Appropriate post for World Frog Day. Luckily they were out in force the other day. For certain species, like the peepers, this is the only time of year where I feel like I can even see them. Always love frogs, but it’s cool to see some of the less commonly seen species.
Salamander season is here, and I couldn’t be more amped about it! In late winter to early spring, on rainy nights, many salamander species emerge from their underground hideouts and make the journey to vernal pools to breed. These here are Ambystoma maculatum, the spotted salamander.
You know it’s a good day when you accidentally blunder into the resident barred owl at work and, for whatever reason, you decided to bring in your camera with you that day. I don’t know what I did or which deity it pleased, but I’ll take it.
Mute swans may be beautiful, but they’re an invasive species in North America. They push out and outcompete native waterfowl and also hybridize with our native swan species, yet little is done to control them. Charismatic invasive are often the hardest to manage. #WildlifePhotography #MuteSwan
Maybe I should take a lesson from these mallards, clearly they figured out how to get their ducks in a row…
I’ll see myself out…
#mallardduck #ducks #wildlifephotography #wildlife
With their huge, spoon-shaped bills, northern shovelers are an odd looking duck. These huge bills are filled with hundreds of tiny tooth-like structures that allow them to filter tiny food from the water (think baleen whale). #northernshoveler #duck #wildlifephotography #photography
Beginning of March and signs of life are emerging! This eastern painted turtle is a glimpse of what’s to come. Excited for warmer days and the return of herp photography in the months ahead! #easternpaintedturtle #turtle #wildlifephotography #photography
American black ducks often are mistaken for mallards, though they have a darker body, a more muted face, and an olive-yellow bill. However, one of these ducks has an orange bill. When the 2 species come in contact they often hybridize, meaning this may be sign of mallard ancestry in this bird.
On a harsh winter day back in January I set out hoping to find a Snowy Owl (and turned out there was in fact a snowy owl in that area at that time), but instead, I stumbled upon this sleepy Barred Owl, tucked away in the thickets hiding from the cold.
Elon Musk is a terrible president!
DOGE is reportedly threatening NOAA with massive staff and budget cuts.
NOAA houses the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center, which produce forecasts and warn people about storms.
This attack on public safety is ripped straight from the pages of Project 2025.
Marko Elez, an Elon Musk staffer with access to the Treasury Department’s sensitive payments system, has quit after racist and pro-eugenics posts surfaced, including one stating, ‘Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool.’
Cats that became infected with bird flu might have spread the virus to humans in the same household and vice versa, according to data that briefly appeared online in a report from the CDC but then abruptly vanished.
Little American kestrel who we released yesterday after a stay at our center following a window collision. Happy to see him back out in the wild!
#americankestrel #kestrel #wildlifephotography
An Arizona Black Rattlesnake found one morning in a high elevation stand of ponderosa pine. I was stunned by its beauty and overall mild temperament, extremely similar to that of timber rattlesnakes here in the East.
#biology #conservation #wildlife #nature #rattlesnake #sony
What aquarium is this at? I’ve heard they can venture into brackish water, I didn’t realize they can remain in marine conditions long term though! Very cool.
A cheetah-like Miracinonyx stands on top of a small boulder in a snowy prairie. In the background, a herd of reindeer move amidst a cloud of dust. Beyond them there's mountains on the horizon, and greenish northern lights on a dark blue sky with faint stars.
Going through an art block since the end of last year but managed to do something involving three things I aesthetically enjoy
✔️snowy grasslands
✔️northern lights
✔️cheetah-adjacent cats
Miracinonyx watching a herd of reindeer somewhere in nothern USA, Late Pleistocene
#paleoart #SciArt #artbyjulio
If you are a federal employee, it is advised to set your social media accounts to private to prevent outside viewership, as reports suggest that loyalty screenings have begun.
Most immigrants Trump targets have been here 10+ years, paying taxes, raising families, contributing to our communities.
Mass deportation would devastate our economy and tear apart the social fabric of America.
https://itep.org/undocumented-immigrants-taxes-2024/
When I go out looking for grassland birds over the winter (and fail miserably) I can usually at least count on bluebirds showing up. Not a meadowlark or a short-eared owl, but I’ll take it.
#easternbluebird #bluebird #birdphotography #wildlifephotography
Cardinals are objectively one of the more difficult photography targets for me… you’d think such a common backyard bird would be easier to get good photos of.
#northerncardinal #cardinal #birdphotography #wildlifephotography
Large herd of Bison on spring grass and rolling hills with a nice blue cloud filled sky in the background.
Mia @mia-59.bsky.social pointed out the lack of democratic leadership in these insane times.
Where are they ?
Why aren't they out in the street leading protests, marching and raising all hell ?
Why aren't they all over the air waves screaming bloody murder ?
WTF is going on around here ?
Adjusted for gar “evolution” over 150 million years 😅😎👍🐟🦖
Fun Fact: gars have the slowest rates of evolution among all jawed vertebrates!
No idea what I’m doing, but anyways, here’s a heron who I assumed was chasing and trying to catch fish through the ice… and getting very confused in the process.
#bird #greatblueheron #heron #wildlifephotography