Insect/Photography Talk! Monday, 2/3, Columbus

A Zabulon skipper, Poanes zabulon, watches for prospective mates atop a swamp thistle

I'm giving a talk next Monday, February 3, for the Westbridge Camera Club. The venue is Midwest Photo, the legendary Columbus camera store at 2887 Silver Drive, Columbus, 43211. Midwest moved to this bigger and better facility a few years ago, and they've got a great conference room with topnotch AV for talks.

Westbridge Camera Club welcomes guests, so I'm inviting you. The festivities commence at 7 pm, and more details ARE HERE. I'm going to weave together a pictorial tale of insects great and small, how they underpin food webs, and their importance. Spiced throughout will be tips and thoughts on creating better imagery, and effective methods for finding various bugs. Assembling this talk has been a nice diversion from a bug-free blah winter, and hopefully talk attendees will also be transported away from winter for a bit.

Hope to see you there!

An amazing lime-green soldier fly, Odontomyia cincta, rests by a pond. Its larvae are aquatic

Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren - a Rare Feeder Bird

Carolina Wren

The Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) is a very rare bird in New Brunswick which sometimes visits feeders.   It is often seen in winter coming regularly to a feeder or two usually in the southern part of the province.  Right now (2020) there are reports of two in Riverview and one in Fredericton.

The wren family, Troglodytidae, contains 11 species and 7 genera.  Of those 11 species 5 have been seen here.  The Winter Wren is a regular summer resident.  The Carolina Wren, House Wren and Marsh Wren are seen here every year in small numbers.  The Sedge Wren is very rare here.

Carolina Wren [Internet Photo]

The normal range of the Carolina Wren includes southern New England south to Florida and westward to the central US and southward into eastern Mexico.  The range of this species is generally expanding.  It does not migrate but there are incursions by individuals into new territory, hence their appearance here.  This expansion is generally sustained with pull backs after severe winters.  The first definite occurrence in New Brunswick was in 1974.  There has been one breeding record, in 2002 in Grand Manan where two broods were raised by one pair.

The Carolina Wren is a brightly-coloured medium-sized wren (14 cm/ 5.5 in long).  Generally it has rufous upper parts and buffy under parts.  The throat is white and the bill is long and decurved.  The wings and tail are dark barred with white flecks.  The distinguishing feature is the wide white eyebrow.  This identifies this wren as a Carolina.  Wrens in general are identified as small active brown birds with upright tails.  They are fun to watch as they flit around looking for insects and other food.

Carolina Wrens are common in dense shrubbery near human dwellings.  They are commonly heard by their frequent loud calls.  Although they make many different sounds they are often heard singing their teakettle teakettle teakettle or cheery cheery cheery sounds.  This is so common most people know what is making that song!

Carolina Wren

Carolina Wrens build their nest in shrubbery near buildings.  The nest is dome-shaped with a side entrance and made of dried plant parts, strips of bark, horsehair, string, wool and snake skins.  The female builds the nest and the male brings the materials to her.  Nests are also in tree cavities, nest boxes, buildings, mail boxes, etc.  Nests are usually 1 to 3 m above the ground level.  The female lays 3 to 6 eggs that are creamy white with brown or reddish-brown spots.  Incubation lasts 12-16 days. Both adults feed the young.

I don't expect we will see nesting Carolina Wrens here for quite some time but it would be nice to hear their cheery voice.  The Carolina Wren is the state bird of South Carolina.  An interesting fact about this species is that they will sometimes build multiple nests in order to fool predators.

Old barns, of two flavors

While passing through rural Washington County, Ohio, yesterday, I passed by two barns, each of a different stripe. I couldn't resist stopping for a quick shot of them.

The finest looking "Mail Pouch" barn I've seen in years. The owners really keep it up. This barn advertisement campaign had great longevity, commencing in 1891 and going all the way to 1992. At its peak in the 1960's there were some 22,000 barns painted thusly, strewn across 22 states. One seldom sees a Mail Pouch barn this fine these days.

This old barn is much more rustic than the one above, but to my eye has even more character. Classic wooden barns, I'm afraid, are rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

Southern flying squirrels! Many, many!

I recently had the opportunity to tag along on one of professor Don Althoff's southern flying squirrel research projects. This was not my first time at the flying squirrel rodeo. I wrote about a previous excursion RIGHT HERE.

The article mentioned above goes into the nuts and bolts of Don's research, and the biology of flying squirrels. This post is more a pictorial documentation of my recent excursion with Althoff and company.

