Weekend Expedition 49: you don’t have to go far!

May26

This weekend I spent close to home, working on my final thesis tweaks before it goes out to my committee. Instead of going on a proper expedition, I decided to explore our new neighbourhood of Kerrisdale. Right near our house is a largely-disused railway line that has some good habitat, including tall grasses and saplings, so that is where I rambled. In addition to finding the cuckoo wasps on Friday evening, I also saw a bunch of other cool stuff!

At the top of the grasses where I found the chrysidids, I encountered many large sac spiders (Clubionidae). These fearsome-looking spiders all seemed to be feeding on the same thing: Aphids! With these huge chelicerae and fangs, it seems to be a bit of an overkill!

Check out the chelicerae on this girl!

Also interested in aphids, these Myrmica are milking a thriving colony on a sapling. I figure these are Myrmica incompleta, a fairly robust species.

Myrmica are rather fascinating ants, and a genus I am working with. More on this another day.

These ants have quite the herd of aphids!

On a quick trip to Trout Lake (in East Van), I found some little katydid nymphs. These appear to be meadow katydids, a welcome change from the introduced drumming katydids.

A robust dolichopodid (Long-legged Fly) by the side of Trout Lake. They are quick!

Not quick enough for this tiger fly (Coenosia spp.)!

Here is a Coenosia looking regal and dramatic in the sunset.

This golden dung fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) was also looking regal (and probably freshly-eclosed).

Back at the railroad tracks in Kerrisdale, I found these Lasius taking honeydew from a scale insect on an oak sapling.

and some mating Coleophora deauratella (red clover casebearer).

Sleeping Cuckoo Wasps!

May25

Last time I got up close with sleeping Hymenoptera, I was shooting Nomada, also known as cuckoo bees. Friday night, about 100 m from my new apartment, I shot some Chrysididae, also known as cuckoo wasps or jewel wasps, which are also nest parasites of stinging Hymenoptera. These gorgeous little wasps are super tough (if you have ever pinned them) with a highly sculptured cuticle and the ability to roll up in a little ball, presumably for defense while dealing with stinging hosts. Peering at a series of pinned cuckoo wasps in Intro Entomology was a big part in winning me over to study insects!

Unlike other sleeping hymenopterans I have shot (Coelioxys, Megachile, Nomada and Ammophila), these guys seem to use their ball-rolling muscles to cling on to the grasses. Because they were so small, I was wishing for more magnification…I could not even find my extension tubes!

These wasps are some of the most gorgeous insects around.

Here you can see the wasp’s feet clinging on, as well as the concave abdomen which also facilitates the defensive posture.

I tried getting both of them to sleep on the same flower, but they seemed to maintain a sizable personal space. While I was doing this, late-foraging yellowjjacket queens were examining the tops of the grasses as well. There were also many sleeping blowflies on the grasses, which may have been what the yellowjackets were hunting for.

Here the two cuckoo’s are finally settling down again. They both appear to be male, with 13 segments on the antennae.

A bit of stretching before bed.

They seem to be connected by a detached bit of spider silk.

In the morning I went back to the site, and both were still on the same plant. Here one of the wasps cleans his eye.

And appears to be ready to start the day!

Spidery treasures from an exit ramp

May14

This week I have been working in a grassy strip adjacent to an exit ramp on Annacis Island, a small industrial zone in Delta BC. One would think that there would be nothing but invasive species, litter and misery in such a place, but to my surprise, I found a great diversity of jumping spiders! Here is a selection of some of them that I photographed.

A female Phidippus looks out from a hole in the scorching concrete of a barrier rail.

I presume this elegant male is a Habronattus or Sitticus of sorts, but I am not sure what it might be. Any suggestions?

Here is a male Evarcha. This genus has some absolutely stunning eyes.

This is a male Habronattus decorus, and I am afraid my photos do not do it justice! The abdomen gleams like brushed copper in the sunlight.

These little guys seem to be great posers, and I would like to do some more shots of them soon.

This is one shot which captures the metallic copper abdomen.

I believe this is the female Habronattus decorus, and she too has some coppery gleam, but is more camouflaged than the male.

I have both of these in petri dishes now, so I will try to introduce them after they have had a feed.

What a great haul of spiders! I did not mention any of the great number of Synageles I saw, but will definitely post some shots when I get them!

Weekend Expedition 48: Iona and McDonald Beach, Pacific Spirit Park

May12

Ochlerotatus dorsalis, a saltmarsh breeding mosquito, is abundant at both McDonald and Iona Beach. This one was particularly persistent and bit readily on my hand.

This weekend, Catherine and I made a few quick trips around the area to hit some of our favourite haunts. The weather was nice, but after a long week including a move back to the Lower Mainland, we were not up for major exertion. Here are some of the cool things we saw.

An dew-covered weevil at McDonald Beach.

Here is another shot of the Ochlerotatus dorsalis. This light-coloured, day-biting mosquito is super-pretty.

The forest of Pacific Spirit Park was full of harvestmen. They could be found on almost every bush along the trail we walked.

This sac spider posed for at least a few frames before dropping to the ground.

