Turtles are interesting creatures. They carry their shell, or carapace, with them wherever they go, and it provides good protection for them from a wide variety of predators.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Soaring Turkey Vulture
Vultures are raptors, or birds of prey. They are certainly not as handsome and glamorous as other birds of prey like eagles, hawks and owls. Well, maybe glamorous is not the right word.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Swarming Mayfly
Mayflies are a common sight during the springtime and early summer, especially if you are near a source of water like a lake, river or creek. Mayfly nymphs live underwater for anywhere from several months to a few years, depending on species and water conditions.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Great Crested Flycatcher
There are more than 400 species of flycatcher birds in the world today, with most of them being found in Central and South America. But there are plenty of flycatchers in North America, too, since we have about 35 species occurring here.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Wary Gray Fox
Most foxes are secretive by nature. North America is home to both gray and red foxes, and both tend to be nocturnal and mostly hunt at night. But the gray fox seems to be even more elusive than its slightly larger cousin, the red fox.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Venomous Timber Rattlesnake
When it comes to creatures that most people don’t like, snakes are always near the top of the list. In fact, there is a word for people who have an excessive fear of snakes: ophidiophobia.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Fish-Eating Common Merganser
Mergansers are diving ducks – not dabbling ducks like mallards, teal and pintails that feed at or near the surface of the water.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Eastern Box Turtle
Although most people think of lakes and ponds as normal turtle habitat, the relatively small eastern box turtle is a bit different.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Boat-Tailed Grackle
Grackles are common birds in North America, especially if you are talking about the common grackle. But another grackle, the boat-tailed grackle, is a coastal species, found almost exclusively along the Gulf Coast and our eastern Atlantic Coast.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Large Yellow Underwing Moth
Moths are interesting creatures. They usually do most of their flying and feeding under cover of darkness, so most people don’t see them very often.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Scavenging Black Vulture
Most people have seen the dark image of vultures slowly circling high overhead, either on TV or in their own personal lives. Sometimes they are circling over roads and sometimes over open farm land.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Helpful Milk Snake
Much to the dismay of people who don’t like snakes, there are dozens of species of snakes living in the United States today. In fact, there are more than 50 different species of snakes here – and if you count subspecies, the number grows to more than 250!