Found: Red-legged frog on Burnaby Mountain

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The other day, when I was out searching for aquatic insects for my new aquarium photography setup, I came to a small pond in the forest just below the school, and could have swore that a Red-legged Frog jumped into the water. I did not want to stir up the pond to much, so I told myself I would come back to confirm.

This morning, after sending my predation manuscript to my coauthors for their input, I went down for a peek. Sure enough, right at the border of the pond, was a beautiful Rana aurora! I took a few photos before letting the frog go on its way. I checked the pond with a net, and found that it was full of eggs and larvae, so this was not the only one! I am excited to see this, as this species has been declining across its range in BC (though they were quite abundant when I was a kid). It is good to know that despite the super pro-development forces at this school, that there still remain parklands that can support these frogs.

This weekend, I will be giving a talk at the Science Rendezvous at SFU (part of a national science festival), so perhaps in the morning I will do some more exploring of the wooded areas near the school. If anyone is interested in attending, my talk is at 12:30!

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What to expect when your Cellar Spider is expecting

May3

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Last night, a chance photograph of a large Cellar Spider led to a wonderful discovery. Our Pholcus phalangiodes is gravid!

These Longbodied Cellar Spiders are temperate representatives of a largely tropical group of spiders, and are common members of the household fauna. This gravid cellar spider has a large distended abdomen and through the cuticle you can see her ovaries with their developing eggs.

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The newly yolk-filled eggs are white, and as they mature, they become dark towards the end of the abdomen. I am expecting that soon we will see this female brooding her package of newly-laid eggs soon, as this one did in the same spot last year.

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Within a month or so, these will hatch into gorgeous little translucent Cellar Spiderlings which will remain close to the female until after their first molt.

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Despite her advanced gravid state, our Cellar Spider has not lost her long-limbed lean look, which is probably easy if you are a Cellar Spider! For more information about the reproduction of this impressively leggy species, see here.

isn’t she beautiful?

Some Thursday Spiders

May2

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I just handed in a near-final draft of my predation paper, so I took a stress relief break to photograph some spiders. The philodromid (Running Crab Spider) is a male Philodromus dispar that we found on the way into the lab this morning, but the other one I do not know. Any ideas? UPDATE: this may be Neriene digna, a Linyphiid.

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Students do learn!

Apr26

Isn’t it gratifying when the lessons you teach your students stick?

Antonia Musso, who was my entomology student in 2010, correctly identified this as a Stonefly (Order Plecoptera) and that they are best preserved in ethanol. She also remembered the most important lesson…Bring the cool insects to me! Adam Blake was quick on the species ID, determining it to be Pternarcys californica (family Pternarcydae). His photo is here.

Antonia and Adam wrangle the Stonefly

By the way, Antonia also has a cool tattoo!

Cheapskate Tuesday 12: the Salticid Startler®

Apr16

artist’s impression of the Salticid Startler® fitted to the Monster Macro Rig.

This week’s Cheapskate Tuesday I introduce plans and preliminary work on prototypes of a fun new tool that I hope will enable photographers to achieve better and more consistent shots of the macro shooter’s best friend: Cute jumping spiders gazing into the camera lens!

One of the challenges of jumper photography is to get opportunities of getting those head-on, deep-staring shots that make folks swoon for the sheer cuteness. Although jumping spiders will sometimes fixate on the lens, often they think there is something better to look at just out of frame. Stupid jumpers!

Always looking away!

The rationale for the Salticid Startler is that possibly, when faced with an accurately painted model of a jumper with nice shiny chelicerae and bright shiny eyes, a jumper will have no choice but to stare into the lens.

The scientific rationale is that Salticids (jumping spiders) are highly visually oriented creatures, that can recognize other spiders and respond to visual cues for courtship and combat. With this in mind, I am hoping that my model, affixed in front of and below the lens will hold their attention and allow for better and longer photo opportunities.

“Look right into the camera baby… Dammit!”

To make my prototypes, I am using Sculpey, a type of polymer clay that can be baked into nice plasticky hardness. For five rather over sized models I have used about 1/4 a block (about $1.25 worth).

