As usual, the Durham area made its transition into spring.
American Robins and Common Dandelions were on the ground already, but small
wildflowers began to appear. Although spiders had appeared through most of
this uncharacteristically mild winter, small insects started to show up.
We saw the last few of the thousands of Ring-billed Gulls that congregate at
Ebenezer Church State Recreation Area in Chatham County on 2/15; they were gone
last year on 2/20.
Durham, NC 2/29/12
Male Eastern Towhee
scratching for insects
Scratching for seeds
Red Maple seeds
Red Maple samaras
Persian Speedwells
Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC
2/28/12
Honeybee
Crane Fly Orchid
Field Pansy
Spring Beauty
Unfolding Spring Beauty
Trout Lilies
Trout Lilies, focus on
leaves
Mouseear Chickweed
(Cerastium vulgatum), possibly an
oddball Common Chickweed
Trout Lily flower
Froghopper
Hepatica
Star Chickweed
Trout Lilies
Durham, NC 2/28/12
Long-jawed orb weaver
Jumping spider (female Hentzia
palmarum)
Durham, NC 2/27/12
Neighborhood dog
White-lined Burrowing Bug
North Carolina Museum of Art (outside), Wake
County, NC 2/24/12
Male and female Hooded Mergansers
The Hooded Merganser
couple joins,
They swim together.
The female pulls ahead.
Male Hooded Merganser,
alone
Leaf? Leaves? Hard to
tell.
Field Pansy
Speedwell
Rosemary flowers
(Rosmarinus genus)
Tree sculpture
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC
2/23/12
Common Buckeye, unusually
small and lively
Turtle
Yellowbelly Slider
Yellowbelly Turtle
Spring Azure
Grasses
Siler's Bog, with an
iridescent oily sheen
A small marsh in a large
field
The creek and the other
side
A group of deciduous trees
in a field, with a pine border
Durham, NC 2/22/12
Pine flower snout beetle
(Cimberis pilosa), about 5 mm long.
Male midge
Moth
Jumping spider
(Paraphidippus aurantius)
Running crab spider
(Philodromus genus)
Durham, NC 2/19/12
A cardioid in nature. In
theory, it's a geometrical figure formed by the path traced by a
point on a circle rotating along another circle of the same
size. This photo was taken of a bowl placed under a ceiling
light.
Flat River Waterfowl Impoundment, Mangum, NC
2/17/12
Swampy area
More swamp
Grass
Common Dandelion
Megachilid bee
Ebenezer Church Recreation Area, Apex, Chatham
County, NC 2/15/12
The mystery of the
thousands of feathers left behind here last year (2/20/11) was
solved by this visit.Hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls congregated
alternately on a barrier marking the limits of the public swimming
area and on the shore. I watched them move one by one to the
shore, with birds typically landing within the group rather than at
its edges.
The gulls were initially in the water. After I did a
turn through the woods, about 100 had moved to the shore. The location
of the feathers on the ground suggested that this group on the shore was
so large that it extended partway onto the grass, although they avoided
the sidewalk.
A large group of
Ring-billed Gulls that assembled during our visit
This Ring-billed Gull
chose to land near, but not at, the edge of the group.
The first set of gulls to
come over, from a distance. Feathers on the ground show where
gulls were before, so this is a relatively small assemblage.
Ring-billed Bills on the
swimming area barrier
This gull as coasting
along the water surface.
Ringed-bill Gull feathers
on the grass.
Ringed-bill Gull feathers
on the grass
Gulls out in the water,
where they flew after a disturbance
A
well-camouflaged male midge seen in the woods
Durham, NC 2/14/12
Brown Thrasher
Jumping spider (Hentzia
mitrata)
Jumping spider (Hentzia
mitrata)
Jumping spider
(Paraphidippus aurantius)
Mating Scuttleflies
(Phoridae family)
Mating Scuttleflies,
dorsal view of male
White-breasted Nuthatch
Durham, NC 2/12/12
American Robin
Durham, NC 2/11/12
Tufted Titmouse
White-throated Sparrow
Flower fly (Chrysogaster
genus). ID thanks to
Martin Hauser.
Fly
Durham, NC 2/10/12
Male House Finch
Third Fork Creek Trail, Durham, NC 2/8/12
Katydid
Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC 2/7/12
Swamp view
Lesser Celandine
Purple Dead-nettle
Pennsylvania Bittercress
Flowers on a mystery bush
Tachinid fly
Durham, NC 2/6/12
Red-bellied
Woodpecker
Pine Warbler
White-throated Sparrow
Females: House Finch and
Northern Cardinal
Female House Finch
Female Red-bellied
Woodpecker
Durham, NC 2/3/12
Pond, with natural oily sheen from
organic matter
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange
County, NC 2/3/12
Grassy field
Durham, NC 2/2/12
Silhouette of local bushes
American Robin
False Black Widow
Flea Beetle (Phyllotreta
zimmermani). ID thanks to
Gary Griswold
