Cedar Waxwings plundering fruit, courting

 

My front yard Downy Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea). It's an older plant and may be on the far side of middle age. But it still has seasons where it produces a bounty of sugary berries, and this is one of those years. And lots of serviceberry fruit means lots of birds.

Yes! Says a Cedar Waxwing as it enters the tree. Such an environment, to a waxwing, is akin to a kid falling into a giant bowl of M & M's. And it isn't just waxwings that visit. American Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, Gray Catbirds and others drop in for snacks. But I must confess that the suave waxwings are my favorite.

As always, click the photo to enlarge

A waxwing ponders which tasty fruit to pluck. The crop is just beginning to ripen, and from my observations, they like them ripe and red. Given the amount of fruit on this treelet, I should have waxwing visitors for some time to come.

A waxwing with freshly plucked berry. It'll be down his/her hatch soon. Fortunately, waxwings are pretty tame, and I can stand in one of my garage bays with door open and shoot them from there. They know I'm there but aren't bothered a bit. Even people walking by on the sidewalk - closer than my position - often don't flush them.

A pair in the act of passing a berry. This courtship feeding is a pair-bonding ritual, and I've seen it a number of times over the past few days, but it is difficult to photograph, usually because the birds are obstructed by branches and foliage when they do it. I'll keep at it and try for better material. Anyway, the fruit exchange is usually just once - probably mostly male to female - but this case was unusual in that they swapped the fruit back and forth five times, with the initial recipient (her, I assume) finally eating it.

Cedar Waxwings are effective frugivores, with an insatiable appetite for sugary fruit like these serviceberries. While they efficiently digest the soft parts of the fruit, the seeds probably mostly pass through their systems intact, to be expelled elsewhere - probably, in many cases, a long distance from where they were harvested. So, in addition to pleasing us with their suave elegance (certainly the least important thing that waxwings do), they are important agents of dispersal for plants.

Eastern Cottontails courting

 

Lots of rabbit action in the yard the other night! I glanced out a window to see a male cottontail perform a spectacular courtship leap over a female. So, we waited for more action and were rewarded. In this shot, an adult male and female in close proximity.

Here, the male catapults over the hunkered down female. Their acrobatic courtship displays are amazing. Lots of facing off, racing around after one another, and these leaps in which the male springs over the female.

In this image, a truly elfin rabbitlet, not long out of the easter egg, peeks from vegetation. In total, five rabbits were in evidence and all of them are welcome in my yard, and the more rabbitlets the better. Sorry for the less than stellar imagery, but it was nearly dark when all of this unfolded.

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel pops up

 

A Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) goes on point. The prairie dog relatives spend much time upright, watching for potential threats. If one is spotted, they will issue a rapid series of squeaking beeps, alerting their brethren, then quickly duck down into one of their burrows.

We visited a colony that I've long known about, in south-central Ohio, this morning. TLGS were a primary target, but temperatures have been abnormally cool around here and it was in the low 50's F when we arrived around 8:30 am. That's a bit chilly for the squirrels, who love temperatures in the 70's, 80's and hotter.

But this site is rich in birds, and we spent much time making images of kingbirds, meadowlarks, mockingbirds, and other species. That was all fun and Shauna and I procured some nice images and had a good time observing interesting behavior in the various species (I am much more of a bird watcher than a birder - at least of the listing type).

Finally, as we were departing around 10:30, with the temperature now about 58 F, this guy shot across the mowed grass, then posed for a bit. Apparently, he was the only one of his clan willing to venture out in the chilly air, even though I know there are a number of others here.

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels reach the eastern terminus of their range in Ohio, and their distribution correlates nicely with the pre-settlement distribution of Midwestern prairies. We - people - have been VERY hard on native prairies and probably have destroyed over 99% of it. The charismatic little ground squirrels have suffered as well and are pretty rare in this part of the world these days. I'm grateful that small pockets of the charismatic mammals still persist.

A bevy of salamanders, including an interesting hypomelanistic specimen

 

Your narrator holds one of Dr. Thomas Pauley's many publications on West Virginia salamanders, while posing with the man himself.

For the past 20 years, I have given talks and led field trips at the New River Birding & Nature Festival in Fayetteville. The festival always takes place at the tail end of April/early May, and I highly recommend it. GO HERE for details. This is one of the most biologically rich areas in eastern North America. An interesting part of those biological riches are salamanders, and a few years ago, event organizers got Tom involved. This was akin to striking gold for some of us, and I've had the privilege of going on several nocturnal forays with Dr. Pauley.

This year was no exception, and a small group of us headed into the New River gorge on the evening of May 3. the excursion was even better as we had two of Dr. Pauley's proteges leading us: Josh and Tabitha Stover. They are extraordinary herpetologists, know where everything is, and are incredibly adept at finding secretive amphibians.

The New River gorge, near Fayetteville, West Virginia. It contains scads of interesting organisms, among scenery to die for. For this trip, we descended to some cliff formations down near the river.

A Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus) peeks from a fissure. For us Ohioans, this is a major rarity, and one must know exactly where to go. Down here, they are far more frequent, and we saw many this night.

A Kentucky Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) watches us from its lair. We saw several, including one whopper that must have taped out at ten inches. It was a bit wary and backed into his fissure before we could photo-document the mini-monster.

A Seal Salamander (Desmognathus monticola) has a look around before emerging. This is one of the most common species in the area. When we arrived, not long after nightfall, it was dry. Salamander hunting is far better after showers have moistened the ground, and lo and behold, after a bit it started to rain. We couldn't have coordinated the weather any better: after 20 or so minutes of fairly light showers, the precipitation stopped, everything was soaked, and a previously hidden army of amphibians emerged.

My Marsh Blue Violet (Viola cucullata) shot was photo-bombed by another Seal Salamander. Look closely in the bottom right of the image.

A gorgeous Northern Slimy Salamander (Plethodon glutinosus) poses for the camera. Handle one and you will see why they are so named. Sticky skin secretions smack of Elmer's glue. The gloss black base coat liberally peppered with white freckles makes for a very showy creature, though.

We were understandably pleased - who would not! - to see several fine specimens of Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber). They are not uncommon here, but generally special efforts must be made to see one. Note the yellow irises. A similar species also occurs, but in lesser numbers, the Mud Salamander (Pseudotriton montanus). It is also bright orange-red and flecked with black spots but has brown irises. It is also well-named, spending much time in soupy mire.

A Wehrle's Salamander (Plethodon wehrlei) marches across a rock. While perhaps a plain jane compared to some of the previous species, it is a handsome creature with its snub nose, big eyes, and delicate saffron flecking. This is another common species in West Virginia, although herpetologists have long noted regional variation in the species. One of these variants has much larger golden spots, so much so that it suggests a Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum). It was described as a separate species in 2019 and dubbed the Yellow-spotted Woodland Salamander (Plethodon pauleyi). Note the specific epithet of the scientific name: pauleyi. It is named for Dr. Thomas Pauley. A fitting honor for West Virginia's leading herpetologist!

Yellow-spotted Woodland Salamander has a very limited distribution in Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. I hope to make a trip with Josh Stover later this year to see it, and if so, will report on that with imagery afterwards.

Your narrator, while bumbling about, came across this strange-looking creature, which I thought to be a Wehrle's Salamander, but it didn't fit the mold. Not knowing what to make of it, I called Josh over and he instantly recognized it as a hypomelanistic (abnormally pale) Wehrle's Salamander. None of the rest of us had even heard of such a thing, and apparently this was the first record for the New River Gorge, although Josh says there are pockets of them elsewhere in the state.

All in all, it was a wonderful wet night of salamander hunting, with many interesting finds. I returned to my abode at midnight, dreading the 5 am wakeup the following morning. But well worth the loss of sleep, and I look forward to future West Virginia salamander forays.

Big thanks to Josh and Tabitha Stover, and Tom Pauley, for teaching us about these interesting creatures!

Blue-winged Warbler bags large caterpillar

 

A Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) foraging and singing in an American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana). I got to spend about 15 minutes watching the colorful animal hunting, which is entertaining. Blue-winged Warblers are quite active when feeding, and suggest chickadees as they flit through the foliage, dangling acrobatically to snare insects. I was witness to an impressive bag: a very large prominent moth caterpillar, which is in the second image. Unfortunately, no clear shots could be had of this operation. The warbler took the victim to a nearby horizontal branch and proceeded to beat the larva violently by whipping it into the twig. When the cat was suitably mushy, it quickly swallowed the lepidopteran stew. A photo of the warbler with its victim is below. Shawnee State Forest, Scioto County, Ohio, May 7, 2025.

White Slantline Moth on Mayapple flowers

 

A colony of Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) resembles a bunch of little green umbrellas thrusting from the forest floor. I photographed this colony deep in Shawnee State Forest (Scioto County, Ohio) on May 7 (2025).

As always, click the photo to enlarge

Fertile plants bear a gorgeous waxy-white flower that arises from the node where the two leaves diverge. The flower is often concealed by the leaves, at least to the upright observer.

It's worth going low to inspect Mayapple flowers, as they sometimes harbor a bit of Lepidopteran magic: White Slantline Moths (Tetracis cachexiata) that resemble the petals, and roost on the flowers during the day. Sometimes several moths can be found on one flower. In short order, I found three White Slantlines - all in separate Mayapple colonies - and surely could have found others had I continued the search.

PHOTO NOTES: I shot the last two images with (as always) my Canon R5 camera, and the amazing Canon 180mm f/3.5 macro lens. This lens was made from 1996 to 2021 and it is one of the sharpest lenses ever made. It also absolutely crushes the background, creating beautiful, creamy bokehs, as can be seen in the last two images. I like its longer reach, as it provides more versatility in how and where one can set up. The 180mm does not have image stabilization, and I made the above image at ISO 200, f/9, and a slow 1/13 exposure. Therefore, a tripod is important, and I have an Oben CTT-1000 carbon fiber tripod. It's miniature, going from ground level to perhaps a foot in height. Perfect for low subjects, and great for stabilizing the 180mm in low-light conditions. That lens also has a tripod collar, so it can easily be rotated while on the tripod.

