Laphria are back!

Jul4

I came up to SFU today to give a practice run-through of my PhD defense seminar (it is next week!). The talk went OK, given that I had not practiced it, but afterward, at lunch, I went out to see what I could see in the forest behind the lab. What I saw was this beautiful bee-like robber fly (Laphria spp.) munching down on a bumblebee! I hope you enjoy the pictures!

This fly was being very uncooperative, facing away from the camera on a high bush.

Laphria are likely Batesian mimics of bumblebees, and you can see the resemblance here.

Here is the last shot I got of the pair, as the robber takes off to find a paparazzi-free perch to enjoy its meal.

A watery world of gulls

May3

If you have ever taken the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, the part with the spectacular scenery is Active Pass. This narrow channel separates Galiano Island on the north from Mayne Island on the south, and is a great place to watch out for wildlife. This time of year, thousands of tiny Bonaparte’s Gulls gather in the pass for feeding prior to migration to breeding grounds inland. These gulls have molted into their breeding plumage, and are quite handsome. They are difficult to get close-up shots of, as they are small and shy, and don’t like french fries. Nonetheless, they add to the feeling of abundant life of the sea-land interface of the Pacific Coast in springtime.

When I can’t get a closeup, a shot like this emphasizing the patterns of the water works nicely too.

Here the subjects are difficult to discern, but I like the juxtaposition of the small gulls and the big ocean.

Here you can see some feeding behavior in a raft of gulls.

The gulls seem to commute from one end of the pass to the other, perhaps following the tides. These waters get turbulent, and I presume lots of organisms get churned out of either end.

Getting out on deck on the ferry for photography is a great way to spend the time. Especially so now that the weather is fine!

Wet and dry owls

Apr26

The past few days have been rather different as far as weather is concerned. Wednesday night was extremely rainy, and when I went out to see the Great Horned Owls on Thursday morning, they were sopping wet! There was some excitement, with a raven flying in too close, and requiring a chase-off by both the male and female.

After the raven was safely away, the male (top) and female (bottom) owl perched together in a tree. I normally never see them together like this during daylight hours.

Here is a video of the two interacting.

On Friday morning, when I got to the nest, I found the male owl with his tail feathers soaked in blood. Whatever he killed the night before must have bled a lot!

Meanwhile, both the mother and the chick were perched on the very top of the nest stump. You can see how big the chick is already!

I went back later in the afternoon to try to shoot in some better light, but of course the owls were mainly sleeping.

The male got quite excited upon seeing a Cooper’s Hawk fly by the nest. This time, it didn’t require a chase. I also noted that his blood-soaked tail was now clean.

I found that shooting in the better afternoon light allowed for crisper rendition of the chick’s plumage, but at the cost of blowing out the sky.

Crisp rendition or no, this chick spent most of the afternoon snoozing, perhaps dreaming of large rats.

Down to one owlet

Apr19

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This morning I went back to see the Great Horned Owl nest, after an absence of more than a week. Worryingly, there only seems to be one owlet in the nest. I am unsure where the other one might be. It may have succumbed to predation, or possibly is out of the nest nearby. I recorded a bit of video yesterday evening, and in it the mother owl feeds the chick in the nest, then carries a headless rat out to the west of the nest. It could be that the the other chick is out there and the parents are still feeding it. This is probably the last year this nest will be in use, as the snag is very nearly rotted through, and will not likely last another winter. You can see the whole nest move as the adult takes off or lands.

The female did some “allopreening” of the chick.

Yesterday morning the female was actually driven off the nest by a guy yelling at his dog. This is the first time I have seen the owls disturbed by people nearby.

Last evening, about 20 minutes after the female disappeared with the headless rat, she re-appeared without it. This gives me some hope the other chick is still out there being fed.

Looking over the edge…

Apr10

I can identify a lot with this little Great Horned Owlet, looking out from its nest. I am about to leave my nest too, having basically completed my PhD thesis and getting word that my committee is willing to allow me to defend. I have been busy, revising manuscripts (I submitted three papers this week!) and networking to try to get funding for a postdoc. I have a few good leads, but definitely nothing solid at this point…

I am ready to switch directions a bit, to start examining animal behavior from a landscape perspective (an owl’s eye view?) so that I can gain skills and experience I will need to fulfill some scientific goals of mine. I feel a bit like the uncoordinated chick though, in that I am uncertain how to go through the motions to make this work. A scary time!

