I spent today poking around a few areas mostly in northern Middlesex county, mostly looking for bugs. Some highlights below: Lancet Clubtail with Slender Spreadwing snack Presumed Laphria sp Robber Fly, also with snack. Elegant Spreadwing Common Buckeye (1 of 4!) Brook Snaketail, the main highlight of the day, waiting for confirmation on some of [...]
And to follow up the birds of the year, some insects. 21 new odes, only 1 in Mass. Runners up: Pygmy and Extra-striped Snaketail, Superb Jewelwing, Umber and Stygian Shadowdragon (DSA writeup still coming) Best: Spatterdock Darner 10 new butterflies, 1 in Mass Runners up: Mestra, Arctic Skipper, Pipevine Swallowtail Best: Two-spotted Skipper Barely looked [...]
I joined an insect survey at Bear Creek Sanctuary in Saugus yesterday. It was a bit dry for dragonflies but the butterflies weren’t too bad. Some highlights: Nicely posed Common Ringlet Bug of the day: Common Buckeye Wandering Glider, this may be the first one I’ve seen land. Didn’t get particularly close before it took [...]
I never got around to posting about the DSA Northeast Meeting from last July, but it’s time for the annual meeting. Here’s a couple videos that somehow star me from last year to give a taste. (there’s 1:15 of not much happening in the second one before I pop up) Would have been nicer [...]
A few bugs from Myles Standish State Forest today while I’m sorting through pelagic photos (not too many good ones this year I’m afraid). Carolina Saddlebags: He wouldn’t slow down enough to get a shot off, so I just caught him for a few seconds. Atlantic Bluet (presumably) and Beetle: Frosted Whiteface: Martha’s Pennant: Skimming [...]
I didn’t get out birding this morning as I was busy fighting Verizon’s overzealous filters blocking all Massbird, but I eventually got out for the Mass Butterfly Club’s trip to Horn Pond Mountain. Horn Pond Mountain’s a great place to explore but with the recent two weeks of lousy weather it was on the quiet [...]
Finally catching up with last weekend. Saturday, I headed out to do my first concentrated odeing of the year. I started at the heron rookery in Littleton (which has dwindled quite a bit). Lots of bugs including many dragonflies (12+ species including FOY Chalk-fronted Corporal, Marsh Bluet, Sedge Sprite, and Eastern Pondhawk), a few butterflies, [...]
I took today off to do some atlas work at my block in Dunstable, so of course I have a pile of insect photos and almost no birds. Salmon Brook was loaded with odes, including tons of Lancet Clubtails and tons of River Jewelwings. Although those were good (first time I’ve seen them in numbers), [...]
Out and about today. The plan was to start at Dunback hoping for late migrants and then go look for odes and stuff. Turns out there weren’t any late migrants but the butterflies at Dunback were good, so the whole day was for bugs. Starting at Dunback, lots of Pearl Crescents, a few Little Wood [...]
In addition to all the other highlights at Met State, I had a bunch of Azures (Celastrina sp.). Most appeared to be the recently described Cherry Gall (C. serotina) but one looked a little different. The best part was one basking with its wings open, something they almost never do. I missed my first chance [...]