I'm still processing photos from a couple of hours on Reifel Island. We were shutter happy.
Near the gate, after we run the gauntlet of absolutely starving (to hear them tell it) mallards, we come to a clearing overlooking the lagoons to the east. Just below the fence, a school of carp are usually milling about, waiting for seeds, just like the mallards. I love to feed them, watching them slide over and under each other, in a slithery, complicated dance.
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| Most of these carp are about 2 feet long. |
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| 4 fish here, and swirling water. |
Most of the birds were lazing about, waiting for Saturday, but the insects don't have that luxury. They were all busy, busy, busy.
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| Cross spider, Araneus diadematus, in the center of her web. Every bush and clump of tall grass had several of these, all fat, quite a few with their latest catch. |
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| Big blue-eyed darner, pausing to catch his breath. Not for long. |
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| Syrphid (hover) fly on asters. |
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| Goldenrod and brown water. With a spider's anchor line. |
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| The same goldenrod with a pair of yellow and black look-alikes; a small, long-legged wasp, with a yellow face and yellow striped abdomen,and a hover fly, with its striped vest. |
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| Luckily, this huge wasp nest (10 to 12 inches high) has been abandoned; it is only a couple of feet off the path, and at head height. Usually, they are built higher up in the trees. |
We had ostensibly come to see birds.
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| Sky, branch and mallard reflected in a still pond. |
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| Semicircle of one-legged peeps. |
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| Just a late-summer path. |
What a beautiful spot for a stroll. You can feel the action in the carp photos (and the inaction in the wader pic!).
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos! The critters are so busy this time of year. We have to suck the life out of the beautiful fall season, as much as they do!
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