Anyway, I have done some more shooting at the Great Horned Owl nest last evening (surprise surprise) and have made some videos and pictures I think you will enjoy!

First, Here is a chick getting a bit cavalier about scratching.

And here is the arrival and departure of the female owl (sorry about the weird edit!):

A picture of the mother and the largest chick. The mother is considerably larger than the male, who I have never seen on the nest.

Danger! Love! Sleeping! Owl nest has it all!

Apr7

I went back to photograph the Great Horned owl nest yesterday, and it was much like many bird nests I have taken shots at. Somewhat boring, with brief moments of excitement.

The shoot started with the two chicks taking a nap, with brief stretching and alert periods.

Things got interesting when this Cooper’s Hawk showed up…I thought the adults were asleep, but the one perched above my head gave chase. Danger averted!

Here is the hawk watching from a distance.

This was my attempt to get the landing of an adult on the nest… Not too easy in the low light!

The chicks look interested though.

Here is the adult scoping out a dog and walker.

The adult actually managed to squeeze in there!

A comfy chick cuddles up to its alert parent.

For more owl goodness, check out this video below.

Get it while you can

Apr2

A beautiful male Woodlouse Hunter, Dysdera crocata. I am pretty sure we encountered the same one last year under the same log.

Things are busy right now, as I am trying to arrange to defend my thesis, finishing up writing tasks and seeking a postdoc….But spring is still springing, and outside is so beautiful and warm! Hell, I could be dead tomorrow, so why not go out and see what I can see in the sunshine. Here are a few of the pictures from the past few days, as the warm spring sunshine activates the local fauna!

A Giant House Spider, in her house under a rock.

First (live) Polistes of the year from Victoria.

A male Anna’s Hummingbird, from Mt. Tolmie.

Off-colour commentary by a gull?

I stopped down to f18 to try to get some mountains behind this gull.

A Nomada parasitic bee, on the lookout for hosts.

This seems to be a good year for garter snakes.

These gall wasps were having an ovipositionathon on the newly sprouting Garry Oak leaves. I think these are the jumping gall wasp, Neuroterus saltatorius.

This is the defensive posture, but it almost looks like he is casting a spell (or he has root hairs stuck in his claws).

It’s stormy out there!

Mar28

For the past week, we have been taking care of a golden retreiver, Jackson, who was Maggie’s best friend. Today I took him out to Cattle Point to enjoy the stormy weather. I think Maggie would have approved, although she probably would have swum out in the rough sea (you could not keep her out!).

Jackson takes a more laid-back approach to the ocean, and is fine with just staying on shore.

I love it when the gulls get all streamlined to avoid being blown off the rocks!

Nothing happening here, just an eagle landing near an otter on a beautiful stormy day. A goose looks on in the background.

I wonder what a good surf photographer could do with a waterproof camera hiding out while ducks came by…

Alligator Lizard at Mt. Tomie

Mar24

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The Northern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea) is one of the coolest vertebrates found In southern Vancouver Island. they are native to the Puget Lowlands south to northern California, and Garry Oak Meadow habitat, such as that found at Mt. Tolmie Park is a good place to see them. I rarely encounter them out and about, but often see them under rocks in sunstruck areas.

These lizards are members of the family Anguidae, so their relatives include such odd lizards as the Glass Lizards. Alligator Lizards give birth to live young, and are quite easy to keep in captivity (as I found out when I was a kid). They make a great display animal for nature houses in parks, as folks are often amazed that we have a native lizard on Vancouver Island at all. Showing them one of these cool lizards might just help to inspire a conservation mindset in visitors to these threatened habitats.

BTW, this lizard is probably the same individual I found last year, albeit with slightly less tail.

You can see the autotomized tail in this shot.

Other things you can find under rocks: my first black widow of the year!

Some spring shots from Victoria

Mar21

It is a popular pastime among us West Coasters to point out our gorgeous spring weather to those of you who are freezing back East. I think that’s just cruel. Nonetheless, I can’t help but notice it is minus three in Toronto, snowing in Alberta and freezing in New Brunswick….Here in Victoria, the snakes are out, the flowers are blooming and we are expecting our first Rufous Hummingbirds any day now!

Here are a few shots from the past couple days in sunny Victoria!