Swainson's Warbler

 

As always, click the photo to enlarge

A Swainson's Warbler shot from last week in Fayette County, West Virginia. In this region, these warblers typically frequent large tangles of Great Rhododendron, and catching even a glimpse in those thickets can be very tough. This bird occupied a deciduous forest opening and was much easier to see. I kept tabs on him for a half hour and could even watch his sparrow-like foraging behavior: using those big feet and large bill to turn leaves on the forest floor. This warbler is one of the rarest of the 38 extant species of eastern North America breeding warblers, with an estimated population of about 140,000 individuals. As a point of comparison, the Connecticut Warbler, a species much coveted by birders, has a total population estimated at about 1.8 million birds.

Red-eyed Vireo harvests tent caterpillar nest silk

Apologies for the lack of posts of late. I just returned from my annual foray to the wilds of West Virginia to participate in the New River Birding and Nature Festival. While there, I led trips for six days, then Shauna came down and we had an epic trip into the Monongahela National Forest yesterday. There we made many photographs of a variety of interesting organisms, some of which will probably surface here later.

FYI: The New River Birding and Nature Festival takes place late April/early May, and this was its 23rd year. This region of southern West Virginia is exceedingly rich in biodiversity, including birds, and our trips fan out to a variety of habitats. One of the main targets for many people is Swainson's Warbler (I'll try to make a separate post about that later), and the Fayetteville area (where we are based) is an epicenter for them. See more festival details HERE.

While leading the trips for the festival, I take next to no images and only carry my iPhone and my Canon R5 with a 24-105mm lens. The latter of which is used primarily to get group shots, and maybe some habitat images. As a guide, one must remain on point the entire time on the field, and prioritize helping group members get on birds, and learn more about natural history. There isn't time for taking images, although sometimes I experience some inner agony when we see amazing things and I cannot commemorate them photographically. But I get as much enjoyment out of seeing things and learning more about them as I do creating images.

With that in mind, the following photograph is shared courtesy of one of our participants on last Saturday's trip, Carisa Collins. She uses a Nikon point & shoot with an amazing reach and does a superb job of capturing images of various bird species that we see. The story and photo follow.

Photo courtesy Carisa Collins

Last Saturday, Geoff Heeter and I led a trip into the Summit Bechtel Reserve, a massive scout camp property near Fayetteville, West Virginia. We saw many interesting birds, but a personal highlight was seeing this female Red-eyed Vireo (females select nest sites and build the nest) collecting silk from an Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum) nest.

When we saw the bird approaching the nest, I thought the vireo was going to raid it for caterpillars (they are the bulk of a Red-eyed Vireo's diet). That would have been interesting, as the only birds that I know of that routinely raid these nests are cuckoos and Baltimore Orioles. Tent caterpillars are heavily beset with spines that inhibit most birds from eating them, and when in their silken nests are well protected from avian predation. Big cuckoos (both Black-billed and Yellow-billed) can rip into the nests and ravage the occupants. While a cuckoo may swipe a captured caterpillar back and forth across a branch in an attempt to remove some of the spiny hairs, they do end up swallowing many, and it is said that dissections of cuckoo specimens have revealed that the stomach linings are liberally fuzzed with hairs that penetrated the lining. I have heard that cuckoos can essentially regurgitate the stomach lining if it becomes too choked with tent caterpillar spines, and can regrow a new one, but haven't verified that.

Less well known is that Baltimore Orioles also feed on tent caterpillars. I made a post back in 2014 about this, with plenty of documentation. See that post RIGHT HERE.

Anyway, the vireo that is the protagonist of this story was only interested in the nest's silk, and she had to struggle to separate the wiry cable-like material. She'd tug and tug and tug before successfully separating a tuft of silk. It'll be used to bond her intricate cuplike nest.

Many people despise tent caterpillars - a native moth - because of the nests which they consider unsightly. That's a very shallow uninformed viewpoint. It is a native moth, the nests do not kill the host tree (cherries), and they spawn scores of insect species that prey on the caterpillars. Many of those insects, many of which are parasitoid wasps, in turn become food for other animals. The adult moths serve as pollinators and are eaten by other animals. Bats, who prey primarily on moths, surely eat many  tentworm moths. And now we know that Red-eyed Vireos - which winter in South America - utilize their nests. Eastern Tent Moths are a major keystone species with far-reaching importance when bird predators are factored in. Both Black-billed and Yellow-billed cuckoos, and Red-eyed Vireo, winter deep into South America, and Baltimore Orioles winter throughout much of Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean islands. The lowly eastern tent caterpillar is an important part of their life cycle.