Nature Unlimited, 19 March 2021

This is the additional weekly image thread for the Nature Forum. While images posted to this thread should still be nature in theme, it may contain a small amount of human-made objects and therefore less restricted than the Monday in Nature threads. Please see this discussion for more details: Alternative weekly thread in Nature forum

 

Each participant please post no more than just one image per weekly thread. Many members will appreciate any information you are willing or able to provide regarding location, shooting process, exposure settings, equipment, and information on the subject(s), including scientific and/or common names.

Bison (Bison bison, no kidding!), or, more commonly (but inaccurately), American Buffalo, along the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA.

A pair of Pileated Woodpeckers works on my neighbor's tree.

 

Male Cercropia Silk Moth.....Their life span is 2-weeks because they have no mouth and no digestive system. They mate then die.

More bison - or should I say Plains Bison (Bison bison bison)?

Otter tracks in snow

 

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Hi, Shun, How high in the tree was this nest? This is incredible. I love it.

Thanks, Debby

Hi, Shun, How high in the tree was this nest? This is incredible. I love it.

Thanks, Debby

Thank Debby.

 

I am very bad at estimating those distances, but the image below shows the setting. That bald eagle nest is on a redwood tree behind an elementary school in Milpitas, California, in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay. There is a street behind the trees, conveniently called Redwood Avenue.

 

I would say the nest is maybe 4 to 5 stories high? Eagles tend to choose the tallest tree in the area to build their nest, but the branches need to be strong enough to sustain a heavy nest, which can easily reach a few hundred pounds. Those eagles have been building this nest since 2017, and they were adding to it last fall. Unfortunately, in mid January 2021, a strong wind blew the entire nest onto Redwood Avenue, but it only took the eagles a couple of weeks to rebuild their nest, in the same spot. The image below is fairly recent, from mid February, 2021, after the rebuild.