a_awesome's Favorites

Didn't really get a good picture, so here's a "great" one instead

Edited: I cloned the observation, so this observation will be for the right grebe and https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103672738 for the left grebe.

Species clade is under review, this specimen belongs to the western clade, and should be moved to either Pristurus guweirensis Haas, 1943 (=P. r. guweirensis elevated to species level) or Pristurus migiurtinicus Scortecci, 1933

White Rock lake, Reinhart branch
Elderly melanistic male
Photo 1:
Fall Fashion
He may be old but he got swag. Sporting the latest in Fall bling. One gold epaulette on his shoulder and a matching gold tailfin. Old Dude showing his mojo.
Photo 2:
It Takes Talent
It's not easy climbing up a tree while keeping your bling attached. Dude got skillz.

Extremely odd behavior from a Watersnake and Ribbonsnake... has anyone else observed something similar to this before? Both healthy adults with no visible injuries and both escaped rather quickly under their own power without coaxing.

I originally walked up on this pair around noon but the ribbon snake took off before I could get a picture of the odd behavior so I immediately left and came back about three hours later to find them both in the exact same position. So it’s fair to assume it’s a reoccurring arrangement between the two of them. The minimal research I have done has turned up nothing but I would love to hear from someone more knowledgeable about this sort of thing!

6-27-21 Red-throated Loon @ Summer Bay Lake. Bird was initially about 500 feet out in the lake when I first saw it & when I stopped to get a foto it rapidly swam my way.

It stayed very close to the edge of the lake swimming back and forth, lunging and doing shallow dives, picking at it's feathers, algae on the rocks, grasses etc. I got the distinct impression that it was trying to draw attention it's way. I got some video of it behaving this way while making low calls and sounds.

At another point it hauled out onto the rocks on the lakeside and sat there for quite a while.

Interestingly enough... this adult Red-throated Loon arrived at Summer Bay Lake at about the same time as a juvenile Loon initially ID'd by some local birders as an Arctic Loon (and it may be just that but I don't really know enough about how to ID a juvenile loon, so I revised my obs of that one ID to Genus level).

Red-throated Loons breed on the Alaska Peninsula. Sightings here are considered rare.

This is a green sea turtle that saw its reflection in my camera's dome port. Out of curiosity it almost swam into me! I took this before I had to move from out behind my camera and look to see if it was going to hit me. In retrospect, I wish I had kept shooting. But, just observing these guys is amazing in its own right. Nowhere in the world have I seen as many turtles on every dive as we did in Palau. Repeatedly, we'd see at least 3 or 4 turtles on most dives and I remember one dive where we saw at least 10.

Palau was the first country to declare their waters a sanctuary for sharks and as a result of their efforts the fish and turtle populations seem equally healthy. Absolutely fantastic to see that their efforts are paying off with healthy reefs, healthy fish populations, healthy shark populations, and lots of turtles!

I at first thought this was a banded watersnake. when I looked more closely at the photos, I realized it in fact was not a watersnake. notice the difference in pattern and lack of eye stripes. A lifer!

Observed this 'Twig' (Vine) snake ambushing a bird feeder in my garden. Need confirmation whether it is Mozambicanus or capensis?
The snake lowered its head and hung down vertically. A number of Mannikins and Blue Waxbills attracted to the feeder inadvertently landed on the 'twig' before moving to the feeder. Rather unusual picture second pipcture.
The snake approx 1.5m in length.
I will see whether there is a more focussed picture of the birds on the snake.

White Rock lake, sidewalk above the spillway
Photo 1:
Smile! It's The Weekend!
Happy old guy, isn't he?
Photo 2:
Irresistible
Seriously, who could resist this face?
Photo 3:
Turtle Crossing
Had to wait for this old guy to cross the sidewalk in front of me. I think he heard they were giving out covid vaccinations to senior citizens and he wanted to get there before they ran out.

6th specimen found in our garden (this one rescued from pool and released). Additional specimen found drowned and frozen for DNA analysis available, and another preserved in alcohol and sent to Natural History Museum in Bulawayo).