Category Archives: wildlife

Nat Geo moment

Posted on 18 April 2017 by

I miss my Oregon birds, some quite desperately (such as Anna’s and rufous hummingbirds, and Swainson’s thrushes), but there are compensations in the fabulous birds of Iberia. One of my favorites is the European bee-eater, which winters in Africa but … Continue reading →

Posted in Portugal, wildlife | Leave a comment

Scarce swallowtail

Posted on 9 June 2015 by

On my walk the other day, I came across a gorgeous swallowtail butterfly perched on a summer-dead thistle. She had the kind of flawless, shining perfection that only comes from a newly-emerged butterfly. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with … Continue reading →

Posted in wildlife | 4 Comments

Bee timelapse

Posted on 21 May 2015 by

When photographer Anand Varma was given an assignment on bees for National Geographic, he decided to work with a local beekeeper and keep a hive in his backyard. Familiarity bred fascination, and Varma fell in love with the intricate lives … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, wildlife | Leave a comment

Wallpaper Wednesday

Posted on 20 May 2015 by

Today is a departure from the usual scenic photos, because I love praying mantids, and this photo by Hasan Baglar is gorgeous. Have you ever read instructions on what to do if you’re hiking in the mountains and run into … Continue reading →

Posted in wallpaper, wildlife | 2 Comments

National Geographic on the veranda

Posted on 6 May 2015 by

Last week I was watching the sunset from our veranda when I found this brilliant little lady in one of my railing pots: A gorgeous crab spider, waiting amongst the flowers for an unwary pollinating insect to come by. She’s … Continue reading →

Posted in wildlife | 6 Comments

Bits and pieces

Posted on 10 April 2015 by

Time for another “let’s start the weekend right” post, by clearing out some bits and pieces. First up, a video left by commenter Erik that could serve as a meditative aid: the life of a baby hummingbird, from hatching to … Continue reading →

Posted in biology, science, wildlife | 5 Comments

Here there be spiders

Posted on 6 May 2014 by

If you have a fear of spiders, you might want to skip this post. But you’ll be missing out, because these are videos of jumping spiders, which are the cutest spiders in existence. First up: an Ecuadorian jumping spider that … Continue reading →

Posted in video, wildlife | 3 Comments

A housing crunch

Posted on 2 May 2014 by

Guess who found the bookcases in our office? The mason bees. I first noticed when I went to the office to pull out a reference book, and found the telltale signs of excavation: little wood chips on the shelf. But … Continue reading →

Posted in wildlife | 7 Comments

Link dump (with pretty pictures)

Posted on 16 April 2014 by

It’s time to clear out a few saved links, which I haven’t found time to build entire blog posts around. So for your reading and viewing pleasure: Take an aerial tour of the world on this page featuring 46 aerial … Continue reading →

Posted in travel, video, wildlife | 1 Comment

Mason bee first aid

Posted on 13 April 2014 by

It’s April, and the air is warm, and that means…mason bee season! A female red mason bee (Osmia rufa) carrying a mud ball. I wrote about my mason bee colony last March, when the boys were popping out. We’re well … Continue reading →

Posted in wildlife | 7 Comments