It's windy, cool and rainy this morning. Poor Kara is wondering why her morning walk is delayed ...

I thought I'd point out some of the resources I have been using in working on this blog. It is a real learning experience for me, because I've really only been familiar with the more common species of plants and animals, and trying to identify the new ones (to me) has been a bit of a challenge.

(NOTE: I expect I may have mis-identified in some instances, and would really appreciate hearing from folks that know better!)

Anyway, one of the better and more comprehensive online birding resources is the All About Birds website, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It's quite comprehensive, with lots of images, and searchable in a number of ways.

A useful site for butterflies and moths is Butterflies and Moths of North America, although the sheer number of species listed can make ID difficult.

For identification of local common pollinators, this pamphlet, written by a former University of Toronto  Zoology department colleague Laurence Packer, can be quite useful: A Guide to Toronto's Pollinators

It has been devilishly hard identifying dragonflies and damselflies here, and I have used the Toronto Wildlife website for some common species, as well as photographer Tim King's lovely blog for identifying insects and other species.

I hope some of you find these links useful and interesting. If anyone has links that they would like to share, I'd appreciate hearing about them!

Gosh, it's getting warm!

My morning exploration was a bit shorter than usual today, First off, it was quite hot in the sun. Kara did not approve, and wanted to head back.

It seemed that the insects in the hayfield agreed. It was quite quiet, with only the odd butterfly fluttering about, and very few dragonflies evident.I was back out with the tripod today, convinced that losing a few grab shots was worth the higher percentage of in focus shots.

I was carrying around my old Canon 40D body, which is a cropped sensor body. When used with my standard lenses, it gives the sense that you are getting better magnification compared to the full framed body. Some people refer to the smaller sensor bodies as "cropped sensor" bodies, because in effect, that's what they are - the sensor is reduced in size, and effectively crops a section out of the image that you would see with a larger sensor.

My 5D Mk2 has in excess of 21 megapixels. The 40D has 10.1 MP. If you do the math, I still get more pixels, and lower noise pixels, if I use the 5D and crop. The bigger sensor wins for image quality, every time.

The main advantage of the 40D is that it has a much higher rate of firing for multiple images, at 6.5 frames per second, while the 5D  is closer to 3 frames per second. For trying to capture the perfect moment in an action scene, the 40D might be better. It is also smaller, lighter, and plenty good for posting web images, so I will likely use both cameras for this blog.

Anyway, I did manage a few images of skippers today. I was trying to get images of them doing something, or shot from unusual angles, or with unusual lighting. The shots of butterflies with their wings splayed are great for identification and to convey the full majesty and brilliance of their wings. It's also interesting to see the butterflies engaging in their daily routine.

Here are some shots of the skippers feeding ...

I like the backlighting on this one, it adds a glow to the shaded part of the butterflies thorax and abdomen.

I thought that this top down view, lending a symmetrical look to the butterfly, was a bit interesting.

Here's a new visitor to the flowers in the hayfield. At first glance, I thought it was a wasp of some sort. The banding on the abdomen, clear segments on the wings .... but a closer look showed that it was in a fact a wasp mimic moth. Quite the convincing impression!! I am having a tough time identifying the species, though. The abdomen is a dead giveaway, with the crayfish-like "tail".

I noticed another goldenrod crab spider. At first it was just hiding, but eventually it got busy, constructing a web. Here it is, just hanging out .....

And finally, the field is full of wildflowers. Here is one of Cathie's favourites - orange hawkweed. Full sun isn't the best lighting for flowers. I'm hoping for a day with high thin cloud to give me some softer light, so that I can document the profusion of wildflowers - before we have to mow the hay field! Gulp!

Another bit of excitement on the morning outing ....

As I was concentrating on taking photographs, Kara was following behind me. At one point, I thought I heard a flapping of wings nearby but saw nothing when I turned. Several minutes later, a grouse exploded into the air about 6 feet from where I was standing. It fluttered and didn't gain altitude, but was heading for the maple bush. Kara got quite excited and was bouncing into the air, watching the bird, but not approaching. I tried calling her back, to no avail.