We had a sizable group on hand, as evidenced by the photo above (and two or three people are not in the photo). Many are Don's students, and others are just smitten with flying squirrels, and interested in the dynamics of this interesting research. I have met very few academics who are as good at stimulating an interest in conservation and biology as Don is. He welcomes students and others in a hand's-on immersion into the world of one of the world's most intriguing mammals. Accompanying Don on one of his "flying squirrel trails" is an experience that no one will soon forget, especially if the squirrels cooperate.

Don Althoff, who teaches at the University of Rio Grande, atop a ladder deep in an Athens County woodland. He's got nearly 350 "flying squirrel boxes" up in trees on a number of southeastern Ohio sites. This particular woodland has about 25 boxes, and investigating them is a lot of work. A ladder must be toted along, as well as a bunch of research equipment.

Flying squirrels reliably use these boxes as winter roost sites, as well as for nesting. There's always a mood of expectant anticipation when Don scales the ladder to check a box. The throng below awaits his yea or nay, and if a yea, down comes the box for inspection of its inhabitants.

The first occupied box we encountered had, as I recall, two squirrels. Here's the box down on the ground being prepared for squirrel extraction. These little mammals move at the speed of light, so a careful protocol must be followed to ensure the subjects do not escape. In all, we located 18 squirrels, including a remarkable 13 in one box. That number tied Don's best box number, but a few days after this work he found two more boxes, each with 13 squirrels. So, will he find 14 in a box someday? Time will tell.

Each captured squirrel is weighed, various other data is collected, and it is carefully photographed before release.

Flying squirrels sure are cute, and seeing one like this always prompts oohs and ahhhs (or awwws). Note those sharp, long yellowish incisors peeking through, though. Flying squirrels can quickly cut away the hardest of hickory hulls. Experienced researchers soon learn to handle these wee beasts with the utmost respect.

A captured flying squirrel lays into a gloved hand. They get feisty when handled, understandably, and if given a chance may nip the hand that holds them. While those gloves are pretty tough, a squirrel's saberlike teeth can go right through, and I'm told they hurt.

This student got a lesson in aversion therapy in regards to careless squirrel-handling. The little mammal punched right through his glove and drew blood. Fortunately rabies and other diseases are unknown in this species, but sharp teeth sunk into flesh still hurt and bitees quickly learn to watch how they hold these animals.

Althoff demonstrates a proper hold. We can see the squirrel's amazing tail, which serves as parasail and rudder when in flight. Along with the patagia - winglike flaps of tissues along the body - the tail acts as a wing on the squirrels' amazing glides.

A squirrel just released and plotting its next move. They recover from the trauma of capture quickly and dart aloft. A flying squirrel going full tilt up a trunk is an amazing thing. They can move with ridiculous speed, and grip as if Velcro boats their paw pads.

The brown pelage of a flying squirrel blends remarkable well with this dead tree snag. Dead and dying timber, and their attendant cavities, are vital to the survival of flyers. This mammal is totally nocturnal, which is why people seldom see them. They require cavities for roost and nest sites. And there are a lot of flying squirrels in need of cavities, at least in wooded areas. There might be 4 or 5 flyers per acre, as compared to 1 or 2 gray squirrels in the same area.

A flying squirrel prepares to launch into space. First-timers are always dazzled by their inaugural view of a flying squirrel "flying". If an Altoff squirrel check is fruitful, as this one was, participants are sure to see glides. Released squirrels are placed head high on a tree trunk, and soon if not instantly dart high aloft. Then, usually, the squirrel will launch into space, arcing between limbs and gliding away.

Shooting "flying" flying squirrels is a tough photographic challenge, and this shot is no award winner. But it shows well enough the furry cape outstretched into a wing suit, with the rudderlike tail helping with steering. While these squirrels cannot produce sustained flight, their glides are incredibly aerobatic and can extend the length of a football field.

In all, a fun and highly educational day learning about Ohio's most common woodland squirrel. I thank Don Althoff for his generosity in sharing his work and subjects with interested parties, and creating awareness of one of our little-known mammals.

Orchid Photography Workshop!

