Of all the species of diving ducks in North America, the mergansers are arguably among the most interesting. There are common mergansers, red-breasted mergansers and hooded mergansers.
Daddy Take Me Fishing
The northern lights glittered over Patch Mountain as we sat in the north Yaak, tending a dying campfire. My 7-year-old daughter, Shasta, pulled the tip of her poking stick away from the embers, and said, “Daddy, take me fishing.”
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Crocus Geometer Moth
Over the years, some moths have been called “jewels of the night”. This is because they are nocturnal and fly under the cover of darkness, and many of them are very beautiful.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Long-Legged Willet
Willets are a somewhat drab, nondescript-looking shorebird. They are fairly large, about the size of an American crow, with a wingspan measuring nearly 28 inches in length.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Beneficial Paper Wasp
Wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, bees – most people don’t like them. The reason is simple, too. These insects are capable of delivering a very painful sting, and since they can fly through the air they can chase you!
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Surf Scoter, Sea Duck of the North
Of all the duck species in North America, the Surf Scoter is one of the most unusual-looking. It is a medium-sized sea duck, and the males are completely black except for small white patches on the back of their head, on their forehead, and at the base of their bill.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Tobacco Hornworm Caterpillar
Gardeners who enjoy growing tomatoes have many things to worry about: are their tomato plants getting enough water? Enough sun? Too much water? Not enough fertilizer? But one thing almost all of these gardeners hate is the tobacco hornworm, sometimes called the tomato worm
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Exotic Egyptian Goose
Most people would think they need to go to Africa to see an Egyptian goose. And at one time, that would be true. The Egyptian goose is native to Africa, especially east Africa and southern Africa.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Wood-Boring Pine Sawyer Beetle
Most people don’t like beetles. And it’s understandable, since most beetles fall into the “creepy-crawly” category. But some beetles are very interesting. Take longhorn beetles, for example.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Shellfish-Loving American Oystercatcher
The American Oystercatcher is a strange-looking, but very cool bird. It is a fairly large shorebird (about the size of a crow), and it lives most of its life along saltwater beaches and shorelines.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Tiny Least Skipper Butterfly
Skipper butterflies are very small, and the Least Skipper is certainly one of the smallest of the skippers. Least Skippers, also called Least Skipperlings, have a wingspan of only three-quarters of an inch to one inch.
Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Stealthy Hermit Thrush
Many birds are somewhat secretive. The hermit thrush is one of those stealthy birds. These inconspicuous birds tend to move around and hunt for insects in the brushy undergrowth of woodlands and along the edges of northern forests.