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Slaty-tailed trogon at the Hacienda Baru + photo eating a snake-headed caterpillar!!!

6/7/2018

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The slaty-tailed trogon is just one of the most beautiful birds.  We were over at the neighboring Hacienda Baru to get permission to catch some of their mosquitoes (how hard was that!) and I got a chance to take a short walk to the beach.  Along the trail was this trogon just sitting and hunting as they tend to do.
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Slaty-tailed trogon at the Hacienda Baru
But while taking a couple photos it made a quick attack flight and landed nearby with a large caterpillar in it's mouth.  Even though I wasn't all that far away, there was no way to see what kind of caterpillar it was.  But when I looked at the photos it is clearly one of the snake-headed caterpillars.  I am not really sure of the ID even from the photo, but probably Hemeroplanes ornatus which is one of the sphinx moths.

Very cool, so take a close look at the caterpillar and you will see two "eyes" and a very triangular snake-shaped "head".  So totally cool that the bird wasn't fooled by this obvious defense strategy, probably plucking it off so fast it didn't have time to do the "look like a snake" thing.  These caterpillars are even known to make a striking motion and really have the whole snake thing down.
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Slaty-tailed trogon eating a snake-headed caterpillar
And as an end note.  Most animals seem to prefer to eat prey head first.  So, the bird gave the caterpillar a quick flip toss spinning it around so the head was at the beak.  And down the hatch it went.
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Slaty-tailed trogon swallowing a snake mimic caterpillar
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hidden herps

7/7/2016

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There were quite a lot of amphibians of two species in this pond.  Five individuals are visible in this photo.  Can you spot them all?
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Five hiding amphibians
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Camouflaged caterpillar on grass

6/29/2016

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A caterpillar that is nearly invisible on grass. 
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Green caterpillar on green grass at night near Parsons WV
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The spider and the fly

6/25/2016

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Flies are very common to see on daisies.
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Long-legged fly on a daisy
And if you look a bit more closely, crab spiders are also common on daisies.
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Crab spider with only six legs on a daisy
And sometimes, both are on the same flower, and we can only guess what comes next.
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Somewhat camouflaged crab spider waiting for the fly to get a bit closer
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Flower Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) from Warren Center, Pennsylvania

9/5/2015

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These beautiful spiders don't spin webs, but like to sit on white flowers and wait for an insect to land.  Very camouflaged!  This one is a female, as the males are much smaller.
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Female flower crab spider (Misumena vatia) from Warren Center, Pennsylvania
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Green Cicada from Mulu National Park, Malaysia

6/27/2015

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There are a lot of cicadas out there.  Here is one from the island of Borneo, Malaysia. 
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I found this green cicada on a trail at night.
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Camouflage Inn, America at its best (Stump Creek, Pennsylvania)

4/28/2015

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Camouflage Inn


The Camouflage Inn is a must visit if you are anywhere near it.  Which is to say somewhere north of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and just south of Dubois along route 119..  Yes, it is a bar, so 21 or older to go there.

The people you will meet there are awesome, and if you have time they have stories to tell.  Plan a couple hours, as this is not a usual bar and well worth the time visiting.  

This coming weekend is Biker Week, so if you have a Harley or similar you will find many friends there.

You can find out what is going on either on their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Camouflage-Inn/106484032715075 

or their website (which is just getting fired up) at:

http://camouflageinn.com/
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Camouflage Inn, Stump Creek, PA
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This is Steeler football country, and the meat wagon is comouflaged in black and gold.
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The bar. It really is amazing
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Steelers and beer. Now that is a good combination
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A hug with the owner of the Camouflage Inn, Debbie Hudak
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Snake of much consternation

6/4/2014

1 Comment

 
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Bothrops asper. Not the snake you want to play with.
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Bug I can't find my ID on (sorta)

6/2/2014

2 Comments

 
UPDATE:  I just read the comment from Warren, and it came to me.  A crenulated bug.  Well, not quite, maybe, but that was enough to get me to the Family: Aradidae (the flat bugs) and the Genus: Aradus. 
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I've got an ID on this thing, but can't find it. An awesome critter nonetheless, from the Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology in Costa Rica.
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Rock Creek Regional Park, Maryland

4/28/2014

3 Comments

 
Not so long ago I put up some pics from Lake Frank.  Rock Creek Regional Park is pretty much just across the road, and leads to Lake Needwood.  I went up there a second time to have a look at the Rock Creek end of things.

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The namesake Rock Creek
There were deer all over the place, so I took a few pics.
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White-tailed deer. One of many.
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White-tailed deer. Number two of many.
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A bumblebee in flight
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Louisiana waterthrush near the creek
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And a Louisiana waterthrush singing its hear out
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A skunk cabbage-filled swamp along the trail
And just to make this post as complex as possible, I am including a camoflage animal shot.  Can you find it and name it?  Answer photo is at the bottom of this post.
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Yellow violet, a seeming contradiction
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Some pretty fungi that I am unfamiliar with
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Next up in the frog zone are the pickerel frogs, which are very common this time of year along the streams
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Red-bellied cooter at Lake Needwood
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Red-tailed hawk, with two blue-gray gnatcatchers behind it. The gnats were attracted to the hawk and the gnatcatchers were eating them.
And now, if you have read this far, it is quiz time.  A bird and a feather.  What species do you think these are (from).
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Great pic of a bird, but can you name it?
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Might be harder or easier, but here is a distinctive feather. Name the bird
As no one has taken a stab at this feather, I will tell you it is from a northern flicker.

And, since you have been waiting, here is the close-up of the camoflage animal.

Picture
Another white-tailed deer
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