Redhead - Aythya americana
Location: Durham NC (USA)
Cold weather brought in a small flock of Redhead to this suburban lake. They dabbled and dove for aquatic plants, but they also caught fish, a big surprise. (References on this species say they eat vegetation and invertebrates.) An astute friend noted the cold weather likely made the fish easy prey.

Sea birds on a cold winter day, 26 January 2026.
Johnnie Mercer Pier, Wrightsville Beach, NC (USA)
Common Loon
White-winged Scoter (first year male?), trying to eat a sand dollar.
White-winged Scoter (male)

Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus
Location: Durham NC USA
Making its usual rounds, searching for Rough Earth Snakes in my yard. This seems to be one of a resident pair that is used to being photographed. This one let me get to within 20 feet (7 meters) or so.

Black-and-white Warbler and West Indian (Florida) Manatees on a recent trip to Crystal River and Homosassa areas of Florida.

Green Lynx Spider - Peucetia viridans (female)
Green Swamp Preserve, Brunswick County, North Carolina (USA)
Perched on Yellow Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia flava.

Happy #Arachtober 10th!
White and yellow versions of the same species of the...
White-banded Crab Spider - Misumenoides formosipes (female)
Location: Green Swamp Preserve, Brunswick County, North Carolina (USA)
This is a wonderful preserve of The Nature Conservancy.

Giant Otter - Pteronura brasiliensis (26 October 2024, Encontro das Águas State Park, Brazil)
This one was spotted bathing and splashing across the river channel, swam over to investigate us, then caught an eel and consumed it noisily.

Insects from an event at Chapel Hill Public Library (North Carolina) on 26 July 2025: #nationalmothweek.
Luna Moth - Actias luna (from other side of the sheet!)
Treehopper - Glossonotus acuminatus
Bold-feathered Grass Moth - Herpetogramma pertextalis
Beautiful Mantidfly - Leptomantispa pulchella

Beetles from 6 April 2025, Durham, North Carolina (USA)
Bimaculate Longhorn Beetle - Molorchus bimaculatus bimaculatus
Yellow-shouldered Tumbling Flower Beetle - Mordellochroa scapularis
Flower Weevil - Glyptobaris lecontei
American Carrion Beetle - Necrophila americana
All were found on Flowering Dogwood, except for the carrion beetle!

Northern Water Snake - Nerodia sipedon ssp. sipedon (male)
Location: Durham NC USA
This male had been in pursuit of a female, which rejected him and swam off. He retreated and gave me some lovely gaping threat displays before settling down to bask.