I'm your average semi-casual birdwatcher, but I reserve the passion other people save for birds for dragonflies and damselflies. I love almost all of nature, though, and get pretty excited about reptiles and mammals and plants, too.

My Master's thesis focused on plant paleoecology.

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mbarton's favorite taxa

Northern River Otter - Photo (c) Jason Pratt, some rights reserved (CC BY) CC
Northern River Otter Info
The North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis), also known as the Northern River Otter or the Common Otter, is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to the North American continent, found in and along its waterways and coasts. An adult river otter can weigh between 5 and 14 kg (11 and 30 lb). The river otter is protected and insulated by a thick, water-repellent coat of fur. (From Wikipedia)
American Rubyspot - Photo (c) Patrick Coin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA) CC
American Rubyspot Info
The American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana) is a damselfly of the family Calopterygidae. Males have a lustrous red head and thorax. The abdomen of both genders is brilliant green. The female may have either green or copper colored marks on the thorax. (From Wikipedia)
Scarlet Hawaiian Honeycreeper - Photo (c) Caleb Slemmons, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) CC
Scarlet Hawaiian Honeycreeper Info
The ʻIʻiwi or Scarlet Hawaiian Honeycreeper (Vestiaria coccinea) is a Hawaiian finch in the Hawaiian honeycreeper subfamily, Drepanidinae, and the only member of the genus Vestiaria. One of the most plentiful species of this family, many of which are endangered or extinct, the ʻiʻiwi is a highly recognizable symbol of Hawaiʻi. The ʻiʻiwi is the third most common native land bird in the Hawaiian Islands. There are large colonies of ʻiʻiwi on the islands of Hawaiʻi... (From Wikipedia)
Blue-footed Booby - Photo (c) Mikko Koponen, some rights reserved (CC BY) CC
Blue-footed Booby Info
The Blue-footed Booby (Sula nebouxii) is a bird in the Sulidae family which comprises ten species of long-winged seabirds. The natural breeding habitat of the Blue-footed Booby is tropical and subtropical islands off the Pacific Ocean, most famously, the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. (From Wikipedia)
Galapagos Land Iguana - Photo (c) Tim Ellis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) CC
Galapagos Land Iguana Info
The Galapagos Land Iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) is a species of lizard in the Iguanidae family. It is one of three species of the genus Conolophus. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands, primarily the islands of Fernandina, Isabela, Santa Cruz, North Seymour, Hood and South Plaza. (From Wikipedia)
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher - Photo (c) TexasEagle, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) CC
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Info
The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) is a long-tailed insect-eating bird closely related to the kingbirds. (From Wikipedia)
Burrowing Owl - Photo (c) Jack Wolf, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND) CC
Burrowing Owl Info
The Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) is a small, long-legged owl found throughout open landscapes of North and South America. Burrowing owls can be found in grasslands, rangelands, agricultural areas, deserts, or any other dry, open area with low vegetation. They nest and roost in burrows, such as those excavated by prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.). Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are often active during the day, although they tend to avoid the mid-day heat. Most hunting is... (From Wikipedia)
Flammulated Owl - Photo (c) Jerry Oldenettel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA) CC
Flammulated Owl Info
The Flammulated Owl (Otus flammeolus) is a small, nocturnal owl approximately 15 cm (6 in) long with a 36 cm (14 in) wingspan. It breeds from southern British Columbia and the western United States to central Mexico. The Flammulated Owl is similar in appearance to the Western Screech Owl but is only about one-quarter the mass, lacks large ear tufts, has dark eyes and a different voice (but has small ear tufts that are barely visible).... (From Wikipedia)
White-faced Ibis - Photo (c) Linda Tanner, some rights reserved (CC BY) CC
White-faced Ibis Info
The White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae. (From Wikipedia)
Roseate Skimmer - Photo (c) Cory  Campora, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) CC
Roseate Skimmer Info
The Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) is a common southern dragonfly. The male of the species has a rose pink and red/maroon colored abdomen. Females of the species have orange-brown abdomens with clear orangish veins and a brownish thorax with a light stripe down back. The young have a bright pinkish or purple abdomen and when they are mature adults their thorax will develop a pale bluish tint. (From Wikipedia)
Tricolored Heron - Photo (c) Jerry Oldenettel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA) CC
Tricolored Heron Info
The Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) formerly known in North America as the Louisiana Heron, is a small heron. It is a resident breeder from the Gulf states of the USA and northern Mexico south through Central America and the Caribbean to central Brazil and Peru. There is some post-breeding dispersal to well north of the nesting range. (From Wikipedia)
Flightless Cormorant - Photo (c) Laura Gooch, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND) CC
Flightless Cormorant Info
The Flightless Cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi), also known as the Galapagos Cormorant, is a cormorant native to the Galapagos Islands, and an example of the highly unusual fauna there. It is unique in that it is the only cormorant that has lost the ability to fly. Once it was placed in its own genus, Nannopterum or Compsohalieus, although current taxonomy places it in the genus with most of the other cormorants, Phalacrocorax. (From Wikipedia)
Red-footed Booby - Photo (c) Drew Avery, some rights reserved (CC BY) CC
Red-footed Booby Info
The Red-footed Booby, Sula sula, is a large seabird of the gannet family, Sulidae. They are powerful and agile fliers, but they are clumsy in takeoffs and landings. (From Wikipedia)
Marine Iguana - Photo (c) David Cook Wildlife Photography, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) CC
Marine Iguana Info
The Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is an iguana found only on the Galapagos Islands that has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to live and forage in the sea. It has spread to all the islands in the archipelago, and is sometimes called the Galapagos Marine Iguana. It mainly lives on the rocky Galapagos shore, but can also be spotted in marshes and mangrove beaches. (From Wikipedia)
5920-medium

aka M.