Thank you, which one?.)
The bearded vulture, although they are all very cool!
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Agree, it’s the most unexpected one! Sadly it’s too late in the year to meet Egyptian Vulture here.
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FINALLY I see these all the time on iNat and help ID them, but finally found one. In my backyard of all places!
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On my hike last weekend in Salt Point State Park, I found not one but two ensatinas. They’re not particularly rare, but I had never seen one in person before, and I get very excited anytime I find a salamander.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141348688
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141348665
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From sunday found some crayfish which I’ve never seen crayfish before. Kinda need some help iding this one. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141420120
And this salamander among three of the same kind. I have never seen a salamander up to this point.https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141420019
And a common raven but I couldn’t get a picture.
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Happy (and pretty surprised) to say that my list continues to grow, despite the first frosts. Yeah, a lot of fungi, and tree/plant IDs, but the little crawlies keep on goin’ and goin’.
Speaking of ‘goin’ and goin’… that’s my segue to batteries, but not EverReady. See what brand this one from a few days back reminds you of:
Nothing I’ve seen so far (in my 5.5 month iNat career), but someone suggested it’s in the Genus Triplax – a fungus eater, which makes sense, given the harvest out there now. (My brother, who also teaches latin, but not a full-blooded naturalist, suggested it’s a Duracelli.)
I also liked adding this one, which I spotted on the outside walls of the public restrooms at the park I routinely visit:
My guess is Odiellus pictus, relatively rare sight in our region. (There were actually 3 of them clustered on the same wall.)
I’ve noticed that there are still many flies, some spiders, moths, and in general, just some hanger-ons. I’ve also discovered that our new garden shed, with its light coloured walls, seems to be attracting some easy pickings for this challenging time of year. Like this Crane Fly. (Like stealing candy from a…)
I’m heading out again today with my camera packed and throwing in some optimism.
Autobiog detail: last night I had a nice phonecall with my older (by 4 years) sister who had heard about my iNat activities. She laughed and told me that she distinctly remember me doing this sort of thing as a wee boy. I have very little memory of this, but then, that’s true of so much of my early days. I even learned something about that. It’s called SDAM, or Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory syndrome. Apparently, it’s pretty common with people who have aphantasia (which I do). Anyhow, it helps explain why since starting iNat, I have started to feel like I’ve entered into my second childhood!
Cheers.
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https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141323589
I was fortunate to collect this microscopic wasp, have the resources to get photos, and get help from the amazing iNaturalist community for this lifer of the week.
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Went for a walk this morning. In a nearby neighbourhood there is lots of public green space in the interiors of the blocks of houses. I don’t go over there very often but it’s fun to see what you can find in the nooks and crannies.
Anyway I have a thing for plant species in the tribe Malveae. So it rather made my morning to find this very pretty new one, which the CV suggests is Anisodontea, apparently a South African genus (@dianastuder?). I’m guessing an escapee from someone’s garden.
If Anisodontea, the first iNat record for the South Island, New Zealand.
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When I check distribution maps, it is daunting to see our plants invading across the map.
Huh! That explains why a friend of mine has no memory before mid teens, and maybe that older she gets seems to really only remember past few years?
Can be highly annoying to me because my ND means i have very clear memory of events from even when I was about 18 months old and by 4/5 years a LOT of memory and I remember things very well in general (yes i can tell you what you had to eat at this restaurant we came to a few years ago and if you liked it or not and yessss we have been here before even tho you forgot already…) not quite a la sheldon cooper but…kinda there. Lol
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This is one area where my memory shines too! Or, at least for truly ‘memorable’ meals. Like the awesome Reuben sandwich I had at that diner in Montreal 20 years ago…
My stomach is tearing up again.
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The best-tasting lifer for me this week was this Date plum tree
Then *Convolvulus persicus* that I very much wanted to see. A mixed flock of blackbirds with Ring Ouzels I’m yet to upload. Dead Caspian seal, said to be a common occurance, but only 11 observations before this. A cute Magpie Inkcap and new crab species – White-tipped Mud Crab.
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This is one area where my memory shines too! Or, at least for truly ‘memorable’ meals. Like the awesome Reuben sandwich I had at that diner in Montreal 20 years ago…
Haha, and here I couldn’t tell you what I had for supper two nights ago. 
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A friend took me “mothing” - setting light-traps for moths for the first time! So I had a few lifers (some I had already met through my nightly walks and looking at shop-windows and lit facades). My favourite was Polymixis flavicincta - with golden spots 
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141723791
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This Pecan Bud Moth looks like a first for Michigan.
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Well, I’d rather remember that than the stupid TV show from 30 years ago. This is why my not owning a TV set is part of my mental hygiene.