המועדפים של jen_outside

Link to closeup photos/observations of American Kestrel a few months ago: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148412846 and in flight: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148413216

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is a small, common, migratory, multi-colored North American falcon in the Falconidae family with a wing span up to 27cm (10.5 inches). Male American Kestrel has bluish gray wings and a row of white, circular spots on trailing edges of wings. Female has uniformly brown back and tail. Both sexes have 2 dark vertical facial stripes.
Feeding behavior: Hunts mostly by watching from a high perch, then swooping down to capture prey. Sometimes, especially when no good perch is available, it hovers over fields to watch for prey. May pursue and catch insects, birds, or bats in flight. Individual kestrels often specialize on one particular kind of prey. Diet is mostly large insects; also some small mammals, birds, and reptiles. Grasshoppers are among the favored prey, but many other large insects are taken, including beetles, dragonflies, moths, caterpillars, etc.. Also feeds on mammals, including voles, mice, and sometimes bats, small birds sometimes up to the size of quail, lizards, frogs, earthworms, and spiders. The American Kestrel is a well-established species that has evolved into 17 subspecies adapted to different environments and habitats throughout the Americas.
Sample sound recordings below.

Xeno-canto Bird songs, sound recordings, and species range map: https://xeno-canto.org/species/Falco-sparverius

Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/search_results?search=Falco%20sparverius

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017, pp. 322-323.

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008, pp. 114, 118.

E Bird https://ebird.org/species/amekes and https://ebird.org/explore

Merlin Bird ID (great app available for Iphones) by The Cornell Lab (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

Comprehensive Feather I.D. tools and more: https://foundfeathers.org/resources/

Found Feathers: https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php

ABSTRACT
"Ageing Female American Kestrels In Hand"
Previously, we thought that we could correctly age
female American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) by the
width of the dark subterminal band (wide for adults
and narrow for juveniles), but others have reported that
juvenile female kestrels may have either narrow or wide
subterminal bands. Pyle (2008) identifies differences
in tail tip shape as a character to distinguish between
juvenile and adult female kestrels (wide and blunt on
adults, narrow and pointed on juveniles). We show,
based on the tails of 169 known-age females, that
tail tip shape serves to determine age, but with some
caveats. Tail tip shape serves for ageing males based
on 79 known-age males. Kestrels that had been aged
by molt, recapture, plumage, and fault bars have served
to verify the accuracy of tail tip shape in ageing. We
found a few cases in which, for various reasons, this
technique did not work. We will discuss these herein"

Abstract from North American Bird Bander July-Dec, 2021.
https://easternbirdb

Pink grasshopper, approximately 2 cm (less than 1 inch) long, sitting in grassland.

Valley Grasshopper (Oedaleonotus enigma) Native insect in the Short-horned Grasshoppers (Acrididae) Family

"Sometimes, individual orthopterans (grasshoppers, crickets and katydids) display pink coloration that is not typical of their species. In particular, many grasshoppers are green and so these pink individuals may have a rare genetic mutation that causes this pink coloration (called erythrism). We want to track which species have these brilliant pink aberrants and also where they occur. "

INaturalist Project: Pink Orthopteran Project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pink-orthopteran-project

Bug photographs from the U.S/Canada for I.D: https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Oedaleonotus+enigma and https://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Acrididae

4 friends enjoying early happy hour around the backyard Pyrex dish birdbath. The water is changed once or twice a day. The Salinas River is also nearby. I love the sounds they make to call their friends.

Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus). Small woodpecker, 23cm (9 inches), with strong claws, short legs, and stiff tail feathers. Male has larger red cap at crown than female. They are sociable birds, generally found in small, vocal colonies of 2-12 birds. In the fall they drill small holes into tree trunks (or telephone poles) and pound an acorn into each hole for their winter food supply. Colonies use the same "granary tree" year after year. They are often found in California Oak woodlands.

"These colorful natives live in large groups in western oak woodlands where they consistently store thousands of acorns in trees helped by their fascinating social dynamics. Family groups hold territories, and one member is always on alert to guard the hoard from thieves while others race through the trees giving parrot-like waka-waka calls that serve as alerts and warnings for competitors to stay away. The family groups span generations, as young woodpeckers stay with their parents for several years to help raise more clutches. All members of an acorn Woodpecker family group spend much of their time storing acorns in a granary tree, which may see up to 50,000 holes."
From Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History website.

Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/acorn-woodpecker

Bird Songs and Sounds I.D. worldwide
Acorn Woodpecker: https://xeno-canto.org/explore?query=Melanerpes%20formicivorus

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017, pp.306-307

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008, pp. 245-245

Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society, p. 304.

An excellent book-- (The) Monterey Pine Forest: Coastal California's Living Legacy, 2nd. ed, The Monterey Pine Forest Watch, 2018, p. 17.

E Bird https://ebird.org/explore and https://ebird.org/species/acowoo/

The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ (enter common name) and https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Acorn_Woodpecker

Merlin Bird ID (great app available for Iphones) by The Cornell Lab (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

Found Feathers (Worldwide): https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php

Clark County, Nevada, US

This Say's Phoebe was moving around and hunting from the Desert Bighorn Sheep. It spent time picking flies off from around the ears of some of the sheep plus the more routine diving out and capturing insects from the near the ground.
One of the young sheep was fascinated by the Say's Phoebe and kept trying to get as close to is as possible, and looked like it was trying to sniff it.
The big male ram of the group wasn't too happy with the bird using its rear end for a hunting perch. The look in his eyes is awesome as he stared at the bird.

Grizzly Bear sow with 2-3 year old cub overturning rocks and foraging along the river bank.

Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos ssp. horribilis) characteristics:
Grizzly bears are excellent swimmers.
A pronounced muscular hump appears on adult grizzlies' shoulders; black bears do not have this hump.
A "dished in" profile of their face with short, rounded ears, whereas a black bear has a straight face profile and longer ears.
A grizzly bear can also be identified by its rump, which is lower than its shoulders; a black bear's rump is higher than its shoulders.
A grizzly bear's front claws measure about 2–4 inches in length; a black bear's claws measure about 1–2 inches in length. Claws are longer than an American black bear’s and are adapted for digging.

Although the once-abundant California grizzly bear appears prominently on the state flag of California and was the symbol of the Bear Flag Republic before California's admission to the Union in 1850, that subspecies or population is Extinct. The last known grizzlies in California were killed in the Sierra foothills east of Fresno in the early 1920s :-(

Hibernation: Grizzly bears hibernate for 5 to 7 months each year, except where the climate is warm (the California grizzly did not hibernate). During this time, female grizzly bears give birth to their offspring, who then consume milk from their mother and gain strength for the remainder of the hibernation period. To prepare for hibernation, grizzlies must prepare a den, and consume an immense amount of food as they do not eat during hibernation. Grizzly bears do not defecate or urinate throughout the entire hibernation period. The male grizzly bear's hibernation ends in early to mid-March, while females emerge in April or early May.

Reproduction: Except for females with cubs, grizzlies are normally solitary, active animals, but in coastal areas, grizzlies gather around streams, lakes, rivers, and ponds during the salmon spawn. Females (sows) produce one to four young (usually two) that are small and weigh only about 450 grams (1 lb) at birth. A sow is protective of her offspring and will attack if she thinks she or her cubs are threatened.
Grizzly bears have one of the lowest reproductive rates of all terrestrial mammals in North America. This is due to numerous ecological factors. Grizzly bears do not reach sexual maturity until they are at least five years old.

Diet: Although grizzlies are of the order Carnivora and have the digestive system of carnivores, they are normally omnivores: their diets consist of both plants and animals.

More. . . https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/125461-Ursus-arctos-horribilis

Commonly called a "Jellyfish" which is a misnomer because they are not fish. The only commonality between jellyfish and fish, is that both are found in the ocean.

Greater Moon Jelly (Aurelia labiata) A.k.a. Moon Jellyfish. In the True Jellies class (Class Scyphozoa). Circular shape, 4-16" diameter (10-40cm). Translucent with lavender tint, often with visible 4 horseshoe-shaped darker purple gonads or reproductive organs. Usually found floating near surface. Tentacles on a living moon jelly can cause a slight rash when handled.
The Aurelia labiata have adaptive behaviors that include directional and vertical swimming. Directional swimming helps them escape from predators, approach to a food source, and swim through turbulence. Vertical swimming allows them to avoid rocky walls and low salinity. These behaviors come from their sensory receptors and nervous system that allows better mobility for their survival.

Beachcombers's Guide to Seashore Life of California, J.D. Sept, Rev. ed. 2009, p. 26.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/130235-Aurelia-labiata

Two young juvenile horned lizards, both less than 1.5 inches (4cm) long, crossing the asphalt road, within 100 ft of each other. Small black spots on whole underside. I don’t usually pick them up, but we didn’t want them to get run over by bike riders or hikers. 4 juvenile Blainville’s Horned Lizards observed in the past 2 days in Ford Ord.

Blainville's Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii) a.k.a San Diego Horned Lizard, is a species of phrynosomatid lizard native to southern and central California and northern Baja California in Mexico. The range has been severely fragmented due to urbanization and habitat loss.
Description: Adults are 2.5 - 4.5 inches long from snout to vent (6.3 - 11.4 cm). It is a flat-bodied lizard with a wide oval-shaped body, scattered enlarged pointed scales on the upper body and tail, and a large crown of horns or spines on the head. The two center horns are the longest. Males have enlarged postanal scales and a swollen tail base during the breeding season. Each side of the body has two rows of pointed fringe scales. Each side of the throat has two or three rows of enlarged pointed scales. Females are larger in size than males.
Color and Pattern: Color is reddish-brown, yellow, or gray, with dark blotches on the back and large dark spots on the sides of the neck. The belly is cream, beige, or yellow, usually with dark spots, and the belly scales are smooth.
Activity: Diurnal. Active during periods of warm weather, retreating underground and becoming inactive during extended periods of low temperatures or extreme heat.
Diet and Feeding: Eats mainly ants, especially harvester ants, but also consumes other small invertebrates such as spiders, beetles, termites, flies, honeybees, moth larvae, and grasshoppers.

Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/p.blainvillii.html

Bulbophyllum analamazoatrae, orchid, micro orchid, epiphyte, Andasibe Mantadia National Park, Perinet reserve, Perinet's rainforest, It is the best park for the indri, the largest lemur, and two of the 62 resident groups have been habituated, making them easy to see. There are eight other species of lemur in Andasibe and the most commonly seen include the grey bamboo lemurs, brown lemurs and woolly lemurs. There are some wonderful chameleons in the reserve including the two-foot long Parson’s chameleon and the tiny nose-horned chameleon. Frogs are plentiful and birding highlights include Madagascar blue pigeon, coral-billed nuthatches and the Madagascar long-eared owl. There are four species to see at Lemur Island, including the bamboo lemur, the black & white ruffed lemur, brown lemur and diademed sifaka. Madagascar: Africa, Africa12D1535.CR2

I think this is P. socia rather than P. confoederata based on the relative separation of muscle bands 3-4, but I am happy to be corrected: http://sio-legacy.ucsd.edu/zooplanktonguide/species/pegea-socia