I will not bore you with details of construction, because that will not help anyway…This stuff is tough to work with if you have large hands! Practice with it and hopefully you can achieve better details than I have!

I will make nice beady, shiny eyes of painted epoxy, and use acrylic paints for the body. I am thinking a nice green metallic nail polish will make a nice finish for the chelicerae of a model for Phidippus johnsoni. You can substitute other colours for whatever species you are targeting.

Prototypes after baking

You will note that the prototypes are way too big…This may be a problem, but alternatively, it may act as a supernormal stimulus, which will increase their effectiveness. I plan on having someone with more nimble fingers make some more life sized ones…

shiny eyes and chelicerae: the key!

These are my thoughts for the Salticid Startler… I don’t have the talent or patience of Thomas Shahan (a god in jumper photography), so I am thinking these might be a lifesaver on my rare jumping spider outings…If any experts would like to offer suggestions, or just shoot the idea down outright, I am all ~~ears~~ eyes!

Weekend Expedition Plans: win a contest?

Apr12

This image, of a gull staring into the window of The Strathcona Hotel in Victoria BC, was taken Jan. 17, 2006, with an HP735 compact (my first digital camera). I won 1st prize in a newspaper photo contest with this.

This weekend expedition I will be heading back to Stanley Park, to take part in the Stanley Park Ecology Society‘s “A week in the life of Stanley Park” photo contest. This contest is open to photos taken from April 6 to 14, so either Saturday or Sunday I will head out and try to shoot something. My best bet is to enter images in the Nature category. It will be a tough contest though, as there are a lot of great photographers making great images in Stanley Park.

I do not have much experience winning contests, but I did get some honourable mentions at the ESC/ESA JAM last fall (thanks Adrian, for the nice write up!). The plan will be to go out, take some strong images, enter the contest, then report back here. Stay tuned!

Portrait session with a raccoon

Apr11

After lunch yesterday, Catherine dropped by the lab to pick up some supplies and mentioned that there was a raccoon outside the insectary. She had driven it up a tree when she came out the door, and that is where I found it when I arrived. This was a pregnant female, and after watching her for a couple minutes, she decided I was not a threat and came down from the tree. In the few minutes we spent together, I saw her eat a scavenged apple, and when I went back to the lab she was grabbing and eating worms from a puddle outside the insectary door.

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Schrödinger’s Grant

Apr3

When one applies for a grant to fund research, or any other activity, the success or failure of that grant application cannot be known until the email or letter comes in, either confirming funding or denying it. For this reason, one’s proposed research can be described as both funded and not funded, until that dreadful email comes in and the wave function collapses. This paradox, formulated by Catherine Scott in an effort to cheer me up, shall hereby be referred to as Schrödinger’s Grant (inspired as it is by the famous thought-experiment of Erwin Schrödinger).

Of four grants I have applied for in the past year to fund further research on the Red-throated Caracara, one has been funded, two have been denied, and the fourth is in this state of limbo.

This is a fine way to think of things, and one can always be optimistic, but is it really wise to pin one’s future on such unpredictable events? Sometimes it seems the height of foolishness.

Of course, in the Many Worlds interpretation of grant funding, there exists a possible universe where Red-throated Caracara research is a top priority and ALL the grants are funded, the Nat Geo special is watched by millions and I have a full time job doing tropical research…

Weekend Expedition 11: A composite

Apr1

This Weekend Expedition is a composite of 3 trips, the first, on Saturday to Boundary Bay, where Catherine and I were shooting pics for the final Wild Research fieldtrip of the winter. The light was pretty awful for photography, but the trip was interesting nonetheless, as we were able to see several species of raptor (including some snowy owls) as well as various passerines.

Sunday I went out with Maia Smith to try out her Canon 7D, specifically the autofocus capabilities thereof for photographing birds in flight…I was amazed at how much easier it was to lock on and stay locked on to flying birds than using my own lazy Canon 60D. This point was driven home forcefully later that day in Deep Cove, where I was unable to get good focus lock on a Red-tailed Hawk and Raven sparring in the sky. I really need to improve my technique with the flying birds, but perhaps in addition it would help to have a fully capable autofocus system…

Anyway, enjoy the pics below.