The Daily Bucket is a regular series from the Backyard Science group. Here we talk about Mother Nature in all her glory, especially the parts that live nearby. So let us know (as close as you are comfortable) where you are and what's going on around you. What's the weather like? Seen any interesting plants, bugs or critters? Are there birds at your feeders? Deer, foxes or peahens in your yard? Seen any cool rocks or geological features? Post your observations and notes here. And photos. We like lots of photos. :)
Pinellas County, Florida, which includes the city of St Petersburg, is one of the most densely populated areas of the state. But St Pete is not just a sea of cement and glass and a monoculture of humans. Much wildlife thrives here. So a few days ago I decided to turn my regular morning walk into an all-morning affair, taking a three-hour walking tour of the city with the specific purpose of seeing just how much wildlife was in sight. To avoid cheating, I did not include any of the several wildlife refuges and preserves, but only went to two ordinary city parks with picnic tables and swing sets, Crescent Lake Park and Round Lake Park, both within a few blocks of my apartment. My photo safari is below:
A molted Cicada shell. Although the Cicadas are already pretty loud, it's still a bit early in the year for them to really get going.
Tri-Colored Heron
A pair of female mallards.
A Brown Anole head-bobbing at me.
Butterfly.
An Osprey checking me out.
White Ibis, adult and a juvie.
Little fishes in one of the saltwater canals.
Lubber Grasshopper on the sidewalk. It took me a second to realize it was dead. So I guess it doesn't really count as "wildlife".
Some gulls who wanted my lunch. The ones with black beaks are Bonaparte Gulls; the ones with reddish tips on their beaks are Laughing Gulls.
A cool-looking Mushroom, about as big around as a baseball.
A Red-Eared Slider and a female Double-Crested Cormorant.
Anhinga.
Mom and Dad Moorhen and the kids. (Well, OK--the proper name is now apparently "Common Gallinule", but I've been calling them "Moorhens" since I was a kid in PA, and since "Gallinule" is too hard to spell anyway, it will always be a "Moorhen" to me. So there.)
Muscovy Ducks. A domestic breed also known as "Hissing Ducks" since they don't "quack" but make a loud hissing call instead. Whenever anyone feeds the Mallards at Crescent Lake, these poor guys always come running over enthusiastically--but their hissing and the odd-looking red growths on their face usually scare the crap out of the little kids, who then run away.
Greylag Goose. There's a gaggle of these at Crescent Lake, introduced by a local resident back in the 90's.
Monk Parakeets, a non-native species.
A male Grackle sparkling in the sun, and his lady friend.
Not a bad safari. :)
And now it is your turn--what's up in your neck of the woods?