a large dark shape that I thought was a bird. It turned out to be a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.
5:01 PM: Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) female on late-flowering boneset (Eupatorium serotinum). Dorsal (top) view.
Tiger Swallowtail female, ventral (underside) view.
As I was taking pictures of the butterfly, I noticed over its “shoulder,” an unusual bird perched on a fallen tree out in the pond.
5:08 PM: an uncommon visitor.
Anhingas have only showed up here twice, in June of 2012, and April of 2013, so I switched to photographing it…
Close-up of Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga). Look at the pale webbed feet that almost look like human hands.
…and while I did, I noticed a snake in the water! I rarely see snakes swimming, so I switched to it…
5:16 PM: Broad-banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata).
(That picture didn’t come out too well, so let me show you the same snake from a picture I got back in April.)
The water snake considerately posing for the camera.
And then I saw this juvenile Little Blue Heron in the background!
5:16 PM: juvenile Little Blue Heron ( Egretta caerulea).
Little Blue Heron close-up.
Juvenile Snowy Egrets look a lot like juvenile Little Blue Herons, but I don’t think we’ve ever had a Snowy here, and this bird kept its neck stretched out forward most of the time, so I am going with Little Blue on this one. If you think I have mis-identified it, please let me know!
This is why I take my camera with me just about every time I go outdoors — you never know who is going to show up for a photo op!
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Very productive morning of feeding 🙂
I’m not sure what you mean by “feeding”?
I stopped by your blog and I love your pictures!
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed them. They give my hikes and such a new level of appreciation.
Wait, sorry, I understand, it’s because I said it started when I went to feed the sheep! Sorry! My mind had just jumped to the photos and I had forgotten the sheep were in it at all!
I wondered if the sheep ever got fed, 🙂
Oh, always, they would never let me forget them! 🙂