The grouse eventually seemed to fly properly off into the woods, and Kara followed.

I suspect that the grouse was protecting a nest, and was doing the "hey look at me I'm a crippled bird" distraction. Do grouse do that? Do they nest in the open hay field?

Back to the images ....

I take back my previous comments about tripods. After a frustrating couple of days with lots of out-of-focus or soft images, I tried a tripod and ballhead today. I'm using a Canon 300mm f4 L lens, with 2X Canon teleconverter (very little effect on image quality!) and an extension tube.

The depth of field when wide open (f8) seems to be no more than a couple of millimetres! The slightest movement on my part puts the image out of focus. With the tripod, focusing was much more deliberate, and my percentage of "hits" increased dramatically. I was also able to stop down, typically to f11 (to increase depth of field), but sometimes more, and still get sharp images.

As a side note, I am using a Canon 5D Mk2 DSLR. It's a great camera, love it to bits. BUT, I do miss my old Canon film cameras, because they had much better focusing aids in the screen. I recall the little split screen for critical focusing, and the circular "waffle" pattern that would pop into focus when you were bang on. With the 5D, you basically have only a matte screen, and with a rig that is a bit dark like mine, it's a royal pain to try and get critically sharp. Yes, I could use Live View, but it would just slow me down even more. As it is, I often have no more than a few seconds before the insect of interest departs.

Anyway, a few new dragonfly portraits. The first one is of a dragonfly enjoying a snack. My best guess at an ID is a unicorn clubtail.

This fellow is resting on the leaf, causing it to curl. As the grasses in the hayfield get taller, there are fewer places for these fellows to land. The tall grass stalks don't support their weight.

Here's an attempt at a closeup of a dragonfly face. Quite neat, but one only a mother could love! A  dot tailed whiteface, I think.

Finally, a side on view of another dragonfly of the same species (I know, I know, I need to try and identify these guys!)

The new predominant butterflies in the hayfield are these skippers -  Long Dashes (Polites mystic) I think.

This one was feeding on a clover flower, and through the viewfinder, I could see it dipping its long black proboscis into the flower to get at the nectar. In this image you can see the proboscis clearly.

As I was taking images of this fellow, a second one landed and behaved a bit aggressively. The first one (top) held his ground, and would flutter his wings for intervals of a second or so. Eventually, the interloper left.

Here's an  Arctic skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon) - I think!

I noticed a small green insect on these yellow flowers.  It's a bee, Agapostemon virescens. The bright green metallic thorax is amazing! This is the first one I ever noticed, though apparently they are quite common. Something about old dogs and new tricks .......

Seemingly hanging mid air, this tiny (maybe 5 mm?) spider was simply hanging from a thread, with no web. The slightest breeze would set him swinging. This was the best shot I could get! Possibly a
goldenrod crab spider.

An exciting day at Wildhart!

Our friend Lola spotted a female wood duck and ducklings in our pond! I went to investigate as soon as I heard, but they had moved on. Later in the afternoon, I went to check again, and there they were! Unfortunately, the light was against me, and I was not sneaky enough, so I could only grab a couple of quick frames. Here is one, just to show they exist!

While I was down there earlier, there was quite a stir among the many blackbirds that are presumably nesting there. One female posed nicely, and proceeded to swoop down, grab a dragonfly, and have lunch!

Meanwhile, at the hayfield, some new species of dragonfly and butterfly, and a wee bit of drama ....

This damselfly is quite small and delicate, and actually hard to spot, as it is so ephemeral. For a size reference, it is perched on a blade of grass. Possibly a bluet.

A dramatically coloured dragonfly, no ID yet. Common whitetail???

A new butterfly ... a common wood nymph Cercyonis pegala

And another - a clouded sulphur. The delicacy of the colour is not conveyed in this image.

