Tag Archive | Weekend Expedition

Weekend Expedition 25: a few from Stanley Park

IMG_2709

Some Eudioctria Robber Flies getting it on!

Photography seems to run in my family, with my Dad shooting lots of people and landscapes, and my brother doing lots of aviation and travel shooting.

My Dad was visiting this weekend from Romania, and so I thought I would take him out to find some cool stuff in Stanley Park. Now is a great time for fledgling birds, and all the summer specialties such as robber flies are abundant.

IMG_2484

A mother Wood Duck watches her brood.

IMG_2490

Wood Duckling!

IMG_2515

Fledgling Great Blue Heron, trying to fish.

IMG_2475

Young Canada Goose, looking serious.

IMG_2537

Crows were foraging in the intertidal of English Bay.

IMG_2538

A fledgling crow learns how to get mollusks on the beach.

IMG_2564

My dad takes a break while I shoot crows.

IMG_2580

IMG_2592

Soldier Beetle tosses antennae provocatively.

IMG_2596

IMG_2620

A monster!

IMG_2654

Lacewing larvae are pretty fascinating.

IMG_2688

The Eudioctria were a bit randy today.

IMG_2720

And hungry! Here is one with a barklouse as prey.

IMG_2714

Strategic wing placement?

IMG_2738

This Anthidium manicatum was fixated on these flowers. For an introduced species, these are pretty nice looking insects.

Weekend Expedition 24: Long Weekend in Victoria

IMG_1438

This halictid peering out of a burrow was probably the coolest shot I managed.

This Canada Day Long Weekend, Catherine and I took the ferry to Victoria to visit my mom and chill out in the record-setting heat. This was great for the party people, not so great for our skin and the photographic opportunities. Strangely enough, very hot and dry weather is not very good for nature photography, as the light becomes very harsh very quickly, and those few insects that have not retreated to shelter from the elements are zipping around like maniacs with their metabolisms in high gear.

I did get some decent shots however, it was just a lot more painful than it might ordinarily have been.

IMG_1038

The first day, Catherine and I kayaked out to Discovery Island, just off Oak Bay, where a wolf has been living (!) since this winter.

IMG_1087

Although the voyage over was scenic and the water calm, I did not trust my ability to hold the camera free of the salt spray to shoot the seals and seabirds we saw. When we arrived, the overheated little island yielded little photographic material. It was also ridiculously hot.

IMG_1043

We did not end up seeing the wolf, but we did find some of its droppings, which were still fragrant and moist.

IMG_1068

One lowly Chestnut-backed Chickadee was the best I could come up with.

IMG_1156

Later that evening, walking on Dallas Road, we did some gull and dog shooting.

IMG_1257

a monster!

IMG_1318

This little guy was having a ball.

IMG_1176

The heat created some interesting haze effects on the water.

IMG_0980

Maggie, my mom’s dog is more sedate, but still a great model.

IMG_1565

The cliffs at Dallas Road (in Beacon Hill Park) are  a great place to find solitary bees, including Anthophorids, Megachilids and Halictids. These sandy cliffs are great for burrowing species.

IMG_1439

A beautiful little Halictid.

IMG_1529

Megachilid

IMG_1516 IMG_1560

IMG_1672

It was so rich with Hymenoptera, but so hard to shoot them in the sun, I came out Tuesday at dawn to try to catch them when they were less active…

IMG_1787

Unfortunately for me, the only insects that were slowed by the dawn temperature drop were a couple crabronids. All the Anthophora shot out of their burrows pre-heated and ready to work!

IMG_1796

IMG_1815

I did manage one shot of Anthophora bomboides peeking out of its burrow.

IMG_1920

Frustrated in the morning, I went out late Tuesday afternoon for some shooting at Uplands Park.

IMG_1943

Some kind of flower-feeding scarab.

IMG_1958

A juvenile katydid!

IMG_1968

Small robber fly with aphid prey.

Weekend Expedition 23: Swallows around Vancouver

IMG_0569

This weekend Expedition was a bit of a walk in the park, specifically two parks: Stanley Park on Saturday and Maplewood Park on Sunday. Nothing much was going on, and to be honest I was a bit worn out from Barn Owl work on Friday night; Sofi and I banded three chicks in rural Richmond and checked some nest boxes.

IMG_0331

I am cute, but I cause fatigue!

The original intention was to go out and get some last-minute Pollinator Week shots to wow you all with, but I got to Stanley Park late, and the best thing on offer were these lovely Barn Swallow chicks being fed by their parents. Over the course of the next three hours, I practiced shooting their incredibly high-speed prey deliveries, and saw the world of insects from the “FEED ME!!!” perspective of the chicks.  Most of the prey seemed to be pupal Chironomidae, which were presumably taken by the adults skimming on the wing.

