August 29-September 4

Friday, September 4: Pepper Ranch Preserve

It was a bright, sunny morning, and for once, some cloud cover would have been appreciated. My eyes were still slightly dilated from eye surgery earlier in the week and bright sunshine made things a lot harder to see.

The Bald Eagle at the far left was nice because it was in its regular snag just before and after sunrise, so the light wasn't very bright.

Common Gallinules, and an Anhinga, Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, and Great Egret were all near the Lake Trafford observation platform at about the same time. Boat-tailed Grackles, White-eyed Vireos, Northern Cardinals, and Red-winged Blackbirds were in the nearby vegetation.

Thirty-two species of birds were identified in the preserve but none were plentiful. Only 14 Boat-tailed Grackles had numbers in double digits although nine Wild Turkeys, Mourning Doves, and White-eyed Vireos were close.

Two new bird species were seen for the preserve although each has been seen elsewhere.

The Eastern Kingbird in the photo was one of two working a fence line along Pepper Road. Both were very cooperative and posed nicely.

The other bird, a Summer Tanager, was not so friendly. It was in the dense shrubs just north of field M and although it was calling and visible, it was too far away to even attempt a photograph. Plus, there was a barbed-wire fence and chest high Southeastern Sunflowers between me and it, so it wasn't possible to get closer.

Field M was interesting. The only Black-bellied Whistling Ducks seen during the morning twice flew over the field, and a young White-tailed Deer was borderline friendly.

The deer was grazing and didn't seem to mind my presence. When I would crouch down to try and identify some small insect, its curiosity seemed to bet the better of it and it would slowly creep towards me. But when I would turn my head and look at it, it would dart away. As soon as I returned to the grass and insects, it would turn and inch closer again.

Eventually, it found a shady spot on a small rise and lay down to watch.

There were some interesting little insects and spiders in the low grasses. The most intriguing one was the small jumping spider at the right. The only reason it was seen was because I was crouched down watching a Stained Glass Moth hoping it would emerge from below its grass blade and the spider jumped right in front of me. It was barely 1/4-inch in length. Its scientific name is Habronattus brunneus but I couldn't find any common name for it. This one is a male.

The dragonfly at the upper right is one of a dozen Hyacinth Gliders that were hunting overhead. Only four dragonfly species were identified, and all were over Field M.

Eleven species of butterflies and moths were identified, and most of those were in Field M too. The most common were 26 Ceraunus Blues, 25 White Peacocks, and 13 Coffee-loving Pyrausta Moths.

Mammals were deer, a Marsh Rabbit, and a Gray Squirrel, and herps were Green Treefrogs, Squirrel Treefrogs, a Pig Frog, and Alligators. All of the gators were in Lake Trafford. Although water levels are up, the grasses and weeds that took root when everything was dry were too high to see what might have been lower in the water.

My yard

It was a very quiet week with only Cottontail Rabbits, Virginia Opossums and a pair of Raccoons seen on the nighttime trail cameras except for early Thursday morning when the juvenile female Black Bear stopped by.

She showed up around 6:30 in the morning, and by then the opossums and raccoons had already eaten everything she might have wanted. She's about a year and a half old now and is finally starting to pick up a little weight (video).

Daytime critters are finding leftovers from the night before, but they're satisfied with small crumbs. The Hispid Cotton Rat at the left is one of several that emerge at the side of the house just after sunrise. They are joined by Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, and Common Grackles.