I spotted a Spring Azure butterfly seemingly hanging upside down from a head of grass. It was oddly motionless, and it was only after I went around to the other side that I realized what I was looking at .... so sad. The circle of life.

On a happier note, I saw this bumblebee frantically checking the flowers on the wild honeysuckle. Here he is coming in for  a landing!

This tiny fellow was deep in the vegetation. He's an immature grasshopper, maybe 3/8 of an inch long. I believe it is in the nymph stage of development. He needs to molt before becoming an adult.

Here are a couple of birds that I haven't posted before. The first fellow was quite shy, hiding in the dogwood bush and peeking out at me. Nice crest! Almost looks like a bad toupee! My best guess (supported by my resident birding expert) is a swamp sparrow.

And finally, a not so great picture of one of my favourite birds, the house wren. They seem so cheery, and seem to sing continually. Tiny little  things, this guy was high up a dead tree.

It's quite cool, cloudy and windy today, so no photography.

Here are some recent images, starting with the Spring Azure blues. I've added extension tubes to my 300 mm f4 lens, allowing me to get a bit closer. Of course, with increased magnification, i need a higher shutter seed, and a smaller aperture to get any kind of depth of field. So far, everything has been shot by natural light. I might try some flash fill photography if I want to get really close.

Some folks recommend tripods, but most of the time, the insects are perched on tall grass stalks that weave with the slightest breeze. Achieving critical focus wouldn't be any easier, and quite often I find myself bending and twisting to get a shooting angle that minimizes a bad background or foreground obstructions. I'm a fanatical tripod guy for landscapes, but for these insect photos, a tripod would be pretty much an impediment.

Another of the small native bees, hard at work. You can see that he's collected a lot of pollen at this point. So cute!

A new dragonfly species, yet to be identified. I found an interesting relatively local website helpful in identifying local species of dragonflies, at http://littlebrownjobbies.blogspot.ca/2011/02/dragonflies-of-ontario.html. Possibly a dot tailed whiteface.

And another new one, similar to the four spotted skimmer.

 There is also a new species of butterfly in the hay field, in small numbers. They are more cautious than the Spring Azures, and this fuzzy picture is the best I could manage from my first encounter.  At least it should be useful for identification purposes. Likely a northern crescent.

Hunting dragonflies!

There are lots out in the hay field these days. The field is a beautiful meadow full of grasses and wildflowers. Buttercups, daisies and vetch are the main flowering species, alongside the wild honeysuckle.

The most common ones are the four spotted skimmers (below), but I have seen a blue damselfly (no firm ID without a picture!) and a couple of others.

I'm still trying to get a good image of a flying dragonfly, with no success. They fly quickly, and its nigh unto impossible to line up a shot, focus, and grab an image before they're gone. Out of frustration, I took a couple of "almost" shots and played around in Photoshop to render impressionistic (and perhaps garish!) renderings of dragonflies in flight!

The Spring Azure blues seem to be less common, and other species of small butterfly have appeared. The new arrivals seem more skittish, though, and it was frustrating to spot one, and watch it flutter for several minutes and cover more than 50 yards without landing, never allowing a close approach. Species TBD, as for the dragonflies!

It finally feels like summer, with warm days, and mostly cool nights.

The other night, Cathie spotted our first glow worms. It seems a bit early, as they are associated in Estonian culture with St John's day, and since my name is a cognate of John, they are literally called Jaan's Worms in Estonian! Of course, they're not worms, but beetles, but never mind ...

I was out a couple of days ago, looking for insects in the hayfield. I happened to glance up, and managed to quickly crank the focus and grab a quick shot of a red tailed hawk.

We seem to have some resident warblers. I've spotted them before (see below), and at first thought they were goldfinches. They obliged me with a few poses ....

 On Friday, I noticed that there was a small flock of birds in an ash tree, largely hidden in the foliage. I finally spotted one, a cedar waxwing, in among some branches.

I'm fond of small bees ....

And on the front lawn Friday, a swallowtail, a bit worse for wear ... but gorgeous anyway.