A gorgeous Miltonia hybrid orchid

Spectacular Orchids! Photo Workshop, Cleveland Botanical Gardens: February 9

The family Orchidaceae is probably the most fabled, mystical and celebrated plant families in the world. Orchids capture one’s attention, and pique the imagination. The diversity of flower shapes, color patterns, and artful mimicry boggle the mind. Numerous species have evolved structures and coloration that look astonishingly similar to certain insects. These plants attracts pollinators who are fooled into thinking the orchid is actually one of their own. Other orchid flowers possess fantastically elongate nectar spurs. The nectar reward is ensconced deep in the spur’s base, and only moths with extremely long proboscises can access it, and thus pollinate the plant. Some orchids are epiphytic, growing high in trees. These ploys and many others have made orchids one of the world’s most successful groups of plants, especially in tropical regions.

While Ohio has only forty-six native orchids, there are thousands of species worldwide. Indeed, it is the second largest family of flowering plants with an estimated 28,000 species. Only the sunflower family is bigger. A huge slice of orchid mania goes on display at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens on January 18th. Scads of tropical species, including outlandish hybrids that must be seen to be believed, will fill the halls. All these orchids provide stellar photographic opportunities. At times, the dizzying array of subjects makes it hard to know where to focus. Staring deep into flowers often reveals faces, animal outlines, celestial objects and other patterns that beg for intense macro work. Other plants look best in their entirety, or in showy groups. Not only is a trip through Orchid Mania productive for creating botanical art shots, it’s a great tune-up for our wildflowers and an excellent respite from winter’s cold.

Focus on Photography has arranged a special showing and workshop on Sunday, February 9th. Our group will have four hours of access to the orchids prior to the botanical gardens’ general public admission. Following a brief classroom overview of orchids and their photography, it’s off to work the plants. Following lunch, we’ll return for more orchids, or to shoot other parts of the gardens. The outdoors gardens will also be available, and they’ll offer interesting winter botany shooting.

Fee: $65.00 for Cleveland Botanical Gardens members, $90.00 for nonmembers.

Space is limited. To register, visit https://debbiedicarlo.photoshelter.com/p/orchid-imagery-feb

A bizarre Paphiopedalum orchid

Pine Siskin

Pine Siskin - a Small Year-Round Finch 

Pine Siskin

In New Brunswick the Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) is a year-round resident. They seem more prevalent in winter but that is probably because our large number of summer species have gone south.  Siskins are seen in small flocks feeding on coniferous or deciduous trees or alders often accompanied by flocks of American Goldfinches.  It is pleasant to find them in winter because their cheerfulness brightens a winter day.  The flock is almost always characterized by their high pitched 'zeeeeeeeee' rising song.  I am always happy to record their numbers on a Christmas Bird Count.

Pine Siskin [Mitch Doucet Photo]

The Pine Siskin is a small finch about 13 cm (5 in) long.  It is entirely brown striped with yellow on the wings and a small patch of yellow on the sides of the tail.  The tail is deeply notched and there are two white wing bars.  The bill is fine and sharply pointed.  Males and females look alike.  This species is a permanent resident in Atlantic Canada, across southern Canada and down into the western US.  It is a summer resident in northern Canada from Labrador across to Yukon and southern Alaska.  It is a winter resident throughout the US.  

Pine Siskin

Pine Siskins feed on the seeds of alders, birches, spruce and other trees.  They sometimes feed by hanging upside down from the tips of branches.  They also feed on weed seeds especially thistle, forbs, buds, insects and spiders.  No wonder they are at home in our forest.  We have lots for them to feed on.  They will come to feeders for seeds especially niger seed.  Flocks are sometimes found feeding on salt on roadsides.  They also drink sap from holes drilled in trees by sapsuckers.  

Because this species is quite unique, identification is relatively easy.  The only two species one might mistake if for are the House Finch and the Common Redpoll.  The House Finch is larger, more heavily streaked, has a much stubbier bill and a square tail tip.  The Common Redpoll has a red cap, a black chin and shows no yellow on wings or tail.  

Pine Siskins nest in coniferous trees usually 10 to 50 feet up.  Three to five green blue eggs spotted with black or brown are laid in a nest made of bark, twigs and moss.  The nest is usually far out from the trunk.  The female incubates the eggs about 13 days.  They sometimes will nest in bushes or shrubs.  

Pine Siskins are nomadic and move around in flocks.  That accounts for large flocks sometimes seen in winter.  We would also see more in winter because the summer residents of the far north move south and spend their winters in southern Canada, adding to our permanent resident population.  Pine Siskins are sometimes our most numerous winter finch.  

The name, siskin, is derived from the sound the birds make.  Their 'zreeeeee' sometimes starts with a 'sis sis sis...'.  

