Our weather has cooled some so we are excited about new hiking adventures! We have several trails we are anxious to try! Someone asked me this week if I had been to all the trails here. Of course not! heehee! But it does make you think about trying some new ones!
A little closer to home though...this Red Shouldered Hawk was in our front yard this week. (those are just shadows in the culvert, not anything in there that we could see)
A little closer to home though...this Red Shouldered Hawk was in our front yard this week. (those are just shadows in the culvert, not anything in there that we could see)
I think he found something in the driveway culvert.
And then he was off!
But he landed in the tree across the street so I got a couple of nice photos looking up into the dark shade of the leafy oak.
We saw an oddity this week too.
Two-striped Walkingstick, Anisomorpha buprestoides
My husband spotted it first! They are so hard to see.
I did a little research on it to find out about the small one traveling on the back of the large walking stick. We thought it was a baby but it's the male!
"Males are much shorter and thinner
than females. They are often spied catching a ride on a female's back.
Males may stay with one female for most of its life and mate with her." info HERE
We had Walkingsticks in Arkansas when I was growing up and my grandmother told us not to pick them up. She said if we messed with them, they would spit tobacco in our eyes and blind us. Well....here's the info on that...."this species of walkingstick also
uses a milky chemical spray to defend itself when threatened. It is
smelly, and noxious enough to irritate even humans. If hit in the eyes
with this secretion, temporary blindness could result." We should always listen to our grandmothers! lol
What is your weather like? We went from the 80s for highs to the 70s! YAY!!!
I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE
and I’d Rather B Birdin’.
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35 comments:
that is one FINE looking Hawk. he is beautiful. it looks like his prey is a skunk. could you tell by the smell? I never pick up bugs and have heard this about the walking stick, and now know it is true... we finally today for the first time got down to 72... YAY.....
Diane, Nice to know an old wives tale is not just a tale. I do not handle bugs if I can help it. But as a kid , my siblings and I would flip pill bugs with a popcicle stick . Gaa how gross were we? LOL Glad you are going to try new trails. The hawk pictures are wonderful. What pretty color.Blessings to you and Ron, xoxo, Susie
Beautiful hawk! What was that in your culvert....it looked like black and white whatever it was or maybe just shadows? I never knew that about walking sticks! Thank you! I've gotten pretty close to them at times and evidently been very lucky! I know they are beneficial insects for sure. It's cooler here for sure too! More like 50's!
That is a beautiful hawk. How fortunate you were to get such wonderful pictures. Wow that is something about the walking stick. I never knew those things about it. Our grandmothers are always right. Love it. So true.
That lazy male walking stick, hitching a ride on his mates back. That just is poor laziness. Shame on him. Or maybe he was up to 'something else'. hmmmmm.
Who knew that tale could be true? I spy walking sticks at the ranch but keep an eye on the hummingbird feeders. When I see them up there I relocate them. Walking sticks kill hummingbirds. I found that hard to be believe but researched it and it’s true! You don’t want to see a video of it, I’m telling you!
Another great post . . . our weather has turned cold with mornings between 15 and 20 degrees, but with Steve's new sleeping schedule we don't get up until around 9:30, so by then it's not that cold. His illness has got us on a roll-a-coaster schedule, but that's okay.
Thank you for your prayers and your blogging friendship, I appreciate your visits and coming here to your lovely post.
God bless you,
Connie :)
Great photo of the hawk. I've seen walking sticks around here by me. They are pretty amazing to see.
This morning when I walked it was 25 degrees, but I stayed toasty warm in all my layers!!
Dont like bugs of any kind, scared of walking sticks from childhood, love the hawk, so majestic. It is 54, sunny and warm here. I loved your blog and will be back to visit again.
...and off he goes, great shot.
We have far less Red-shouldered Hawks here than we do Red-tails, so this kind of close encounter would be quite special. Thanks for the great pictures and the interesting narrative on the Walking Stick. Insects are eternally fascinating.
