What
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)Observer
martinlucasDescription
Flying over Kiwani Marsh - the lighting was very flat causing my photo to lack detail, so I applied heavy processing to bring out the detail. It was a rather robust medium sized hawk. My best guess is that it's a rough-legged hawk.
What
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)Observer
martinlucasDescription
A few among a lots of pintails.
Photos / Sounds
What
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)Observer
martinlucasDescription
A pair flying over Kiwani Marsh - I think they stirred up the many pintails.
Photos / Sounds
What
Cluster Flies (Genus Pollenia)Observer
martinlucasDescription
A fly (about the size of a house fly) visiting snowdrop (galanthus) blossoms under an old black oak (Q. velutina) in my front lawn on an unusually warm late February day. The fly is rather hairy and shows some silvery shine markings on its abdomen when the light hits it just so. Also some similar markings on its face. Possibly a blowfly of some kind.
What
Western Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)Observer
martinlucasDescription
Visiting snowdrops (Galanthus) under a big black oak tree (Q. velutina) in my front lawn. Notable only in that it's my first bee observation for 2024 -- on an unusually warm day in an unusually warm February. I planted the snowdrops from ones I collected at an abandoned house site a few blocks away perhaps 20 years ago, so one could say they are 'in cultivation' but I don't really do anything with them.
What
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)Observer
martinlucasDescription
FOY for me -- there were others and they acted as if they were establishing territories.
Photos / Sounds
What
Snow Goose (Anser caerulescens)Observer
martinlucasDescription
A few of these amongst the throngs of A. albifrons. The beak markings are clearer on the second photo.
What
Garden Orbweavers (Genus Argiope)Observer
martinlucasDescription
A small spider on an smallish orb web - in a patch of bog dewberries. It wasn't the subject of the photo, I noticed it off to the side, but thought it a bit interesting.
Photos / Sounds
What
Milky Backswimmers (Genus Notonecta)Observer
martinlucasDescription
In the shallow, clear waters of Betty's Pond - fishless, groundwater fed, sand bottom. I'm unsure of the suggested ID, even as broad as it is. I'd estimate size about 6-8mm. As is my custom, these are 'no-touch' photos with minimal disturbance to the subject.
Photos / Sounds
What
Tribe CorixiniObserver
martinlucasDescription
In Betty's Pond - clear, shallow, groundwater fed, fishless, and sand bottomed.
Photos / Sounds
What
Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)Observer
martinlucasDescription
At Kiwani marsh -- there were lots of these.
Photos / Sounds
What
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)Observer
martinlucasDescription
A group of four. I could be mistaken, Trumpeters are probably around too, so please correct me if I'm wrong.
What
Tribe CorixiniObserver
martinlucasDescription
In the shallow sand bottomed waters of Betty's Pond. A macro lens would have worked better than this normal lens, but I tried anyway. Some in Sigara are similar. About 6-7mm?
Photos / Sounds
What
Common Powderhorn (Cladonia coniocraea)Observer
martinlucasDescription
On a large long down oak, probably a black oak. Proposed ID is based on a suggestion from the bot, please don't rely on it until confirmed or corrected by an expert.
Photos / Sounds
What
Yellow-margined Nomad Bee (Nomada vegana)Observer
martinlucasDescription
Nectaring on Asclepias tuberosa in a sand prairie and old field. Photos are a single individual.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus EctemniusObserver
martinlucasDescription
Nectaring on Asclepias verticillata in a sand prairie and old field. The bot suggests E. continuus, and that's probably correct. However, I usually see those a bit earlier in the year. A small wasp - photos are a single individual.
Photos / Sounds
What
Tribe LeskiiniObserver
martinlucasDescription
Attracted to my hand (salt, I suppose) in a sand prairie/old field. The bot suggests genus Solieria, and that seems reasonable at least - Leskia is also similar. Photographs are a single individual. A bit smaller (and more gracile) as compared to a typical house fly.
What
Genus IsophrictisObserver
martinlucasDescription
On Rudbeckia in a roadside marsh and woodland area.
Observer
martinlucasDescription
Nectaring on dewberry (Rubus sp) in a sand prairie and old field. Unfortunately I only managed one photo of this fly -- to me it looks like it could be Physoconops obscuripennis, partly because of the white spots on the thorax, and partly because the wings are smoky toward the anterior and fade rather indistinctly toward the posterior. But the photo isn't clear, so I'm going with Conopinae and posting it for future reference. Also, the bot's top suggestion is Physoconops obscuripennis, but I'm skeptical about relying on that for this fairly challenging group of flies.
What
Crossline Skipper (Polites origenes)Observer
martinlucasDescription
Nectaring on Monarda fistulosa in a planted part of a sand prairie and old field area. I felt this was likely a Dun skipper, and that's what the bot suggested so I'm going to put it out as such, but I'm not confident.
What
Coral Hairstreak (Satyrium titus)Observer
martinlucasDescription
Nectaring on Asclepias tuberosa in a sand prairie and old field.
Photos / Sounds
What
Podium luctuosumObserver
martinlucasDescription
Prowling around on bare sand.
What
Tribe PompiliniObserver
martinlucasDescription
On bare sand in a sand prairie and old field area.
What
American Nursery Web Spider (Pisaurina mira)Observer
martinlucasDescription
On a leaf on a small tree - a medium/large spider. P. mira seems the most likely.
Photos / Sounds
What
Bee-like Flower Scarabs (Genus Trichiotinus)Observer
martinlucasDescription
On Asclepias verticillata blossoms in a sand prairie and old field area.
What
Longhorn Band-wing Grasshopper (Psinidia fenestralis)Observer
martinlucasDescription
In a sand barren on a small dune. It looks one from June 2019 from the same area that was ID'd as Spharagemon collare. See https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27540780 -- update (Dec. 11, 2023) my initial impression was probably incorrect see ID by @graytreefrog below.
What
Ligated Furrow Bee (Halictus ligatus)Observer
martinlucasDescription
On the trail near the parking lot at Twin Swamps Nature Preserve - a rather well drained area.