Saturday, April 11th, 2015

No specimens today but I did wind up with some pretty great pictures.

I think it says a lot about the quality of a camera that I was able to get some good pictures, because I have no idea what I am doing. I should really look into taking a class, or perhaps reading the manual a bit more.

Bluff at Atwater Park

I any event I was out by 6:30AM which felt great. It's so nice to feel like I have something to look forward to in the morning. I got some really nice pictures of birds in flight this morning, completely by accident. The best is probably this one I got of a Black-capped Chickadee.

Black-capped Chickadee in flight

Besides the usual songbirds I saw mostly woodpeckers today, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers but also a bunch of Red-bellied Woodpeckers which I don't think I've ever identified before. There is this dead tree kind of near the beach which is probably home for a nesting pair because I saw one go into this knot hole while a male that was fending off what I believe were some European Starlings.

The nest is in the knot left of the woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, probably a male

I did also see a turkey when I first entered the preserve, but I was quite far away and I wasn't quite quick enough on the draw to get a photo. I did hear it when I was leaving, but I wasn't able to see it again. Perhaps another day. My plan today is to pick a church and go sketch. I'll let you know how that goes.

Afternoon Update: First reptile of the year!

Butler's Garter Snake

I went to the Urban Ecology center after lunch, mostly to sketch St. Casimir's from the little hill that overlooks the river, and when I was walking up I saw this wonderful little Garter Snake. I think it was still a little lethargic, because while it did try to scoot away I was able to catch it very easily. I remembered that they smelled, but I had forgot just how hard it was to wash out of your hands. It seems like they are neigh identical, but I think this may be a Butler's Garter snake. It could very easily be a Common Garter Snake, but their stripes don't seem to be quite as sharp as the Butler's, which seems to be closer to this guy.

Either way, great find.

I'll try to scan the sketch at my parent's house when I go there this evening for JD's birthday. For the moment, here is today's photo:

4/11/15