My first cathartid, first vulture, and first accipitrimorph (but not first Hieravis, as I’ve heard a night owl), flew overhead while I was taking pictures of some bees.
My first eggar.
And that’s all for last week.
My first yucca will probably be destroyed soon, as it’s in the path of a road I’ve been staking (some of my other obs have pictures of stakes), but hopefully there are enough yuccas off the road.
A bird I observed a few weeks ago has been identified as Spizella pusilla; the genus is new to me, though the family is not. The associated crow is still just a crow.
My first campanuloid and my first Erigeron are only CV-identified.
That is such a cool digger!!!
i heard my first american woodcock today and im freaking elated about it!! peent!! i almost cried haha they’re like a cryptid the way i’ve been consuming internet content about them but never having seen or heard one. a night to remember
here is the obs
First bacteria, I wouldn’t have guessed: a Star Jelly (Nostoc commune)
This plant is CV IDed as Sisyrinchium, in which case it’s my second Iridacea (the first was an iris four weeks ago).
A spider on the concrete at the church entrance is my first wolf spider. One of my first observations someone thought was a Hogna and pointed me to iNat, but it turned out to be a dolomede.
While walking in the woods staking a road (see the yucca above, which is now in bloom), I found what appears to be a crownbeard.
A plant at the previous house has been identified as Rudbeckia.
I went to a park to check for birds. I was hoping for blue-winged warblers. But, I didn’t get there until 10 am. This turned out to be just right for dragonflies.
I got an arrowhead spiketail, a twin-spotted spiketail and watched a cuckoo catch one of the spiketails.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/366193939
I’m afraid this is from last week, but this is the last lifer I found with my dad before he passed, Naucoria scolecina:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/365690437
I wanted to mark it in some way because we both loved mushrooms so much and used to hunt for them together.
Dear Cara,
I’m sorry you lost your dad, especially at such a young age. It’s wonderful that you have this record of your shared love for nature, and I appreciate your vulnerability in sharing it with us.
By identifying so many mushroom observations, you are continuing your dad’s legacy. Take care of yourself!
Thank you so much Adam,
He was an extraordinary dad to all of us, and I wouldn’t be who I am today without him.
My sincere condolences, and I’m so glad you got the chance to find this mushroom together in time.
I am so sorry for your loss. I think your observation is a beautiful tribute to your time together. My dad died a few years ago and I miss him every day. A love of nature is one thing he gave me that endures and grows. It sounds like your dad had a similar effect on you. (((Hugs))) Grief is weird and so so hard.
Lycalopex sechurae (Sechuran Fox) from Reserva Chappari near Chiclayo, Peru. An IUCN Near Threatened species, this is the female of a bonded pair that live in straw on the roof of the Reserve’s restaurant. She was pregnant and near birth based on her mammaries.
@mkanimallover,
thank you, it was the best final thing we could have done together, swimming in one of the last clean rivers and holding a mushroom saying ‘I have no idea what this is!’.
Thank you so much Justine,
My condolences for your loss. It is so important to have had that shared love of nature with a family member. I’m just so grateful to him that he didn’t tell me he was dying until I had done most of my exams. He was prioritising my future even at the end. I’ll never forget the effect he had on my life.
This King Rail was an unexpected lifer yesterday! I was one of the instructors for a kayak certification program with the Ohio State Parks and Watercraft, educating seasonals and interns about kayak safety, paddle techniques, and rescues - along with three other educators. Towards the end of the class, one of the kayakers saw a rail closeby, and shouted out for everyone to gather. It was originally called out as a Virginia Rail.
Fortunately, I was one of the few that had a cellphone on me, so I floated nearby and snapped a few quick photos. Luckily it was very cooperative. I even snapped a selfie with the bird just about visible in the background! It was not until an hour later that I was able to review my photos, and started to doubt the initial identification. I sent the photos to a few friends, who all confirmed my suspicions - KING RAIL!
I’ve got two this week. I went to Denmark and took home my first ever marine/brackish water sample for microscopy. Found lots of exciting stuff, but these two are my favourites so far:
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This beetle larva.
I have no idea which species this is, but I was very surprised to find it in the sample. I thought aquatic beetle larvae exclusively inhabited freshwater habitats.
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This marine isopod (Jaera sp.)
Always happy to add a new isopod species to my life list.
My other two favourites aren’t yet on iNat. It’s a marine oligochaete as well as a harpacticoid copepod that I probably don’t yet have.