Walking for Health

First of all some beautiful spring flowers

just because they're so joyful!

Then on the homefront, a new crochet project which goes by the name of

Granny Rose Heart Pillow.

Please visit the Astri's lovely blog for this latest pattern

Apple Blossom Dreams

Isn't it beautiful?

I'm waiting for my heart-shaped pillow to arrive so that I can continue this exciting project.

Now about the walking.

Three years' ago, I bought some really comfortable walking shoes

when I did the Lausanne Walking Event

and the Quarter Marathon.

That was a good experience and my daughter came with me too

even though she normally prefers running!

Studies have been done to show that walking briskly for 30 minutes

every day is one of the most beneficial things we can do for our bodies

and our morale.

It has been found that this type of exercise lowers blood pressure, 

reduces cholesterol and helps maintain a healthy weight.

I took my pocket camera with me to take this photo in a door with a mirror incorporated.

I rather liked the fact that the Christmas decorations were still up!

Regular brisk walking strengthens bones and muscles

improves balance and coordination

helps prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

A beautiful and very colourful sunrise which I captured from the end of my balcony.

My Amaryllis blooms have been beautiful this year. This is the last plant of the year.

I love watching the different stages of opening.

Each day a little more

Until all four buds opened up.

A single tiny leaf in the late afternoon sunshine.

Seedpods blowing in the wind

Fluffy 'Old Man's Beard'

I love passing the railings on my walking circuit

especially in the late afternoon when all these cheerful little lights come on.

All these scenes from my walking outings.

I'm progressing with my January Sunrise blanket.

One square a day and there are currently 21 squares with three more

ready to join.

I'm really enjoying this project.

There will be others to show in my next blog entry.

These cold winter's days are perfect for doing crochet or any other kind of handiwork.

My tiny indoor window box of miniature daffodils is nearly over.

Somehow, the month of January needs the cheerful colours of flowers

that are made available to us.

Are you filling this long month of January with all the things you love?

I'm adding an extra photograph as part of a 2020 Project 

for crocheting a flower a week for the whole year.

Look at Anabelia Craft Design

Here

if you feel like joining in.

These two patterns are for the first two weeks of January.

I will be adding the others as they are generously given to us!

White-headed jay continues on

This stunning white-headed blue jay appeared in my yard on January 12, and here's a photo from yesterday. He/she - although I dubbed it "Albert" - was out there raiding the feeders this morning. I wrote a bit more about this unique bird RIGHT HERE.

He's got a pretty good deal going here, with plenty of unshelled peanuts and other seedy fare. I hope he sticks around for some time. It's a gorgeous specimen, and really stands out from the typically pigmented jays, of which there are many to keep Albert company.

Perhaps the biggest threat is a good-sized (female, probably) Cooper's hawk that raids the yard daily. She's mostly after the house sparrows and smaller birds, but is more than capable of dispatching a jay. These hawks are incredibly aggressive and so cool to watch. Today, she ran into a dense forsythia shrub on foot in an attempt to rout the house sparrows lurking within. Hope she catches them all.

Woodlouse Spider

This woodlouse spider has taken up residence in my basement. I've got no problem with giving her free room and board, but did make her submit to a modeling session today. These spiders are armed with formidable fangs, but like nearly all spiders are inoffensive marshmallows towards us. However, you wouldn't want to be around her if you were a pillbug or "roly-polie" (sometimes called woodlice). The impressive fangs enable the spider to puncture the armoring of these little crustaceans.

Nature: Sighting of fox squirrel came with a colorful twist

This melanistic fox squirrel appeared in the writer's backyard on January 9/Jim McCormac

 A normally colored eastern fox squirrel/Jim McCormac

Sighting of fox squirrel came with a colorful twist

Columbus Dispatch

January 19, 2020

NATURE
Jim McCormac

Four species of tree squirrels reside in Ohio, and all have their charms.

The smallest and least known is the southern flying squirrel. It is common but seldom seen because of its strictly nocturnal habits.

Slightly bigger is the red squirrel, which occurs statewide but is more localized than other squirrels. It has a distinct preference for coniferous trees.

Most common is the well-known eastern gray squirrel, the typical squirrel of parks and suburbia in this area. Those who feed backyard birds wage war with this mammal. The squirrels often win.

Then there is the largest squirrel of all, the gorgeous eastern fox squirrel. A whopper can weigh 3 pounds and stretch 3 feet or more from nose to outstretched tail tip. If there were a beauty pageant for squirrels, this one might wear the tiara.