A freshly emerged muscoid fly. You can see the ptilinum poking out from the front of its face (just above teh antennae), which it used to pop the cap off its puparium.

A particularly robust springtail on a fallen leaf.

This damsel bug appears to be feeding on some kind of nematoceran fly.

At Iona Beach, there are oodles of non biting midges (Chironomidae) as there are sewage ponds nearby as well as less-polluted man-made ponds.

A male zebra jumper.

This cuckoo wasp was diligently exploring every nook and cranny in this dead log, looking for a host nest for her eggs.

I love the metallic sheen on these. They are also notable for having a very hard exoskeleton, a trait shared with other nest parasites such as velvet ants (Mutillidae).

This shot is pretty cute!

Osprey are always hunting around the ponds at Iona, and this one made several flybys.

The Yellow headed Blackbird can be found at Iona, one of the only places on the coast where it occurs.

Weekend Expedition 47: Some shots from Island View Beach

May5

Catherine and I spent our last full day on the Island visiting her field site at Island View Beach. The weather was cool with a bit of rain, and it was a good time to explore the driftwood and dunes looking for arthropods.

The Formica obscuripes colony I visited earlier this year was busy and seems to have some reproductives emerging.

These ants are colourful and charismatic.

The winged adults were not flying (yet) but seemed ready to do so when conditions are right.

A dance fly (Empididae) waiting on a grass leaf.

A male Zebra Jumper (Salticus scenicus) scoping around for females. These guys have massive chelicerae!

A soldier among workers of the western subterranean termite, Reticulitermes hesperus.

There were quite a few Dysdera crocata hiding under the logs. Catherine and I learned that these can live up to four years in captivity!

A particularly large and pretty giant house spider, Eratigena duellica.

This tiger crane fly bears some superficial similarity to a male black widow… The same long orange-yellow legs with dark joints anyway.

Another crane fly from head-on.

I do not know what this spider might be, and this is the only shot I got…Any ideas?

Tenebrionids live a long and presumably boring life. This one is feeding on moss, which I guess is good, but not my favourite.

This Phidippus johnsoni was the only other jumper we encountered. The Habronattus were not active.

Of course, the widows were quite abundant as usual. We saw many females, none with egg sacs, and no males…Our search was not extensive though. We were hoping to see some of the large overwintered morph males such as the one I encountered last week.

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!

The empty nest…

Apr28

Yesterday, Catherine and I went to see the Great Horned Owls, and found this scene. The nest was empty, and the adults were gone. We searched all around, but found no trace of them. We did, however, find the previously-missing chick, dead right below the nest. I am not sure what could have killed it, although a bad fall could have done it. With the primaries that far developed it should have been able to break the fall somewhat, but there is no telling whether it hit something on the way down, or perhaps was grabbed by an eagle or hawk.

We are hoping what happened with the other chick is that it fledged, although who really knows…We will keep an eye out for the family, as they will probably stay within this patch of woods. I will remember this unique experience of seeing these bold Great Horned Owls, nesting so close to a walking path in an urban forest.

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Nomada

Apr27

For macrophotography, no bees are better subjects than sleeping bees. When these normally busy Hymenoptera decide to turn in for the evening, it takes a lot to disturb them. Because of their single-mindedness, they make excellent subjects, and they can be found at a convenient time, such as the early morning (before work) and in the evening (after work). The leaf they are grasping can often be detached from the plant and then the whole setup can be posed with one hand while shooting with the other. If you are dextrous enough, you can even hold a white bounce card on the opposite side to your key light in order to provide some nice creamy fill.

I got the chance yesterday to try out some of these tricks with sleeping Nomada. The members of this genus are cleptoparasites of other bees, such as Andrena, meaning they seek out the other bees’ nests and oviposit within them. Then the Nomada larva consumes the provisions that the host laid in for her young. Nomada seems to be a tricky group to identify, and hence I cannot provide specific identifications, but I suspect all of these are in the Nomada ruficornis species group.

I hope you enjoy the photos!

Aiming the Monster Macro Rig toward some nearby vegetation produces a nice soft green background.

Aiming up produces a nice blue sky backdrop.

This is the result of positioning the same subject in front of a dandelion.

A bit of a different angle. You can see pollen adhering to the thorax, probably picked up while entering a host’s nest.

Here is another Nomada I found in the afternoon.You can see it is hanging on with just the mandibles.

This one was not fully committed to sleeping, so woke up and detached…

Providing the opportunity for another good angle!

A hairier and more robust individual.

Sleeping on a Snowberry leaf.

If you ever get the chance, go out and find some sleeping bees! You won’t regret it!

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.

Practicing for wildlife photography with dogs!

Apr23

Rapid focusing and composition takes practice. Getting good opportunities to hone these skills in rapidly-changing conditions is important, if you want to capture that awesome shot of, say, wolves bringing down a deer. I don’t have any wolves (or deer), but I do have Rex (a.k.a. the Rexaroo. my friend Bekka Brodie‘s dog). This fast little guy provides a great opportunity to practice these skills, and makes an engaging and photogenic subject in his own right. Check out the shots I got of him yesterday afternoon!