I just looked them up–what great finds!
3 Likes
I love when you just look outside and something lands in front of you. Thank you for sharing.
3 Likes
Wow–a rusty-patched in your yard–I’m a little jealous. 
3 Likes
The nest of phoebes is wonderful.
3 Likes
Right? I was observing that nest since they were eggs. I’d check by once every two weeks until they’d all left.
3 Likes
What is a “best” find? I record anything that catches my eye - “weeds”, bugs, butterflies, birds, frogs, snails. They’re all interesting and mostly beautiful.
5 Likes
Best to you. I figured everyone has a few things that they are especially excited about discovering, but I, too, am always happy with everything I see.
3 Likes
yesterday a bald eagle circled over our house for several minutes. Not super rare here but i don’t usually see them at our house! Didn’t get a great photo, but it was still neat.
Starting to do a moss inventory of our little patch of land too.
Mostly it’s still too wintry for most things, though it’s an earlier spring than average
11 Likes
I’m in Northern Pennsylvania helping family. Normally I’d be in Delaware this time of year. I had forgotten how long it takes for things to go green and bloom just six hours north, so I’m getting impatient. But, I’m excited to see spring arrive here since it has been about 30 years since I was here for the season. I’ve seen a pileated woodpecker in the yard, but, though there are eagles in the area, none have flown by. Must be neat to see soaring overhead. Hope your spring arrives soon.
3 Likes
My apartment is in a solitary building with no associated greenery but the best find I’ve come across inside it is this Scytodes thoracica spitting spider.
If you count the street parking outside there are a few other neat finds that I’ve made:
- Evarcha albaria jumping spider (‘White-Eyebrowed Jumping Spider’ in Korean)
- Pseudomalus cuckoo wasp
- Oxybelus square-headed wasp
- Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata plant-eating lady beetle
4 Likes
Very aptly named–it is white-eyebrowed.
4 Likes
A large Eucalypt tree in my backyard has become very popular with the local birdlife. Common are groups of columbiformes, starlings, weavers and the occasional sunbird. This has also resulted in plenty of seeds making its way to the litter beneath the tree. A few saplings of the common landscaping trees have started to emerge, which is interesting as most of the species would not naturally occur in my area, but benefit from the microclimate underneath the Eucalyptus tree. And since these were brought here by birds, I do not mark them as cultivated, but do try and put in a comment stating how they ended up there.
Late last year I also saw a Malachite Kingfisher, but the bird flew away before I could snap it unfortunately. I have also noticed how the lesser maintained (ie. letting the weeds grow) yards will be more conducive to INat observations, especially during this lockdown!
8 Likes
Yeah, I’ve found those in my apartment before too: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/33652770
2 Likes
You’re so lucky so have such diversity and rarities in your yard! Really shows the amazement that can be found in anyone’s back yard if they treat it well and look hard enough!
5 Likes
My own house in the suburbs doesn’t get a lot of wildlife beyond a few common birds and some interesting insects. My husband’s parents live at the edge of town in a much older house and they have really neat wildlife. I once watched a male hummingbird showing off for a female in their garden and found two rare species of bats (pallid and townsend’s) roosting in their garage.
5 Likes
Found my only Hen of the Woods on my neighbor’s lawn 5ft from my driveway. I may have not asked before picking it ;)
Specifically walked through an oak forest and couldn’t find any.
7 Likes
Hard to choose, most great finds were near our territory but not at it, though there’s the list from my dacha:
European Honey-buzzard with bee hive
Young Hawfinch on an apple tree
Just interesting insects
Noctua pronuba
Seioptera vibrans
Caloptilia stigmatella
+On the neighbours’ property, 5 metres from ours Giant Puffball (was recorded by scientists)
8 Likes
I’ve found a ton of really neat stuff around where I live, both at school in Vermont and back home in California. Warning for arachnophobes, since I find spiders unbelievably fascinating. Also, apologies in advance, I might be bragging a bit here.
Vermont:
Black-palped Jumping Spider I found while walking near the laundry room…which happened to be the first record for the state! It even made it into a scientific publication and onto the Vermont Center for Ecostudies website.
Possible Furrow Orbweaver
Common Liverwort (basal plants are neat!),
What might be a state first observation of a member of a blind ant-eating springtail group
A county first Isotoma springtail
Another county first, a grass snail shell
There’s more, but those are some favorites.
From when I lived on campus (also in Vermont)
Brown-belted Bumble Bee (as well as all other bumble bees)
Snowy Owl, which I came from all the way across campus to see!
This Armadillidium sp. woodlouse, which might be a state first Nosy Pill Woodlouse
A boldly-patterned Zebra Jumping Spider
Possible county first Hover Fly Parasite Wasp
Back home in California
My first-ever observation, a Dark-eyed Junco
This Araneus sp. orbweaver
Warbling Vireo, the 50th species on my unofficial “yard list” of birds
Pug moth!
Potential county first Operophtera moth
Small-headed Fly sp.
Sharp-tailed Snake sp.
There’s a lot to be said for keeping a daily streak, I think, because it forces you to get out and really look at the little things sometimes, just to keep things fresh. Having an interest in them already also helps!
8 Likes
A heron at our pond. Which is not heron sized.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27861584
6 Likes
Welcome to the forum!
2 Likes