IMG_0571-2

IMG_0568

IMG_0645

Adult and chick together

IMG_0662

The reverse-the-head maneuver. I often use this when eating nachos, just to show off.

IMG_0669

IMG_0678

The bright colour of the youngster’s gape is evident here. An easy target for the adult to aim for.

IMG_0679

IMG_0913

I imagine this  would be somewhat disconcerting the first few times.

IMG_0707

IMG_0838

Sears Portrait of the chicks.

IMG_0857

Contented and sleepy. This phase lasts approximately two minutes.

IMG_0798

IMG_0540

IMG_0934

IMG_0914-2

IMG_0888-2

IMG_0778-2

IMG_0733

IMG_0492

Other species of swallow were also around, such as this juvenile Violet-green Swallow.

IMG_0494

IMG_0710

An adult Tree Swallow beside a juvenile Barn Swallow.

IMG_0714

And an adult Violet-green Swallow.

IMG_1071

At Maplewood Park, we saw some Purple Martins perched above the beach.

IMG_1075

Female Purple Martin.

IMG_1060

The killer pollinator shots will have to wait for later in the year!

Weekend Expedition 22: Strathcona Park, Vancouver

IMG_0467

This Weekend Expedition was to the wilds of Stratchcona Park (no not that one). This is a large park in East Vancouver that features some huge cottonwoods, playing fields and a big community garden! Also, there is a bald eagle nest in one of the cottonwoods, so it is just the place for an insect/raptorophile such as myself.

IMG_0248

These chicks will likely fledge in a week or so. I thought this was a cool shot showing them all stacked up in the morning light.

IMG_0320 IMG_0329

IMG_0235-2

There are many ways to enjoy the park, like biting your best friend’s head at full gallop!

IMG_0394

A Cranberry Girdler (Chrysoteuchia topiaria) rests on a grass stem. The gardens are a good source of pests!

IMG_0426

A male Wool Carder Bee (Anthidium manicatum: Megachilidae), a European import, waits on Lamb’s Ear (Stachys byzantina) for a female.

IMG_0634

A female Wool Carder gathers Lamb’s Ear fibers for her nest.

IMG_0531

The Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) is a gorgeous flower feeder in the summertime.

IMG_0551

Coming in!

IMG_0555

Honeybee in a poppy.

IMG_0606

A  pretty little ichneumonid  (Mesostenus thoracicus)grooms.

IMG_0593

The under-log fauna. Isopods are actually quite attractive little beasts.

IMG_0689

A large stinkbug on a dead daisy.

IMG_0731

A Linnaeus’s Spangle-wing (Chrysoclista linneella), sits on a trunk. There were hundreds out today, flying around a grove of European Linden.

IMG_0752

This crab spider enjoys the haul of Spangle-wings.

Weekend Expedition 21: A spider hunt at Iona Beach

IMG_8733-2

This weekend expedition, I put out the call for our lab members to join me in a trip to Iona Beach, which is just bustling this time of year with all kinds of wonderful creatures, especially some wonderful spiders. I was joined by Catherine Scott, Samantha Vibert, Matt Holl and Nathan Derstine from our lab, and the newly-minted Dr. Gwylim Blackburn of UBC. We were heavily loaded with spider experts, as Catherine studies the western black widow, Sam has studied the hobo spider, and Gwylim is an expert in salticid behaviour and evolution. Luckily for us, Iona Beach was a field site for both Samantha and Gwylim, so they knew the good spots to find the best spiders.

IMG_8320

A chrysidid seeks bee nests to parasitize

IMG_8347

A male Yellow-headed Blackbird. This population at Iona Beach is a very disjunct coastal population of a normally Interior bird.

 

IMG_8403

A male Salticus scenicus (Zebra Jumper). Look at his amazing chelicerae!

IMG_8473

Sam enjoys the Yellow-headed Blackbird

IMG_8511

We checked out the progress on the new Wild Research banding hut.

IMG_8529

A male Tree Swallow watches his mate’s nest box.

IMG_8544

The female peeks out.

IMG_8574

Gwylim handles a newly-shed garter snake

IMG_8584

So bright!

IMG_8588

A male Habronattus americanus traverses a log.

IMG_8597

A large female Trochosa wolf spider hides under a log.

IMG_8748

A female Hobo Spider (Tegenaria agrestis) under a log at the beach.

 

IMG_8638

A very large female Habronattus americanus was unimpressed with our match making (we tried to bring a male in to see courtship).

IMG_8650

IMG_8684

The male Habronattus americanus, resplendent with his bright colouration.

IMG_8714

This jumper Matt found is is Habronattus hirsutus.

IMG_8762

A female Phidippus johnsoni looks out from her egg sac.

IMG_8777

IMG_8806

Gwillim and Catherine searching for Habronattus ophrys.

