A Thousand Acres of Silphiums

Birds of Quivira – Some Assorted Shorebirds

birds, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, wildlife

Tonight I am sharing a few miscellaneous shorebirds. First up to bat is a shorebird that isn’t much of a shorebird at all – the Upland Sandpiper. So named due to its preference for higher and drier habitat, the Upland Sandpiper can be found in fields and meadows. Look for it on a typically elevated perch and find it by its haunting song.

With a ratio of what must have been close to 1000:1, the Wilson’s Phalarope greatly outnumbers any other Phalarope. However, Steve and I were still able to find and ID a couple of Red-necked Phalarope in winter plumage, as pictured above.

A true wetland favorite, the Black-necked Stilt is as pleasing to watch for its behavior as it is a piece of natural art.

As stout and cute as a Bulldog puppy, Willets are always a site for sore eyes.

On our last evening and during our very few hours of decent, golden hour light Steve and watched a number of Willets and Avocets feeding in the shallows near the road.

-OZB

Nesting Birds of Missouri – Northern Flicker

birds, Nesting Birds of Missouri, wildlife

Northern Flickr - Male — Northern Flicker – Male

Earlier this spring I watched with anticipation as a pair of Flickers inspected a potential nest cavity in a wood lot where I work. I watched over several mornings as they came and went and made a ruckus. Here, the male admires the view from the front door.

Northern Flicker - Female — Northern Flicker – Female

The female is pictured above, inspecting the potential nest sight.

But alas, for whatever reason, the pair decided this wasn’t the spot for them this year. Ah well.

-OZB

SNR – A Few Natives

macro, wildlife

Tonight we have a couple of native bees photographed this summer at Shaw’s Nature Reserve. I may very well be incorrect, but I believe the bee pictured above is a Mining bee in the family Andrenidae. I would love to know how much pollen is taken away in a season by these guys.

The final two photos show a sweat bee (Halactidae). These are quite challenging to photograph, but worth the effort.

-OZB

Birds of Quivira – Ruddy Turnstone

bill duncan, birds, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, wildlife

With unique coloration and behavior, the Ruddy Turnstone is a shorebird that does not take a second guess to identify. The photograph above captures this conspicuous behavior for which these birds have earned their name. They do turn anything that they can – looking for any type of small invertebrate that may be hiding underneath. Anything includes dead fish or other animals, shells or trash washed up on a beach.

These guys typically migrate along the coasts and finding them in the interior is not that common. Although we missed out on finding any Buff-breasted Sandpipers during this visit, we were glad to have the opportunity to watch these guys in action.

Ruddy Turnstone with Pipping Plover — Ruddy Turnstone with Piping Plover

-OZB

From the Garden – Lacewings

macro, wildlife

The Lacewing (order Neuroptera, roughly translated to “nerve-wings”) insects are important predators of economic pests. Lacewing larvae are voracious predators that prey upon soft-bodied arthropods such as aphids, scale and whitefly. I have not yet been able to photograph one of these killer larvae yet, and that may be due to their tendency to cover themselves in pieces of trash (including parts of their victims) they find in their environment as camouflage. Another interesting bit of information about these insects is how their eggs are deposited. The photograph below shows the eggs deposited on long thread-like stalks, which have been hypothesized to be deterrents to not only predation, but cannibalism as the larvae hatch and immediately begin to look for something to eat.

OZB

Birds of Quivira – The Egrets

birds, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, wildlife

This Great Egret is in full breeding plumage and has acquired the green mask that are indicative of adult birds. This one has also sustained an injury to its bill, perhaps from an aggressive encounter with another male?

What is more striking than a Snowy Egret?

Finally, I realized I haven’t included too much in terms of habitat shots of Quivira. Here is a pano of one of the more productive sections of the reserve. It’s a pity to think of how much of this habitat has been lost on this continent. How many care or even know?

OZB…

From the Garden – Redbud Bruchid

Backyard Gardens, macro, wildlife

The Redbud Bruchid (Gibbobruchis mimus), as its name suggests, is one of those perfect examples of insect-plant specialization. The larvae of this species will only grow on the seeds of Redbud trees and perhaps on those of a relative or two.

Being extremely small (2.5 – 3 mm), these cute guys are quite the challenge to photograph. Adults feed on plant tissues (flower petals, pollen, nectar, etc…) and I typically have seen them feeding on my Echinacea flowers.

The guy above can be seen creating or adding to a hole in a flower petal. I much prefer them to the exotic invasive Japanese Beetles that tend to leave nothing behind.

The Bruchids are a subfamily or “tribe” found within the quite large family – the Chrysomelidae, known as “Leaf Beetles”.

If you know the size of an individual blossom of the Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), the image above will give you a good idea on just how small these little guys are.

Thanks for stopping by.
OZB

Birds of Quivira – Long-billed Dowitcher

birds, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, wildlife

Considered conspecifics for decades, both the Long-billed and Short-billed Dowitchers breed in the high arctic. Differences in plumage, migratory routes and breeding isolation, followed by allozyme and mtDNA evidence suggested separate species status. The Long-billed, pictured in this post was the only Dowitcher species Steve and I were find at Quivira. This is not altogether surprising due to the Long-billed’s preference for freshwater during migration and the Shirt-billed’s tendency to stick to marine environments.

The long, thick legs and bill give indication as to the depth of water in which these birds feed and they probe for prey using a rapid up and down motion that is quite reminiscent of the action of a sewing machine.

OZB

From the Garden – Bumble Bee

Backyard Gardens, macro, wildlife

Even with a couple great guides, I still am having troubles identifying the Bumble Bees. Getting the right image makes a big difference and I need to remember to take photos from multiple angles in order to get sure IDs. Missouri is home to ten species of bumblebee and I imagine identification will get easier with practice.

The native wildflowers in my yard are huge attractants for all bees, and especially bumblebees. The long-tongued bumblebees and honeybees cover the Echinacea and Silphium in the garden, while the smaller, shorter tongued species are mostly attracted to the Rudbeckia.

Thanks for stopping by!
OZB

Birds of Quivira – The Waterfowl

birds, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, wildlife

Most of the waterfowl had long since migrated north by the time Steve and I visited Quivira in May, but we were able to find a few. We encountered a few Eared Grebe and with the winds as high as they were, the waves were impressive in such shallow bodies of water.

Eared Grebe - Winter — Eared Grebe – Winter

Blue-winged Teal were the most abundant of the waterfowl.

Finally, we watched this gorgeous pair of Canada Geese in golden hour light. They seemed more appropriate here than in any other setting I had ever seen them before.