Jason's Living Room

A white admiral butterfly spreads it's wings on the ground

Limenitis arthemis

A white admiral. Up north they look like this, but in the south they don't have the white band, and they mimic a poisonous butterfly.

There are many hybrid colour patterns where the two populations overlap.

#bugs #butterfly #insect #photography #outdoors #ontario

Turdus migratorius

Sometimes the light isn't with me. A pretty Robin sat on a clear perch. I had a perfect line of sight.

Oh well... I guess I'll have to do some more bird watching.

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto

A male mallard with duckweed on his face

Anas platyrhynchos

Male mallards don't quack. The quaking you hear is always the females. The male vocalization isn't a quack.

They're so common that I forget about them, but that green head is gorgeous!

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto #wetlands #duck

Almost everyone drove past but the person who stopped is evil? Huh.

We called someone who works for a wildlife rescue, and followed their instructions.

I'm open to advice but move on with your scolding.

This is a gorgeous photo!

Canis lupus familiaris

Given enough time, this is what humans can turn a wolf into.

#dogs

My sons both had the chance to see but not handle the woodpecker up close. Unfortunately they were asleep when I got home. I'm sure I'll be hearing all about the woodpecker tonight at dinner.

She called a friend who works at a vet clinic and a wildlife rescue. Advice was to leave the bird where it was, it's not easy to get care. Luckily the woodpecker started to come to its senses and seemed to dally once it was away from fast moving cars. It eventually flew away.

Pileated woodpecker on a fence post

Dryocopus pileatus

Last night my wife and kids encountered a woodpecker in the middle of the road, apparently struck by a car. She picked it up carefully in a sweater and place it on the fence.

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto #woodpecker #woodpeckerWednesday

A yellow warbler plays peekaboo in some twigs

Setophaga petechia

I take wonderful photos of twigs, the birds are just a nice little bonus in the background.

Thanks for joining me as I sip my morning copium.

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto #warbler #tree

They're awesome

Two juvenile cedar waxwings perched on a branch

Bombycilla cedrorum

Since I'm on a roll here I'll also share this snap of some juvenile cedar waxwings I saw this week.

They're named for a waxy secretion on their wings... I'm not sure if I want to learn more about that.

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto #babies

A cedar waxwing among leaves

Bombycilla cedrorum

I got lucky and stood next to a berry tree without realizing it. My reward was some time with a waxwing and it's juvenile children.

They're very striking birds but they make a hobby of hide and seek with me.

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto #trees

A cedar waxwing dives for cover as the paparazzi arrives

Bombycilla cedrorum

Cedar waxwings have been EVERYWHERE I go birding this summer. I hear them whistling constantly...

They're being quite elusive. I've gotten better at spotting them but they still love to disappear for the camera.

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto

A beetle, wasp, and hoverfly visit the same flower

Cerceris nigrescens

A wasp, a beetle, and a hoverfly visit the same flower. I'm always impressed with the diversity of animals that can share space with each other.

#bugs #bees #wasps #insect #flower #pollinator #photography #nature #outdoors #ontario #toronto

Cowbirds benefit from most birds of that size being omnivores. But the strict vegetarians mess up the Cowbird chicks. Goldfinches are another nest where Cowbird chicks die

A cedar waxwing perched on a branch

Bombycilla cedrorum

Cowbirds that are laid in cedar waxwing nests usually die because waxwings eat too much fruit for the babies.

Cedar waxwings also love being near me, but hate letting me photograph them.

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto

Halictus ligatus

Ligated furrow bees are native sweat bees... So called for their attraction to perspiration!

#bees #bugs #insect #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto #ontario #nativespecies

They're amazing! One of my favourite flowers

Great shot! I love the shape of the branch helping your composition too

Echinacea purpurea

If insects took landscape photographs I imagine they'd look like this one. This time of year I have a hard time finding bird models but an easy time finding bees. The bees are harder to identify though!

#bees #bugs #insect #photography #nature #garden #toronto #ontario #flower

Tachycineta bicolor

Tree swallows are important to ecologists because they're accessible to study. They nest where we can easily monitor them, and they tolerate humans near nests.

They're also cute as hell!

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto

Stunning!

A female wood duck stands on a stump in the middle of a pond

Aix sponsa

Wood ducks are the only North American duck to regularly produce two broods per season... So go find some ducklings!

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto #duck

Amazing!

Summer Hummer #hummingbird #hummingbirds #birds #hummer #summer #photo #photography #nature

Agelaius phoeniceus

I don't have a caption. Just a cool bird taking flight.

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto #blackbird

A metallic green sweat bee resting on a leaf

Agapostemon species

A metallic green sweat bee on my tomatoe.

This time of year it's hard to photograph birds and easy to find bugs... But identifying them is a challenge!

Can anyone tell me the species? I think I have the genus.

#bugs #bees #insects #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto

My 4 year old son learned the hard way that caterpillars like this shouldn't be touched... Ours was an Io moth but looks very similar.

He stepped on it by mistake, but both the caterpillar and the kid were fine in the end and we moved the caterpillar to a safer location

An eastern kingbird perched on a branch on an overcast day in Toronto

Tyrannus tyrannus

The eastern kingbird has a crown! It's yellow, orange, or red but they often keep them concealed.

Beautiful bird and I see them a lot close to home and in the city.

#birds #ontario #photography #nature #outdoors #toronto