IMG_8816

Nathan scans the ground carefully. H. ophrys is very elusive!

IMG_8843

A beautiful Philodromid (running crab spider) under an aster.

At the end of the day, I did some studio shots with the Habronattus ophrys and the Habronattus hirsutus, as the first one at least has very poor photo documentation.

IMG_8941

Habronattus hirsutus

IMG_8901

Habronattus hirsutus

IMG_8989

Habronattus ophrys

IMG_9021

Habronattus ophrys

Weekend Expedition 19: Black Widow collecting at Island View Beach

IMG_5192

This Weekend Expedition was an important working trip, to collect wild stock for Catherine’s western black widow colony. Catherine studies the sexual communication of these beautiful spiders, and requires wild stock to work on. The purpose of this trip was to collect adult females, as well as egg sacs to give the annual boost that her colony requires. We set out Sunday morning to Island View Beach on the Saanich Peninsula of Vancouver Island to turn over logs and search for a hidden treasure of Latrodectus hesperus.

IMG_4980

On the ferry ride over, Catherine begrudgingly shared her breakfast with some gulls.

IMG_5035

And became a big star!

IMG_5122

Providing some close up views of gulls flying over water!

IMG_5276

Island View Beach

IMG_5139

Catherine explains the double pocket technique: load one pocket with empty vials, and transfer to the other as you collect the spiders.

IMG_5275

Jeff and Chloe search a log

IMG_5273

Devin traversed the dunes.

IMG_5266

A rare overwintered male black widow. It is darker than ones reared in the lab.

IMG_5314

A not-yet-adult female black widow.

IMG_5166-2

Black widows were not the only spiders we found of course. Here is a female hobo spider with her egg sac.

IMG_5172

A crab spider waits out the rain under a log

IMG_5213

We also saw many Dysdera crocata, the Woodlouse Hunter

IMG_5311-2

which are well-endowed with huge fangs, an adaptation to defeat their well-armoured prey.

IMG_5148

A grub of what I presume is Polyphylla decemlineta, the 10-lined June beetle

IMG_5159

an Enormous Banana Slug!

IMG_5217

Termites, walking in a line. These are likely Reticulotermes hesperus, the western drywood termite. Pay attention Entomology 317 students! Driftwood filled beaches!

IMG_5236

More social insect action!

IMG_5299

A beautiful Carabid

IMG_5919

Lunch on the beach in the rain

IMG_5333

A very short collection trip comes to an end.

IMG_5419

Posing with the booty!

Weekend Expedition Plans: Island View Beach spider collection!

7175212439_4e233febdf_c

Black widow with egg sac under a log.

I am headed back to the smog-filled urban sprawl that is Vancouver… But just for 1 night. I come back to the Island Sunday for a quick day trip to collect Black Widows at Island View Beach on Sunday. Here is a shot of last year’s collection trip.

Weekend Expedition 18: Around Victoria, East Sooke and Saanich

IMG_2681

A river otter chows into a large sculpin at East Sooke Park.

This weekend was the  Victoria Day Holiday in Canada, so what better way to spend it than out searching for cool things in and around Victoria? Over the course of the past four days, I traveled on the Saanich Peninsula, out to East Sooke, and around the city to various localities to take pictures of natural things. I also spent some time by the seaside in Oak Bay, shooting intertidal creatures for the Cheapskate Tuesday post to follow. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as Catherine and I enjoyed taking them!

Weekend Expedition 17: The un-Expedition

stinkbug

This weekend I was busy with science outreach at the Science Rendezvous, where I gave a talk on caracara predation behaviour. I only got the chance for a short outing around the lab, and a quick visit to Hastings Park on Sunday before some heavy rain started. I did manage to return with some modest prizes, including some heron fishing footage.

A Stonefly in the headwaters of Stony Creek behind SFU.

A Mayfly in the headwaters of Stony Creek behind SFU.

This Mayfly lived much less than a day, before the water striders got it.

This Mayfly lived much less than a day, before the water striders got it.

Julie Wray waits to deliver fresh science at the Science Rendezvous.

Julie Wray of the Elle Lab  waits to deliver fresh science at the Science Rendezvous.

feast of the gerrids pink California Poppy

Believe it or not, this is a Neuropteran, family Coniopterygidae. They are often called Dustywings.

Believe it or not, this is a Neuropteran, family Coniopterygidae. They are often called Dustywings.

Found this under some plywood behind the Insectary Annex at SFU.

Found this under some plywood behind the Insectary Annex at SFU.

Totem Pole covered in algae, Hastings Park.

Totem Pole covered in algae, Hastings Park.

IMG_0421

A Great Blue Heron fishes in Hastings Park

A Great Blue Heron fishes in Hastings Park

Below is the Heron Fishing video. Watch it in HD if you can, and see this impressive bird on goldfish patrol!