I don't like bugs either, but that is a good looking walking stick. I love the photos. I haven't seen one of these in years. Our weather is getting colder. Today temps around 50F degrees and night temps in the thirties. Now I can't wait for late Spring and the warmer weather. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.
What a marvelous series of photos of a beautiful hawk and also the 'walking sticks.'
Weather in MA just turned cool and crisp ~ a perfect autumn like day and great for walking ~ so we had a great one!
Happy Day to You,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Interesting information about the walking sticks. Wow. We had a lovely morning and sure enjoyed our walk through Art Crawl in our downtown's central park (Munn Park). This afternoon it is a bit warmer and a little more humid but better weather is coming!!
Love the pictures of the hawk.
I never would have spotted that Walkingstick in the grass. Interesting facts.
I haven't seen a walking stick in ages!
The hawk is an excellent find!
Great photos of the hawk, Diane! And the walking stick--how neat that your hubby spotted him. Glad to hear your weather is cooler. Our's is as well and it makes for great walking. Happy November!
Those Walkingsticks sure blend in with nature. What a peculiar looking fellow. Isn't that something that the Hawk was in your front yard? It's like he knew you lived there and you love nature, so he trusted his surroundings. : )
Happy November days, Diane.
~Sheri
What a beautiful hawk! I loved all the info on the walking stick. Your Granny was wise! 😊 Kit
Wow...that’s wild that Grandma’s warning was true! 🙂 Fabulous shots of the hawk. I might be comforted if I lived in Florida and there was a hawk looking out for things.
Wonderful photos of the hawk! I have a pair of them that frequent my yard and I always enjoy watching them. The walking stick is interesting too. I haven't seen one in a long time.
Great pictures of that hawk! You can see his face, his beak, his eyes, so well! I dont know much about the walking sticks but we did see them pretty often as kids. Praying mantis too. There were grandaddy-long-legs too, and we caught rainbow iridescent bugs we called june bugs, (they were pretty jewel type colors!) but I don't think they really were june bugs.? We also caught black and tan striped small beetle type bugs that we called "tater bugs", not sure what those were? Ha ha And every summer night, were were out in the grass with our glass jars, catching "lightning bugs". We would put the jar in our room and watch them glow and flash all night long.
Interesting about the walkingstick/male. GORGEOUS HAWK Diane.
We all appreciate your linking in with us at I'd Rather B Birdin this week. Have a super day.
How wonderful having the hawk right by your home, That is an unusual walking stick. Great photos. Enjoy your hikes.
Capturing critters, when they move so quickly, is fun but when they are magnificent like these, it's beautiful!
Keep taking your camera on your walks, because I sure do enjoy your "finds".
Ok, now the weather just needs to stay perfect until this time next month when we hope to be heading to our Winter home! (Actually, I think it’s still hotter in Fort Myers. ) But it’s getting colder in Oregon! That walking stick couple is *so* interesting. I always appreciate the research you do and share with us! Not to mention your great pictures! And how wonderful to have that hawk in your very own yard!
That's a handsome hawk. Love the bugs too.
Beautiful bird. Interesting facts about the walking sticks. We have rain almost everyday and the sky is gray most of the time.
Preciosas fotografÃas!!
A beautiful hawk & lovely photos! Never seen that stick bug, maybe it lives not here. So interesting.
these are really awesome pictures of the hawk. you are lucky that when he flew off he stayed pretty close!!
we have stick bugs, we see them all the time around here!!
Great photograph of the hawk.
I've not seen walking sticks before, so it was interesting to see your photographs and read the information, thank you.
All the best Jan
Happy MosaicMonday... Love your post. Its allways a pleasure to to read here, to see the faqntastic captures about nature.
Thank you for sharing.
This little bird will always enjoy a wander with you. I have never seen walking sticks - they are really interesting creatures, although I'm more than happy only to see them on the screen!
Wren x
Hello,
Awesome series on the Red-shouldered Hawk! I have never heard of the Two-striped Walkingstick. Great find! Sorry, I am late visiting your post. Thank you so much for linking up and sharing your critters. I hope you have a happy day and weekend ahead.
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