Most people don’t like wasps, and for good reason – they can sting you! But not all wasps can sting, and even though the long-tailed giant ichneumon wasp looks pretty scary and intimidating, it is totally harmless to humans.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Coastal Laughing Gull
Some people think all seagulls are the same. A seagull is a seagull, right? Wrong. According to the book Gulls of North America by Fred Shaffer, there are actually 27 species of gulls in North America alone.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Delicious Yellowtail Snapper
There are plenty of fish in the sea. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors, too. One very handsome species of fish is the Yellowtail Snapper. These brightly colored fish are common in the western Atlantic Ocean, from North Carolina south to Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Cheerful Tufted Titmouse
The tufted titmouse seems to be a cheerful bird – at least it sounds that way from its cheerful “peter-peter-peter” song. This small bird is mostly gray with a soft white belly. Most individuals have a light tan-colored patch on their sides, just below their wings.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Colorful Five-Lined Skink
Have you ever seen a skink? Skinks are pretty cool creatures. They are small lizards which are native to North America and many other parts of the world. The Five-Lined Skink, in particular, is a very handsome and colorful little lizard.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Diving Bufflehead Duck
There are about 29 native species of ducks in North America today, from mallards and pintails to redheads and gadwalls – just to name a few. That does not even include the various species of mergansers, grebes, loons and geese.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Goldenrod Soldier Beetle
Beetles are among the most common insect species on Earth. In fact, there are over 400,000 species of beetles known today, and those are just the species we know about right now. More species are being discovered and named every year.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Enormous Bugling Elk
In the western United States, the second largest member of the deer family roams the mountains and meadows. This is the elk, or wapiti as they were known to Native Americans when Europeans first appeared on the continent.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Ant-Eating Northern Flicker
The Northern Flicker is a large woodpecker that lives throughout the United States and most of North America. These birds are a bit larger than an American Robin and are often seen on the ground, similar to Robins.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Speedy Western Pronghorn
In the western United States, the fastest land animal is the Pronghorn. They look like antelope, and many people called these animals “pronghorn antelope” and “prairie antelope”, but they are actually not antelope at all.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Stinging Bald-Faced Hornet
Hornets! Bald-Faced Hornets! When some people hear those words, their first thought is to run! But there is no need to fear bald-faced hornets in most cases.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Fly-Catching Eastern Phoebe
The Eastern Phoebe is a very accomplished flycatcher. This bird is dark brown on its back, head and wings (dark gray on some individuals), and has a white or off-white belly and breast.