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Monday in Nature 26 June 2017


Tony Parsons

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Basic Guidelines: In the strictest sense, nature photography should not include "hand of man elements". Please refrain from images with buildings or human made structures like roads, fences, walls. Pets are not permitted. Captive subjects in zoos, arboretums, or aquariums are permitted, but must be declared, and must focus on the subject, not the captivity. Images with obvious human made elements will likely be deleted from the thread, with an explanation to the photographer. Guidelines are based on PSA rules governing Nature photography which also cover the Nature Forum. Keep your image at/under 1000 pixels on the long axis for in-line viewing. Note that this includes photos hosted off-site at Flicker, Photobucket, your own site, etc. Are you new to this thread? We post one image per week.

 

First time I've ever started a thread, particularly one as prestigious as this - if I've got it wrong, apologies.

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Unidentified fungus - any experts, please ?

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Tony,

I think you got it just right. Your fungi looks like a jumble of Polyporus squamosus. The stump/wood in the background is helpful. This species only grows on wood.

 

My contribution is, of course, fungal. Microglossum rufum is full of lovely little details, especially the scurfy stipe. This small wood decomposer is common and widely distributed, but despite all that, this was the first time I'd ever seen it in the flesh. Shot with the Canon XSi and 60mm ef-s lens.

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Witnessed a toad being eaten by an Eastern garter snake in my yard. My first instinct was to rescue the poor helpless toad. But the snake's grip looked very tight as it dragged and flung its powerless prey around. I decided to let nature take its course. Then it dawned on me to rush into the house to get a camera. The snake was certainly determined, as it won't go away even when my 60mm Olympus macro camera lens was getting so close to its face. I could not continue to watch when it soon began to get bloody. This incident still bothers me a bit.

EasternGarterSnakeFrog.thumb.jpg.c820b56da3be163a77733fa30fa95e09.jpg

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... I could not continue to watch when it soon began to get bloody. This incident still bothers me a bit.

 

As humans, it's good that we react and think about such things. The more closely that you observe nature, the more you'll witness events such as this. If it weren't for voles and field mice, I think that the raptors and coyote would starve. Why does a mallard hen have 14-ducklings? I think it so that there's a 50-50 chance that one or two will survive the gauntlet of heron, egrets, hawks, etc. that find them to be tasty, bite-sized treats. It seems that I can't spend two-hours observing without someone eating somebody.

 

Thanks for letting nature take its course and reporting so well what you saw and your feelings. Think about our place in the order of nature and also think about all those fish, frogs, bugs, birds, voles, mice, etc. that seem to have little purpose other than feeding other species, YET they survive. They may not survive as an individual, but as a species.

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As humans, it's good that we react and think about such things. The more closely that you observe nature, the more you'll witness events such as this. If it weren't for voles and field mice, I think that the raptors and coyote would starve. Why does a mallard hen have 14-ducklings? I think it so that there's a 50-50 chance that one or two will survive the gauntlet of heron, egrets, hawks, etc. that find them to be tasty, bite-sized treats. It seems that I can't spend two-hours observing without someone eating somebody.

 

Thanks for letting nature take its course and reporting so well what you saw and your feelings. Think about our place in the order of nature and also think about all those fish, frogs, bugs, birds, voles, mice, etc. that seem to have little purpose other than feeding other species, YET they survive. They may not survive as an individual, but as a species.

 

I have seen these things happen in the wild, at a distance. The only incident that bothered me in the past was seeing a cheetah chase a wildebeest that was literally running for its life, with its eyes looking like they were popping out, then to witness it losing the battle - all captured in the camera while my hands were shaking. With this toad, it bothered me a bit because it seemed it was looking at me pleading for help - or maybe that's just how toads look. But on the other hand the snake deserved its meal.

Edited by Mary Doo
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I have seen these things happen in the wild, at a distance. The only incident that bothered me in the past was seeing a cheetah chase a wildebeest that was literally running for its life, with its eyes looking like they were popping out, then to witness it losing the battle - all captured in the camera while my hands were shaking. With this toad, it bothered me a bit because it seemed it was looking at me pleading for help - or maybe that's just how roads look. But on the other hand the snake deserved its meal.

 

I think that the nature of the death impacts how we feel. For instance, a coyote catches a vole and it's crunch, crunch, gulp and it's over. With that frog, or a wildebeest, it can be slow and excruciating. We imagine the pain and feel extra empathy. Hopefully, they go quickly into shock and are not aware for very long.

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Mary Doo's sentiments exactly echo mine around the image I intended to post this week. Starting February I've been monitoring life in our pond and I have become rather fond of the amphibians, particularly the spotted salamanders. This past week I was out shooting at the pond at night - mostly the 1960's-horror-movie invertbrates - and saw a water tiger (aptly named predacious diving beetle larva) capture a tiny salamander larva. The beetle larva is about 2 inches609025492_DSC_8726divingbeetleandsalamanderlarvaWEB.thumb.jpg.bb4b44434c04dc96b0b189ef9ca63816.jpg long. Yes, hopefully a quick death...
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David Stephens wrote:

As humans, it's good that we react and think about such things. The more closely that you observe nature, the more you'll witness events such as this.

 

So true. We all come across the remains of an animal's struggle for life as a pile of bones or feathers. We may see the kill much less often. At times the kill is exactly what we're waiting for as it makes for very dramatic photography. Sometimes at night I'll hear a struggle in the woods. Sometimes the sounds are as graphic as any imagery and it's clear that I'm on the edge of natures own Thunderdome where death is near. It's hard to not feel something. (edit:written while Edwin was posting)

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Witnessed a toad being eaten by an Eastern garter snake in my yard. My first instinct was to rescue the poor helpless toad. But the snake's grip looked very tight as it dragged and flung its powerless prey around. I decided to let nature take its course. Then it dawned on me to rush into the house to get a camera. The snake was certainly determined, as it won't go away even when my 60mm Olympus macro camera lens was getting so close to its face. I could not continue to watch when it soon began to get bloody. This incident still bothers me a bit.

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I pretty much agree with the whole range of emotions people have commented on related to the cycle of life in nature. And I have been for the most part comfortable with the fact that a life lost can be a life saved. BUT, I will admit to a time earlier this spring where I was seriously considering the need for an exception to that rule. I have bird feeders, bird baths, birdhouses all over my 3/4 acre in town property. One of the birdbaths became a killing grounds for several crows to use on their stolen newly hatched birds. I must have seen them carry in at least 10 and I'm only watching for an hour or so in the morning so I'm sure there were many more. I got tired of cleaning body parts out of the bird bath and nearly declared an unofficial crow season.

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May I thank everyone who contributed to this week's thread, and made it so interesting - not only the excellent images, but also the

discussion concerning interference in Nature. This being the first thread I have ever started, I was apprehensive, but I had no need to be.

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