The camas is blooming, so it is the real deal…Springtime in Victoria, and the arthropods are becoming very abundant!
Phidippus, looking marvelous as usual!
Selatosomus edwardsi, a very elegant elaterid.
A cicada nymph! So cool to find a live one!
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.
Catherine and I have been in Vancouver for a few days, catching up on some school-related business at SFU, and saying hello to our friends. We made a special trip on Sunday to say hello to Stanley Park with our friend Samantha Vibert, and here is what we saw!
Samantha with a juvenile Araneus diadematus. Shortly after this shot was taken, the spider ballooned right off her finger!
A Golden-crowned Sparrow.
A bright eyed and eager-looking Towhee!
This long-jawed orbweaver was tricky to capture with a non-black background, as I had forgotten to charge my second speedlight’s batteries.
A red velvet mite looking red and velvety, which they like to do.
Ensatina! ensatina! (That is how you spell it right?)
This brown Green Lacewing (Nothochrysa californica) was freshly emerged, and looking rather wonderful. Thanks to v belov for the ID!
A mystery egg sac. Any ideas what it could be?
Amaurobiids are extremely abundant in the old firs and cedars of Stanley Park (and everywhere on the coast).
This one has a cool-looking carapace.
Catherine doing some knitting on a gorgeous spring day.
I have written about gulls before, and exploiting their love of potato-based baits to get close up photos, and I have written about using a GoPro. This time, I combine the two, for a 120 fps free-for all, slowed down to 1/4 speed for your edification.
Along the way, I also managed to snap a few other cool shots.
This is a still from the GoPro. Note the extreme distortion and the off yellowish cast.
And here is a shot from my Canon 60D.
A Pigeon Guillemot on a oddly pleasing background.
When the sea looks like this, it is almost like a woodcut.
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.
In the life history of most mammals, olfaction plays an important role, especially for social interaction. Scents tell these animals the identity and sex of individuals, as well as the sexual receptivity of females. It is tough for us humans to appreciate the scent-filled lives of these animals, but the other day, Catherine and I got a first-hand demonstration. On Saturday, we watched a River Otter (Lontra canadensis) using scent to mark his territory. River Otters do not have exclusive territories, but rather overlapping ones, and have encounters with other otters frequently.
The male river otter at dawn, swimming westward around Clover Point in Victoria.
First he stops for some grooming.
Then, he checks previously laid down scent marks near the splash zone on the rocks.
Next, he does his thing, no doubt leaving a strong scent (otter poop is one of the smelliest poops, personal observation). The poop is called a “spraint” and is used as a type of scent mark. Urine also functions in signalling.
The otter smells further marks and rubs anal glands along the rock. Doing this deposits a “jelly”, which is another type of scent mark. He was also rubbing his neck on the substrate.
Further westward, he meets another otter scent marking. Some neck sniffing to start with.
Then it escalates.
Seems to be a standoff, with much vocalizing and baring of teeth.
A bit of a pursuit.
Some further vocalizing and tooth-baring.
Finally, one otter adopts what I think is a submissive posture, while the other continues examining scent marks. Shortly thereafter, the otters continue on their separate ways.
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.
So yesterday, my brother Colin and I went out to see a hummingbird nest…And I realized we were quite near an area which has supported nesting Great Horned Owls for a number of years. I had never really had a tripod with me or a fast lens, so I had never gone into this dark and gloomy part of the forest to find it. Having both things on hand this time, we went to have a look, and to our surprise, the nest was quite visible from a nearby walking path! What a great day out!
Here we can see one of the chicks poking its head out to have a look. It may seem from these pictures that the adult was concerned we were there, but the majority of the time the bird seemed to be snoozing, only briefly opening its eyes.
Here the adult does some preening, while the chick has a look at a dog walking by on the trail.
I love how distinguished these owls look.
Here is a rare frame where the adult and the chick watch while we change positions.
Here is a shot of the adult with two chicks, one alert and one yawning.
In case you are wondering what the hummingbird nest looked like, have a look at this beauty!
And in other bird nesting news, check out this shot my brother got of a Cooper’s Hawk grabbing a branch for a nest just behind where the hummingbird nest was! Photo by Colin McCann.
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).
Time flies! It seems like March is almost gone, and I have barely been out to enjoy the spring weather! Well, yesterday afternoon, I took advantage of a sunny spell to get out to Uplands park to see what I could see. And here is what I encountered!
Barely missing the cutoff, there were a bunch of March Flies (Bibionidae) out on the vegetation and forming mating swarms above the rocks.
Not ones to miss out on a spring fling, I interrupted a couple stragglers from a mating ball of garter snakes (leaving the female alone) to snap a few shots. When the snakes are out and hunting for love, you know it is springtime!
I just managed one shot of this bee while it was perched on an Indian Plum leaf.
This syrphid was feeding on Indian Plum as well, although a little slower than the bee.
There were a few spiders out, including this zebra jumper.
