120 Kilopods

Thursday, July 14, 2011

#47 Mourning dove

Zenaida macroura
IUCN Redlist: Least Concern

Location: Los Angeles, California, USA

Time: 1338 PDT June 27 2011

A terrible shot, but definitely a mourning dove (though I wait to be corrected on that). I snapped this at the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles

#46 American Black Bear

Ursus americanus
IUCN Redlist: Least Concern
Location: BC Highway 14, Vancouver Island, Canada
Time: 1145 PDT June 19 2011

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Sphyrapicus ruber
IUCN Redlist: Least Concern
Location: Goldstream Provincial Park, BC, Canada
Time: 1630 PDT June 5 2011

This woodpecker was grooming itself on a log, and repeatedly held its wings extended down the sides of the log, as seen in the pictures below:

#44 Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis
IUCN Redlist: Least Concern
Location: Victoria, BC, Canada
Time: 1400 PDT June 5 2011

This juvenile was caught by hand in some long grass. It became quite comfortable in our hands, and we released it after observing it for a few minutes.

#43 American Mink

Neovison vison
IUCN Redlist: Least Concern
Location: Sombrio Beach, Vancouver Island, Canada
Time: 1515 PDT May 30 2011

This unfortunate individual seemed to have suffered what looked like a bad burn to the head, and was acting unusually, lying in the open on the beach, and not moving until we were very close to it - however when it did move, it didn't seem otherwise injured.

#42 Steller's Jay

Cyanocitta stelleri
IUCN Redlist: Least Concern
Location: Sombrio Beach, Vancouver Island, Canada
Time: 1420 PDT May 30 2011

Here's another one that I saw at the top of Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park, on July 1st

#41 Varied Thrush

Zoothera naevia
IUCN Redlist: Least Concern
Location: Sombrio Beach, BC, Canada
Time: 1420 PDT May 30 2011

#40 Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum
IUCN Redlist: Least Concern
Location: Victoria, BC, Canada
Time: 1400 PDT May 27 2011

#39 European Rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus
IUCN Redlist: Near Threatened
Location: Jericho Park, Vancouver, BC
Time: 1950 PDT May 23 2011

As the name suggests, these are not native to North America, but they have spread widely as a result of introductions for food and fur, and as pets. My copy of Mammals of British Columbia (Eder, T. & Pattie, D 2001) doesn't show any populations on the mainland of British Columbia, but their presence in Jericho Park can most likely be explained by escaped or released pets.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

#38 Osprey

Pandion haliaetus
IUCN Redlist: Least Concern
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Time: 1900 PDT May 23 2011

#37 Common raccoon

Procyon lotor
IUCN Redlist: Least Concern

Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Time: 1800 PDT May 22 2011

This raccoon was foraging for food under the rocks on the Coal Harbour side of Stanley Park. We watched it for some time, but my camera battery died after I took this single picture of it.

#36 Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeiana*
IUCN Redlist: Least Concern
Location: Jericho Park, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Time: 1620 PDT May 23 2011

These are an introduced species in BC, and according to the BC Frogwatch program they are implicated in the decline of the native red-legged frog (Rana aurora) and Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla). They are also voracious predators of anything that's small enough for them to eat.

At Jericho Park the swamp was filled with the booming, cow-like calls of the males.

*The binomial for the bullfrog seems to be the subject of some disagreement. The IUCN Redlist places it in Lithobates, as does Amphibian Species of the World, while AmphibiaWeb uses Rana - as does Wikipedia. I'm wrong either way, as the name should either be Lithobates catesbeianus or Rana catesbeiana.