2023 Backyard Wildlife Watching— what did you see today?

[applestar]

BIRDS - House Wren, Blue Jay, Robin, Catbird, Crow, Cardinals

BUGS - hover flies, honeybees, bumble bees, ladybug, spiders (at least 4 different species), ants, some kind of inchworm, armyworms, 3-Lined Potato Beetle and the poopy nymphs, a dragonfly - clear wings with brown markings

BUTTERFLIES - Cabbage Whites of course, a streak of some kind … Gray maybe?

…I would’ve seen the frogs if I had looked in the pond…

[imafan26]

I heard the birds. Every day there are spotted neck doves, java rice birds (they are eating the papaya) cardinals, bulbuls, and society finches. I did not see the cattle egret or mynah birds for awhile.

I have a few different butterflies coming around monarch, fritillary, and sphinx moths. Bees come out when the rain stops. Mosquitos are out because it has been raining for days. The geckos have been scurrying around, but that is also an everyday occurrence.

[Vanisle_BC]

One of our local fallow deer was curled up in the shade of front-yard maple yesterday. Last week one was in among the raised beds where it was unwelcome. They are very unafraid. If you try to scare them off they just stand their ground and stare you down, until you're within about six feet. Then they turn their back & walk slowly - deliberately and haughtily - away. But I'm always scared they might run out into the traffic.

[applestar]

Hummingbird! Saw twice — probably same bird on multiple visits

Also Cardinal male and female, with fledglings nearby — could hear them but didn’t see them. Female was hopping around under the tomatoes and knocked over a small plastic pot of tomato clips I forgot there. Male was hopping from branch to branch INSIDE the canopy of Queen of Malinalco tomatillos. They are good at finding pests.

Downy Woodpeckers on persimmon tree — hopefully taking care of Spotted Lantern Flies….

Too quick to positively ID them but probably a flock of House Finches on the front lawn — they would startle and fly off together, and then two Cowbirds would get left behind. These two are probably being treated as part of the family unit after eggs had been laid in the nest to be fostered.

[imafan26]

More butterflies and birds. Doves are sit on my air conditioner every day and the Java rice birds.

[applestar]

I forgot to post that I saw a Monarch butterfly — probably 2 days ago? — Yay

Bad angle from window so couldn’t tell if male or female. Cursory look at milkweeds near path didn’t see eggs, but if male I think would have stuck around to do territorial sweeps?

Hummingbird has been continuing to visit. Yesterday, asked DD2 to get something from the garden for me and was watching from window. Hummer was perched on top of favorite bamboo stake, took off when DD2 approached so she didn’t see. While I was telling her from window that she “missed” seeing it, it flew back to the perch, not 2 feet from her face in front of her.

Yesterday saw a Carolina Wren. I know they’re around — made me realize that’s the song I’ve been hearing. But they tend to be elusive.

[PaulF]

Lots of birds and very few mosquitos. We have at least six hummers that visit out three sugar water feeders. Carolina wrens have been around for a few weeks. They are not elusive here...a couple of them sit in a nearby tree and scold me for sitting on a chair next to the goldfish pond. "Cheater-cheater-cheater" from all of them voiced directly at me.

[pepperhead212]

I wish I could say very few mosquitoes! Those things are running rampant here, since it has become so humid.

I saw these Eastern Tiger Butterflies on my Mexican Sunflowers, while I was mowing out there today. Ive seen some black swallowtails on the zinnias, out front, but these are the first eastern tigers. I also saw the first hummingbird of the season, but couldn't photograph that, as I guess the mower scared it away. This is as close as I could get to one, also showing one of the many clusters of garlic chives I grow behind the shed.
one of the two Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies I saw while mowing today. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[applestar]

Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are, AFAIK, the largest butterfly we have around here. Impressively elegant, languid downstrokes of those gorgeous wings.

I just saw one on red clover blossoms a little while ago — then flew across my view from the window, headed towards the more heavily planted butterfly garden.

As for mosquitoes — I saw less today than I did yesterday, even though we had a downpour starting just before sunrise and well into the morning — maybe let up around 9am. So conditions were wet and overcast/humid, then muggy as the sun came out.

My usual anti-mosquito gardening prep/wear
— I washed my face, hands/wrists/forearms, and around neck with citrus and eucalyptus scented soap
— I was wearing long sleeves/pants, kneea-high boots and gloves
— I was wearing my 2xFan cooled vest which blows air out of armholes, neck, and bottom and mostly keeps them from landing on my face

They normally buzz around my ears and shoulders, and knee area … this means when I squat or crouch, they are ALL at my face level

…

I’m wondering if these gadgets were actually effective —

This was almost the only thing different.

I have been seeing Japanese videos recommending plastic giant dragonfly “oni-yanma” as well as hikers and campers recommending yellow and navy twisted rope “imitation” oni-yanma.

Then I realized I HAVE a string in the same color/pattern that I had saved from a gift bag…. so why not? I just quickly put it together. Key element seemed to be some clear and shiny bits so I grabbed whatever I had.


FIRST OF ALL — note that I didn’t bother watching those videos because it seemed to me intuitively that no matter how realistic, a plastic model of a dragonfly wouldn’t keep mosquitoes away. I mean aren’t dragonflies simply a giant “death” flying among them? A natural calamity?

Then to even suggest that a stupid string with color/pattern would be recognized by mosquitoes as their natural enemy?

PLUS, we don’t have the same species dragonflies here. Our dragonflies patterns and colors are very different.

Of course mosquitoes do seem smart — the way they always land on you when your hands are full or doing something so you can’t swat them, the way they seem to intentionally attack your blind spot on the OTHER side of your arms, legs, just beyond where you can see on your shoulders and under your chin/jawline….

…

Maybe movement would simulate an attack that they would instinctively veer away from?

— I attached them to side and back pockets so they were hanging and flapping against my thighs.

It really seemed like there were less mosquitoes swarming my legs today.

…I’ll leave them on my gardening pants and see if my impression changes over the next week…

FYI —

Anotogaster sieboldii
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Description
DescriptionAnotogaster sieboldii, as known as golden-ringed dragonfly, jumbo dragonfly, Siebold's dragonfly or oniyanma in Japanese, 無霸勾蜓 in Chinese and 장수잠자리 in Korean is the largest species of dragonfly native to Eastern Asia, especially Japan, Taiwan, China, Korean Peninsula. It can grow between 95 and 100 mm in length. — Wikipedia