Every bird watcher and nature observer has his or her "lists." Here are mine for Birds, Insects, Mammals, Plants, Reptiles, and Crustaceans, complete with pull down menus.
BIRDS
Categorized by genus/species, placed chronologically by common name
American Coot
American Crow
American Flamingo*
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
American White Pelican
Bald Eagle
Baltimore Oriole
Barn Swallow
Belted Kingfisher
Black-Capped Chickadee
Black Vulture*
Blue Jay
Blue-Winged Teal
Bobwhite
Broad-Winged Hawk
Brown Creeper
Brown-Headed Cowbird
Brown Thrasher
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Canvasback
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Goldeneye
Common Redpoll
Cooper's Hawk
Dark-Eyed Junco
Double-Crested Cormorant
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Goldfinch - See American Goldfinch
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Eurasian Coot*
European Starling
Fox Sparrow
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Gray Catbird
Graylag Goose
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Greater Flamingo*
Hairy Woodpecker
Harlequin Duck
Hermit Thrush
Herring Gull
Horned Lark
House Finch
House Sparrow
House Wren
Indigo Bunting
Killdeer
Lesser Scaup
Lincoln's Sparrow
Mallard (Domestic)
Mallard (Wild)
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Northern Shoveler
Orange-Crowned Warbler
Palm Warbler
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Red-Tailed Hawk
Red-Winged Blackbird
Ring-Billed Gull
Ring-Necked Duck
Rock Pigeon
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Scarlet Tanager
Solitary Sandpiper
Song Sparrow
Spotted Sandpiper
Swamp Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
Turkey Vulture
White-Breasted Nuthatch
White-Crowned Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
INSECTS, ARACHNIDS, MYRIAPODS & GASTROPODS
Categorized by family, placed chronologically by common name
Chinese Mantis - Tenodera aridifolia sinensis - feeding on a Common House Fly - Musca domestica, also known as Mouche domestique (French), musca domestica (Spanish), mosca domestica (Italian), Husflugan (Swedish).
Chinese Mantids (the plural form of Mantis) were introduced to North America from China as a source of pest control. It turned out to be another ill-conceived introduction, not because Chinese Mantids have become invasive or problematic, per se, but because they really do very little in the name of pest control. Chinese Mantids (and other mantids) do prey on other insects, but not in great enough numbers that they can be considered pest-reducers. Further, mantids do not discriminate and routinely eat beneficial pollinators, as well as each other (thinning the ranks of pest-eating mantids). I suppose the Chinese Mantid could be considered a pest itself when it ambushes and eats native mantids (like the Carolina Mantis) and native beneficial insects (like butterflies and bees).
Photo taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and a Sigma 70-300mm Lens on July 21, 2008, in Davenport, Iowa.
What pretty eyes. Mantids were often carried into the room when I was teaching 6-9 yr olds. Your photos remind of the children’s wonder as they examined their finds.
Hi Moe,
Your photography is fabulous. It is so interesting to see the mantis eating up close. Thank you for sharing.
Kind regards
Sara from farmingfriends
This blog is about: Iowa, Illinois, Midwest, United States, nature, wildlife, animals, birds, ornithology, insects, bugs, entomology, Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline, Quad, City, Cities
I have a praying mantis in my garden but haven’t been able to get a picture , nice shot.
September 21st, 2008 at 10:18 amThis is the first time I’ve seen a mantis in action! They never seem to be eating when I see them. Thanks for showing this.
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:48 amAiyana
What pretty eyes. Mantids were often carried into the room when I was teaching 6-9 yr olds. Your photos remind of the children’s wonder as they examined their finds.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:46 amHi Moe,
September 28th, 2008 at 6:29 amYour photography is fabulous. It is so interesting to see the mantis eating up close. Thank you for sharing.
Kind regards
Sara from farmingfriends
Happy Ramadan to everybody. Why this web site do not have other languages support?
September 29th, 2008 at 11:45 amHmmm, that’s a good point. I used to have multi-language support on my previous blogs, but never got around to it here.
Thanks, everybody!
September 29th, 2008 at 9:43 pmGreat photos. I put you on my blogroll, so I will remember to come here. I’ve always enjoyed my visits.
I’ll be back to catch up.
September 30th, 2008 at 9:09 pmMoe? A lawn mower? LOL
March 10th, 2009 at 2:44 am