Fuzzy abdomen
Velvet worm!
I've added all of my pictures here (even the terrible ones) because these guys are so cool (and they're surprisingly not too difficult to ID)
Feeding voraciously on a spicy wing from Pizza Hut...
Amblypygids!
Identified as Charinus pescotti on Bowerbird by Matthew Connors: "I was so excited to see these guys in the wild - they're so tiny! They're apparently somewhat common but they're rarely seen due to their size and speed. Two individuals were hiding under rotting logs but only this one posed for a photo. (And now I get to add in another order above Araneae!)"
it is winter, it is cold
I went down to my swimming spot with the aim of removing some branches from a tree which had fallen across the river. As I arrived I disturbed a young Fish Eagle who was sitting on this tree. Rustling in the undergrowth on the opposite bank alerted Dog and me that we were not alone and soon an otter popped up its head, sending the dog into a fit (she probably thought it was a swimming honey badger). Another otter also started popping up and down and doing a sort of long moan-growl. To my surprise the closer otter started making a bee-line for us and was probably only 3m away from the dog when I called her back. After a while they settled down so I entered the water to commence my pruning task, keeping a close eye on the nearest otter. Dog was sensibly sticking to the bank. After a few minutes I noticed the otter had moved closer, was staring at me intently and again moan-growling. Being waist-deep in water with nothing for protection but a swimming costume and a folding saw, I decided to calmly retreat and the otter immediately snaked over and claimed the territory I had just vacated. Video here:
Horrible field photo from my phone. Better photos to come.
Not the rufous tailed scrub robin that we were looking for..!
Kankankee Bullsnake found on the crawl.
Around 3.5 ft (1 m) in length
Large Kankankee Bullsnake found on the crawl.
Around 5.5 ft (1.7 m) in length
Young adult female. Vicinity of Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
Camera trap deployed in Loliem Plateau
Bolbe with attachments
I've never seen a mantis with any sort of attachments, but this little one was covered in large dirt particles - maybe for camouflage? It didn't seem accidental and certainly did a good job of breaking up the mantis's outline, so I'm curious to know whether the mantis did it itself. Has anyone seen this sort of thing before?
Moved off of the road
Porcelio spinicornis again... I can't help myself ! They are so beautifull....
Yay! It's official - Spring has finally arrived in NJ! Most folks consider the lovely American Robin as the herald of Springtime, but for any Herpetologist worth his/her "scalation" - it's undoubtedly the first Snake of the season, no matter the species, haha! Observed basking (uncharacteristically for Storeria) along an abandoned railroad bed in a local industrial park. Vicinity of Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
Date: 2 April 2020
Time: 1030
Location: Yelm, WA.
Weather:
Temp: 40
Wind: Calm to 5 MPH
Precipitation: None
Cloud Cover: 75%
Group Size: Individual
About the area: This is a rural agricultural neighborhood made up of three to twenty acre lots.
Habitat: Mix of open fields, dense shrubs, and mixed deciduous and coniferous forests.
Observation Point
Location: 15904 148th AVE SE Yelm, WA. 98597
GPS: 46°52'22.6"N 122°36'17.7"W
Lat 46.872937, Long -122.604914
Habitat:
This open area is surrounded by forests. The forest is Primarily second growth Douglas fir but mixed with Alder, Ash, and Cotton Wood trees.
Notes:
The weather at the time of this observation was mostly cloudy and it had just rained. This female Western Blue bird was collected grass to take back to the bird house.
SIZE: Sparrow
COLORS: Blue, chestnut and grey.
ACTIVITY: On the ground collecting material to take back to the bird house.
Species Identified:
COMMON NAME: Western Bluebird
LATIN NAME: Sialia mexicana
GENUS: Sialia
FAMILY: Turdidae
ORDER: Passeriformes
CLASS: Aves
PHYLUM: Chordata
Stumbled upon this nest and startled the female. Took three quick photos and high-tailed it out of there to avoid stressing the parents any more.
A fig parrot in a nest hollow which it had created in a dead branch in my front yard. Two chicks were raised.
aka Cepobaculum tattonianum
Pentastomid Gecko Parasite
Identified as Waddycephalus on Bowerbird by Ken Walker: "The identification was made by a colleague at Melbourne University. It's a Crustacean nymph parasite of all things. Pentastomiasis (also known as Porocephalosis) is a disease caused by infection with pentastomids. Pentastomids or Rallietellids are endoparasites of the respiratory system of vertebrates, maturing primarily in carnivorous reptiles (eg. snakes). Adult and larval pentastomids can cause severe pathology resulting in the death of their intermediate and definitive hosts. These parasites have an indirect life cycle involving one of more intermediate host. A closely related parasite genus Raillietiella was found to use frogs as an intermediate host in frog eating snakes. Nymphs of Waddycephalus have been recorded in numerous taxa (e.g. dasyurids, elapids, geckos, skinks, frogs, and owls) but it is unclear whether these animals are viable intermediate hosts or accidental hosts in which the parasite will not develop further or will transfer to other hosts. Considering the diet of known definitive hosts of Waddycephalus, frogs and/or lizards are the most plausible intermediate host for these parasites. For more information, see: https://www.wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Portals/0/Documents/FactSheets/Reptiles/Pentastomiasis%20in%20Australian%20snakes%20Jul%202014%20(1.1).pdf"
About 16cm long.