Nevada Buck Moth

For the past few weeks I have been helping to trap the Nevada Buck Moth. The ent0mologist studying these moths is hoping to learn more about the phermones used to attract the males to the females. The traps are baited with different phermones and then set out in different locations. Later in the day we returned to check which phermone mixture caught the most males. The moths are then released. We have been catching between 150-200 moths each day.

Coming and leaving work

Took these shots when I arrived at work (6:30) and again when I left to go home (4:30).

Red-diamond Rattlesnake

While helping with a vegetation survey last week one of the biologists let out a cry as he nearly stepped on this beautiful Red-diamond Rattlesnake. Luckily it was very early in the morning and the snake was too cold to react much. I included a pic of the actual vegetation survey.

Tick

I have always been lucky when it comes to ticks. I rarely find them on me while others will have many. Ticks have been known to prefer one person over another. Unfortunately I do find them on occassion. This guy I found in one of my socks. I always check myself carefully before coming home.

Tarantula

I guess watering is not always boring. While checking the irrigation lines I found this male tarantula wandering through our restoration site. It is common for males to wander around this time of the year looking for females. California species are hard to ID but I think its Aphonopelma iodius.

Scorpions

When we are trapping for reptiles we often catch uninvited guests. The two species of scorpions we caught this week are the Arizona Striped Scorpion, and the California Common Scorpion.

Osprey

We recently put up an Osprey platform hoping we could attract some to breed in our wetlands. We only had to wait a few months. Today we had 3 flying in the area and eventually one landed on the platform and perched on it for hours calling to the others. We think this bird is a female. Unfortunately it is VERY early for them to be thinking about breeding. We can only hope they stick around through the winter. This platform is about 20 feet high and overlooks our largest pond. They feed exclusively on fish.