I think this is a Cherry-faced Meadowhawk. There are a number of similar red meadowhawk dragonflies that are almost impossible to tell apart. I'm guessing this one because it seems to be the one that is observed in Saskatchewan. One thing that helps with photographing dragonflies is that even if they fly away when you approach, if you stay still they will often return to the same perch where they hunt from.
I keep looking for the wood frog but most days I can't find it. I spotted it one other time but it immediately dove down and hid in the mud and leaves on the bottom. This time it didn't seem to mind me photographing it.
Most days if I spend a few minutes searching I can find one of the fishing spiders. They don't look all that well camouflaged in the photos, but they can be hard to spot. One day I spotted one and went to get my camera. When I came back I couldn't find it, even though I knew where it should be. I had just about decided it was gone, when I spotted it again. It hadn't moved!
They seem to be getting fatter. I assume the ones I'm spotting are the larger females and that they are busy growing batches of eggs.
The flowers are also growing around Innovation Place. I think this is a kind of Clematis.
I should know what these next ones are, but I can't get motivated with flower identification the way I do with birds or even insects.
Irises are one of the few that I manage to remember. One of my favorites.
This next one was growing wild by the river. I'm guessing it's native, but I'm not sure.
It was a challenge photographing the flower because it was very windy and it kept blowing around. As I was waiting for a pause in the wind, this small butterfly landed, first on the flowers, and then on the leaves. It looks a bit like the Spring Azures I saw in BC. At first I thought it might be a Summer Azure, but the markings aren't quite right. I posted it on iNaturalist but no one has identified it yet. [Update: It was identified as a Silvery Blue]
As I was walking, a momentary shadow passed over me. I looked up to see this Swainson's hawk and managed to grab a few shots of it, although not very sharp.
This morning on my run I saw some magpies in a tree - no big deal. Then I saw one of them was not like the others. Maybe a hawk? I stopped and walked around the tree to get a better angle. Then I realized its claws held a baby gopher draped over the branch. I think it might have been a Northern Goshawk but I didn't get a good look and sadly didn't have a camera. I wonder if the magpies were hoping to steal its food?
From a distance these three looked black but based on the photos I think they are Brown-headed Cowbirds.
Of course, there were the usual suspects as well:
Canada geese molt during breeding season and can't fly till about the time when their goslings are ready to take flight. But they still seem to be flying around so I guess they haven't molted yet?
The baby gophers are out (as that hawk found). They seem more curious and less nervous than the adults. These three were quite funny to watch, pushing and shoving as they alternated between hiding in their hole, and looking around curiously. I nicknamed them the three stooges.
I keep looking for the wood frog but most days I can't find it. I spotted it one other time but it immediately dove down and hid in the mud and leaves on the bottom. This time it didn't seem to mind me photographing it.
Most days if I spend a few minutes searching I can find one of the fishing spiders. They don't look all that well camouflaged in the photos, but they can be hard to spot. One day I spotted one and went to get my camera. When I came back I couldn't find it, even though I knew where it should be. I had just about decided it was gone, when I spotted it again. It hadn't moved!
They seem to be getting fatter. I assume the ones I'm spotting are the larger females and that they are busy growing batches of eggs.
The flowers are also growing around Innovation Place. I think this is a kind of Clematis.
I should know what these next ones are, but I can't get motivated with flower identification the way I do with birds or even insects.
Irises are one of the few that I manage to remember. One of my favorites.
This next one was growing wild by the river. I'm guessing it's native, but I'm not sure.
It was a challenge photographing the flower because it was very windy and it kept blowing around. As I was waiting for a pause in the wind, this small butterfly landed, first on the flowers, and then on the leaves. It looks a bit like the Spring Azures I saw in BC. At first I thought it might be a Summer Azure, but the markings aren't quite right. I posted it on iNaturalist but no one has identified it yet. [Update: It was identified as a Silvery Blue]
As I was walking, a momentary shadow passed over me. I looked up to see this Swainson's hawk and managed to grab a few shots of it, although not very sharp.
This morning on my run I saw some magpies in a tree - no big deal. Then I saw one of them was not like the others. Maybe a hawk? I stopped and walked around the tree to get a better angle. Then I realized its claws held a baby gopher draped over the branch. I think it might have been a Northern Goshawk but I didn't get a good look and sadly didn't have a camera. I wonder if the magpies were hoping to steal its food?
From a distance these three looked black but based on the photos I think they are Brown-headed Cowbirds.
Of course, there were the usual suspects as well:
Canada geese molt during breeding season and can't fly till about the time when their goslings are ready to take flight. But they still seem to be flying around so I guess they haven't molted yet?
The baby gophers are out (as that hawk found). They seem more curious and less nervous than the adults. These three were quite funny to watch, pushing and shoving as they alternated between hiding in their hole, and looking around curiously. I nicknamed them the three stooges.
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