Winter is over and spring has sprung! (At least for some parts of the world)
What were your favorite finds from this winter and or what are some animal stories/encounters that were especially note-able?
If you aren’t in the Northern Hemisphere, what was your favorite find from the most recent season?
Whether it be sadly or happily I cannot say, but here in Florida we don’t get much of a “winter” although it does get considerably colder.
Although, I started uploading and identifying tracks which has been a blast!
Favorite story:
I was trailing a large buck that was perhaps only 20-30 minutes ahead of me and all of a sudden raccoon tracks joined in! As I followed they went through some deep much and I only had ankle high boots on, so I covered. Eventually I came out a secret paradise area that appeared to be a spring with all sorts of animal tracks. I ended up finding a doe, but I was unable to find the original buck, but the search was what as fun!
Favorite find(S):
This Softshell turtle: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/200124210
This: Chrysobothris chrysoela
This: Chilling Green Tree Frog
I saw and photo’d not one but two Rufous-backed Robins – rather rare vagrants in the SW U.S. – within about 8 days of each other. The first one was on Dec. 29 (Clark Co., Nevada) and the second was on Jan. 6 (Sierra Co., New Mexico).
Wow thats amazing! Did you chase them or find them?
Chased. But neither was a slam-dunk in finding and photo’ing them.
Ah, well they are still awesome lifers!
Ohh, that just reminded me of an encounter I had… I’m not normally taking animal pictures since the animals never hold still for me - but got this lifer on December 17th, 2023. The snow was so deep the stags had a hard time crossing the road and did it really slowly, with time for me to take out my phone!
Best sighting of the winter for me… My first Virginia Rail in fifteen years of birding… and when I finally see one, it just forages in shallow water not two or three feet away from where I’m standing!
The coldest few days I ever spent in my life at that time were the first days I was in northern Florida for a new job. A freak cold front arrived just when I did and I froze my butt off in a poorly insulated house.
I found quite a lot this winter!
My first observation of a “Sandpiper” (well, evidence of them at least, I could never get close enough to the actual birds)
Also my first observation of a coyote, once again just tracks, as I could ever get a good picture of them before…
And last but not least I found my first scorpionfly!
Wow! That is an astonishing photo!
