Dragonfly Sunday
After two weeks of almost daily monsoon rains, Jornada Lake is finally deserving of the name again.
Those little black dots are actually dragonflies. In the early morning the lake is abuzz with them. In the quiet and still desert air you can actually hear their wings clattering. It was that cloud of dragonflies that brought me down to the lake on a Sunday morning, both the lame digital camera and phone camera in hand, as well as binoculars and field guides.
I literally brought a lawn chair to sit and watch as sometimes four or five couples would be ovipositing in the same muddy patch surrounded by creosote and mesquite bushes right in front of me, just a foot or two off the road.But you know I can't stay seated once I start seeing things like these little frogs hopping around
Isn't he the cutest thing you ever saw? It's hard to tell on such a little fellow, but I'm thinking he is a red-spotted toad like the ones I find around the ranch house when it rains. Once I started looking in the water, I began to see all sorts of critters. We caught this odd thing - the mystery invertebrate. Maybe I can find out what he is today.
He rather strongly resembles a horseshoe crab. Underneath his legs are bright red/orange. Aha! The hubby just found him in a field guide - he is a Tadpole Shrimp! Residents of temporary desert lakes, the eggs lie dormant in the soil until the rains come (if they come, we didn't have a lake here last year). The other tiny "tadpole" we caught may be a Fairy Shrimp, now that we are looking at the photo in the guide.
This is a HUGE tadpole, easily four inches long. Look at that pretty golden eye! He has just got to be a bullfrog tadpole, he is a good four inches long. Oh yeah, dragonflies.
Most of the dragonflies were of the larger varieties. I am sure of the bright green and blue Giant Darners. I had a brief glimpse of one large, bright golden yellow dragonfly who flew straight at me, then up and over my head. I only saw him one time, but I am thinking he was most likely a Wandering Glider. There were some Mexican Amberwings - their bright orange wings gleaming in the early morning light. The Variegated Meadowhawks, who we see frequently even on the ranch where it is dry, were well represented - probably the majority of the dragonflies there were Meadowhawks, including Cherry Faced Meadowhawks. Flame Skimmers greeted me the minute I stepped out of the car. Those are just the ones I'm fairly sure of. I didn't have a net, or I might have captured a few dozen in the first sweep and been able to give you a list of definate species! A couple of Vivid Dancers showed up to represent the damselfly family - wish I could have gotten a photo of those blue beauties. Our pretty little Desert Grassland Whiptails with their bright aqua tails were scurrying around the edges of the water, and I saw what I think was a Longnose Leopard Lizard who crossed a little finger of water as I was watching a pair of dragonflies who were ovipositing into it, trying to catch a photo. Reptiles, amphibeans, invertebrates - and last but hardly least - a bird! (See why I had to rename the blog?) It was quite shy and I never got a really good look, but I am guessing it was some sort of sandpiper or plover. Similar to a killdeer, but not as large with a high pitched sort of "churr" call. It was feeding in the shallows and doing a good job of staying concealed in tufts of grass. In flight it had quite long, pointed wings and showed me a brownish back and either a black or dark head or cap. Alas, I never got a really good look at him. :(
You can see all of the photos here on my Flickr account. The hubby is calling me to eat - have a nice Sunday! Summer
Posted: Sunday 20th July 2008, 1:31 PM
Introducing... BORIS!
I was walking across the yard today and happened upon our friend, Boris. Boris here is a desert tarantula. We can tell he is a male because he is black with sparse red hairs on his abdomen - the ladies are brownish colored. He is really quite handsome and glossy, as if he were made of black velvet.I first met Boris when the roomie discovered him living in a box stored on the front porch. I suppose some of you would have screamed and stomped, but we were actually quite glad to have him. Boris eats bugs. Lots of them. And here in the desert, we have bugs. Lots of them. So Boris was gently released into the yard and now and then we meet as we each go about our daily business. I stopped to say hello this morning as I saw him walking across the drive. 
At first he said he was really quite busy and couldn't stop, but after a pause to think about it, he turned and walked almost to my feet and them stopped to pose for his portrait. Then, really, we both had a lot to do so we had to get going.
So you can see how large Boris really is I got a photo of him with our cowdog Klyde. I wish I had snapped it one minute later as Klyde took a sniff of Boris, and Boris reared back, legs spread and fangs snapping and told him just what he thought about nosy cowdogs.
 I thought Boris would really be quite the star of our show today, but on my next trip across the yard I passed under one of the trees and heard a ruckus as what must be a very large bird flushed. Of course, I looked up - just in time to see a beautiful white medium sized owl flush out of the tree. He was probably only a foot or two over my head. The air filled with screams as the small birds nesting in the yard saw him and rallied the troops. Instantly, over 20 small birds, sparrows, flycatchers, and western kingbirds flew into action, mobbing the hapless Barn Owl. He made a circle around the yard, trying to gain some speed and altitude despite the mob of little birds screeching and diving, then flew off to the north. What a thrilling sight! I had the phone on me, but the memory was full with Boris pictures and I certainly didn't have time to mess with it before the nearly pure whiteowl disappeared against the cloudy sky. That same sky has darkened now. Hearing thunder I glanced out the window to see how close the storm is. I have just a wee bit more outdoor work I may have to hurry and go do. And there is a Rufous Hummingbird checking out the Oriole feeder! Wow! What an awesome Friday! But I really do need to hurry out and move some livestock under cover! Summer Fey Foovay
Posted: Friday 18th July 2008, 12:45 PM
A really special I and the Bird Carnival
I and the Bird #79 asks the question "Why are you still bird blogging" of it's participants (myself included).The answers are many and varied and evolved in to one of the few carnivals in which I believe I read each and every single post and even replied to a few. The carnival is fascinating not only as a birder, but as a writer, and a blogger. This one is not to be missed. So quit wasting time reading my babble and go read this carnival! Summer Fey Foovay
Posted: Thursday 10th July 2008, 10:06 AM
| 
Useful Birding Links
