hollyyoung's Favorites

This very large wasp flew around until it found an already-dead cicada (photo #1), stung it for good measure (photo #2), maneuvered it into position (photos #3,4), then flew away with the entire carcass.

At Camel's Hump State Park

Predator-prey interaction
The predator: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/126476973
The prey: this observation
The plant: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/126467701

Before I could pull out my camera, the adult turkey flew off this nest of eggs. This nest is on the uphill side of the base of a large tree, which prevents the eggs from rolling down the very steep slope.

This owl stopped by in a nearby village causing quite the kerfuffle between two groups of people, both concerned about the welfare of the owl, but one group not understanding best next steps for what to do (or NOT) despite attempts to share that information. Fortunately, a sheriff's deputy did a superb job of deescalating a tense situation, and the owl, after moving from the ground to the fence and preening for some time, flew off with strong wingbeats, out of sight over the river toward a couple of large farms where, I expect, it would be finding its next meal from a plentiful mouse population.

A life species for me! This little squirrel was digging seeds out of the snow under the bird feeder. I've thought we might have flying squirrels here because sometimes late at night, we hear the typical sounds of red or gray squirrels racing along the outside of our log cabin walls, but likely not either of those diurnal species.

Photos taken through window glass and screen (left on to prevent window hits).