Critters and wildlife in your area - post your pics

[LifeofRubie]

We have cormorants here in TN, but I discovered them in Illinois...I would take my dogs to a local park that had a pond, and one day a black bird dove out of the sky and went under water! I watched the bubbles go across the pond, then it surfaced! I googled what bird does that, and learned about cormorants. I was obsessed with them! I went every morning to watch them in the trees, and watch them fish. Here are photos I took back in 2013 - I am sure I had a regular camera at the time, not just my cell phone.
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We have some neighborhood cormorants around the park ponds! Very often mis-identified as loons, I believe?

@BG1 I am fascinated following the hummingbird nest updates. It would make my YEAR to discover we had a hummingbird nest somewhere we could observe.

We also saw a GH Owl last night! I think we may have irritated him enough to move along which bums me out because there were no less than 4 rabbits we could see directly under him waiting it out. The bunnies are somehow getting worse! I can't believe we aren't overrun with coyotes, foxes, hawks, and owls with the seemingly endless supply of rabbits.

Oh, did I mention I saw an Indigo Bunting the other day? It was while I was out on the path running so more of a prairie type area (not in the backyard, unfortunately) and didn't get a picture but he was pretty close to the path and just stunning that close up!

 

[JanS]

We have some neighborhood cormorants around the park ponds!

Apparently there are some in MN too. My cousin took this one near Minneapolis this past weekend.

 

[BG1]

Chicks are growing fast!
Nest is hard to pick out unless up close and know where to look...
Only checking every 2-3 days on a slow driveby to avoid disturbing Mama or alerting predators...Bonnie is still clueless and cruises on by looking for gophers upon which her favorite game is sniffies and digging!
No signs of owl pellets or poop.
Looking for new renters in the hawk nest used last year although its getting late in nesting season, there are plenty of red shouldered and redtails claiming this area...
Let me know if this link works:
June 10, 2025

 

[MyBuddy]

Only checking every 2-3 days on a slow driveby to avoid disturbing Mama or alerting predators

Are there only two in the nests? Is this on your property or somewhere on your walk? I just keep thinking about trimming my bushes and thinking that there might be a hummingbird nest in there. I would hope that they build their nests someplace far away from people!

 

[BG1]

Are there only two in the nests? Is this on your property or somewhere on your walk? I just keep thinking about trimming my bushes and thinking that there might be a hummingbird nest in there. I would hope that they build their nests someplace far away from people!

I think only two.

Its on community property of our HOA across the busy street from our house, where I go in the AM to let Bonnie pee and get in some sniffies.

The path is seldom used otherwise and I blocked it off a bit with logs to deter further traffic.

 

[BG1]

Little steenkers getting bigger...
Spotted coyote trotting down the street past the path leading to the nest, at bedtime late a couple nights ago doing "the perimeter check" (Bonnie pee-pee routine before bed)

and she barked - good girl! Protect your babies!
Haze those SongDogs - scoot, beat it, git!

 

[LifeofRubie]

We noticed this Carolina Mantis Ootheca in one of our lilac bushes last fall! We'd had one two years ago (Chinese mantis) that hatched but then one last spring never did. We left this one outside until we got our typical -50F wind-chill and then trimmed the branch, put it in a mason jar with a damp paper towel, covered it with saran wrap with holes in the top, and stuck it in the back of the fridge for a couple of months (kept the towel moistened). Brought it outside and clipped it to the same bush we found it in when things started to warm up. We had read that they need pretty warm temps for 10-20 days before they'll hatch but being the end of June, we were starting to get nervous it was a dud. Well, it surprised us yesterday afternoon!



Dozens of little mantis babies slowly unfurling! We'll try and collect some today and move to different parts of the yard (I always just assume they'll start eating each other??). Hopefully a female returns and gives us a nest to keep-over for a third year in a row!

it's hard to get interesting photo's because everything is pretty small but here's the top of the ootheca where you can see each little egg area is open and that cluster to the left is a mess of mantis sorting themselves out

 

[MyBuddy]

We noticed this Carolina Mantis Ootheca in one of our lilac bushes last fall! We'd had one two years ago (Chinese mantis) that hatched but then one last spring never did. We left this one outside until we got our typical -50F wind-chill and then trimmed the branch, put it in a mason jar with a damp paper towel, covered it with saran wrap with holes in the top, and stuck it in the back of the fridge for a couple of months (kept the towel moistened). Brought it outside and clipped it to the same bush we found it in when things started to warm up. We had read that they need pretty warm temps for 10-20 days before they'll hatch but being the end of June, we were starting to get nervous it was a dud. Well, it surprised us yesterday afternoon!

Wow look at you! Well done! That's really cool that you researched that and knew what to do and brought it to fruition! That is really cool!

 

[jazzies mum]

We noticed this Carolina Mantis Ootheca in one of our lilac bushes last fall! We'd had one two years ago (Chinese mantis) that hatched but then one last spring never did. We left this one outside until we got our typical -50F wind-chill and then trimmed the branch, put it in a mason jar with a damp paper towel, covered it with saran wrap with holes in the top, and stuck it in the back of the fridge for a couple of months (kept the towel moistened). Brought it outside and clipped it to the same bush we found it in when things started to warm up. We had read that they need pretty warm temps for 10-20 days before they'll hatch but being the end of June, we were starting to get nervous it was a dud. Well, it surprised us yesterday afternoon!

View attachment 154722

Dozens of little mantis babies slowly unfurling! We'll try and collect some today and move to different parts of the yard (I always just assume they'll start eating each other??). Hopefully a female returns and gives us a nest to keep-over for a third year in a row!

it's hard to get interesting photo's because everything is pretty small but here's the top of the ootheca where you can see each little egg area is open and that cluster to the left is a mess of mantis sorting themselves out

View attachment 154723

View attachment 154724

Awesome! Love Mantis!

 

[JanS]

Does anyone know what kind of snake this is? My BIL had it on his deck steps in Hudson, WI and no one around there has a clue what it is.

 

[Gpcoguy]

Looks like a glossy but I don't think they're found that far north

 

[JanS]

He did a little more research and it looks like an eastern fox snake. It does look very similar to the glossy too.

 

[BG1]

Dove at Home Depot Dog Park today

 

[JanS]

I guess we have a new pet bird of the outside variety. He's out here most of the day, every day.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10038859082898894

 

[Gpcoguy]

 

[Gpcoguy]

I've seen that doe several mornings lately. Her reaction to Rose is a bit surprising.

 

[GennyB]

 

[JanS]

@GennyB what is that? It looks huge!

 

[jazzies mum]

A water buffalo near Darwin NT. Yes, I'm on the road again!Sorry about the bad phone image. No time to find my camera!

 

[GennyB]

@GennyB what is that? It looks huge!

It"s a pretty big rat snake, probably 4-5 feet long. My son and I were walking and he came zooming between us. Scared the crap out of me because he was MOVING!