On Safari

Do you mind?….I’m deflating

rmaum — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:16:31 +0000

Do you mind?….I’m deflating, originally uploaded by rmaum.

This Brown Pelican was one of many found around Cedar Key, Florida on a trip last month. Even though this is Louisiana’s state bird, we don’t see them at home in northwest Louisiana. The bird would appear to be staring at you, but then would jab its huge bill in the water to grab a quick meal. After that, as shown in the image, the bird presses its bill against the pouch, pushing out the excess water. This image was created using the watercolor effect filter in Adobe CS4.

What’s for lunch?

rmaum — Tue, 04 May 2010 01:23:37 +0000

Speckled Kingsnake, originally uploaded by rmaum.

Something a little different-blogging from my flickr account. We’ll see how it goes.

The Speckled Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getulus holbrooki) came out of a wooded area into a backyard. Several Northern Mockingbirds were dancing around the ground displaying their wings. They had a nest close by. The snake went into the flower bed and stayed for awhile. The mockingbirds started dancing around again as the snake exited the flower bed briefly before returning.

Fish for Supper…and Lunch…….and Breakfast!

rmaum — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 02:19:53 +0000

Osprey can be found throughout the United States during migration but are permanent Florida residents. This image was taken on 9Apr10 on Fort Island Road near Crystal River, Florida. Osprey eat fish. They grab the fish with their talons and then take off to find a quiet perch where they will consume their catch.

Checkered Past

rmaum — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 02:30:28 +0000

Really should be checkered passed. Checkered White butterfly passed me by, that is. Checkered White butterflies are found throughout most of the United States., especially in the southwest. This image was taken today at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters Unit in Bossier City, Louisiana.

American Wigeon

rmaum — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:50:41 +0000

A great day for duck images at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters Unit in Bossier City, Louisiana. Gadwalls are the most common ducks found on the lake, but a few Mallards and American Wigeons were seen. Here’s an image of a pair of Wigeons. The female is on the left, and the male on the right.

Red-shouldered Hawk

rmaum — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:27:37 +0000

Here’s an image of a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk that has taken up residence in our backyard. We have been seeing this hawk since early summer. Look closely at his wings and you can see a little bit of red starting to show. His chest is streaked. By next year his chest will change to a more orange and white color. Most recently he (or she?) seems to not pay us much attention when we walk around the property. I’m pretty sure the hawk isn’t injured, but just more interested in eating the crawfish and worms he finds in our backyard. He probably is keeping the song birds away from the feeders, as I’ve seen him perched on top of the shepherd’s hooks and on the deck railing near the bird feeders. Apparently these hawks like crawfish.

Eastern Meadowlark

rmaum — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:47:07 +0000

Wednesday’s watercolor is from an Eastern Meadowlark image taken today at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters Unit in Bossier City, Louisiana. Water backed up from the Red River has portions of several trails under water. A few American White Pelicans were seen as well as hundreds of Double-crested Cormorants. Ducks seem to be few and far between so far. Perhaps some colder weather will push more ducks down to Louisiana in the coming weeks.

Great Horned Owl

rmaum — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:46:03 +0000

This past Saturday, 17 October 2009, the Red River National Wildlife Refuge held their annual Celebration at the Headquarters Unit in Bossier City, Louisiana. With over 500 visitors, a beautiful Fall day and a free catfish lunch the Celebration was a great success. The Celebration offers folks a chance to see up close animals, such as hawks, alligators, and this Great Horned Owl. The Refuge Headquarters Unit is home to several Great Horned Owls, as I have occasionally gotten images, usually from a distance. The most striking feature has to be the owl’s talons. Look at the size of those claws! Pity the poor mouse or squirrel that is caught off guard. Silently swooping down their prey often does not even know what hit them.

Monarch on Goldenrod

rmaum — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:53:53 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I showed you a Viceroy butterfly and commented about how they look so much like the familiar Monarch butterfly, but if you know what to look for you can easily tell them apart. Here’s a recent picture of a Monarch butterfly on a Goldenrod. Compare this image to this one http://rmaum.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/viceroy/ and you can see the Monarch doesn’t have the black bar across the wings. I like the colors in this image. The background is other goldenrods. This image was taken at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters Unit in Bossier City, Louisiana a couple of weeks ago.

Arrowhead Spider

rmaum — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:15:37 +0000

Here’s an interesting spider that literally crossed my path the other day. This is an Arrowhead Spider(Verrucosa areneta). As you might deduce from the image, Arrowhead Spiders are orb weavers. What makes them unusual is that they keep their head up. Typically spiders will hang from their web with their heads down. Those little black dots are eyes.