They are foxy indeed, with underparts tinted in showy burnt-orange. The upper pelage is a lovely grayish-black.

From my experience, gray squirrels far outnumber foxes in Columbus and its neighborhoods. The latter becomes more common in rural areas.

I recently moved to Worthington, an area I have long been acquainted with. Gray squirrels are abundant, but I have never seen a fox squirrel in my neighborhood — until Jan. 9.

That morning, I glanced out a back window to see a huge black squirrel sitting prominently on an open snag. It was as if it was posing for me. I usually keep a camera with a big telephoto lens at the ready, in case something bizarre appears at the feeders. Photographic prep paid dividends in this case.

Not only did I document the yard’s first fox squirrel, but it also was a rare melanistic morph, or form. My first thought was that it was a melanistic gray squirrel, but the massive size and tinges of orange bleeding through on the animal’s underside gave it away.

Black forms are far more common in gray squirrels, and in some parts of Columbus such animals are local celebrities. Melanin-enhanced fox squirrels seem to be virtually unknown, at least in Ohio. I have many biologically literate friends, and not one has said they have seen a black fox squirrel.

Melanistic fox squirrels are known to occur, just in far fewer numbers than grays. Most black fox squirrels appear in the southern reaches of the range, which spans the eastern half of the U.S. Conversely, melanism in gray squirrels is more prolific in the northern parts of its distribution.

Although the genetic mechanisms that produce melanism in squirrels is well-understood, the role of environmental factors that favor melanism, and possible gene flow between fox and gray squirrels, is lesser known.

I have not seen the dusky fox squirrel since the day I discovered it. Maybe it’s the vanguard of a wave to come, or it was a flash in the pan. Such animals would certainly enrich our squirrel diversity, that’s for sure.

Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch on the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at www.jimmccormac.blogspot.com.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglet - a Small Forest Delight 

Golden-crowned Kinglet [Jim Carroll Photo]

The Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) is a small forest delight.  It is present year round in New Brunswick and can be counted on for its presence in our boreal forest.  There are two species of kinglets found in New Brunswick, the Golden-crowned and the Ruby-crowned.  The Ruby-crowned is a summer resident.  There are six species of kinglets worldwide; 2 in North America, 1 in Eurasia, 1 in Europe and North Africa, 1 in the Canary Islands, and 1 in Taiwan.  

Kinglets are our smallest forest songbirds.  They prefer the upper canopy of the boreal forest where small flocks glean insects from buds and bark.  They can sometimes be seen hovering under a leaf feeding on insects.  

Golden-crowned Kinglet [Mark Morse Photo]

The Golden-crowned Kinglet is a tiny little mite,  just 10 cm (4 in) long.  It is greenish-olive on the back and light gray below.  It has a white supercilium (line over the eye), black eyeline and a yellow crown outlined with black.  This yellow crown has orange in the centre which is difficult to see, usually only when the bird is agitated and it appears to raise it.  One of the species in the United Kingdom and Europe is called the 'Firecrest' for the brilliant orange on the crown of the male.  I have seen the orange on the crown of our kinglet a few times and it is brilliant,  just like fire.  See the photo at top of this post by Jim Carroll showing the orange on the crown.

Golden-crowned Kinglet [Internet Photo]

The Golden-crowned Kinglet is a permanent resident in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia. It is a summer resident for most of the rest of Canada.  The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is similar-looking and would need to be distinguished from the Golden-crowned by its head pattern.  The Ruby-crowned does not have the white supercilium or the yellow crown.  It also has a very long melodious song.  The song of the Golden-crowned is a very high-pitched, tsii tsii tsii.  This song is so high it is difficult for some to hear.  Some people say they have never seen a kinglet and that is because the kinglets are in the upper canopy and their song is so high-pitched.  They are easy to find because they are so prevalent.

Golden-crowned Kinglets nest high in coniferous trees (9-18 metres above the ground).  Their nest is made of lichens and moss and lined with bark chips, rootlets and feathers.  Five to eleven creamy white eggs spotted with brown and gray are incubated for 14-15 days by the female.  Two broods are often raised.

An interesting fact about this species is that each nostril is covered by a single, tiny feather.  This undoubtedly helps with winter survival.  The range of this species is expanding into spruce plantations in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.  That is good news when so many species' ranges are shrinking.  If you have never seen a Golden-crowned Kinglet I hope you go for a walk into the boreal forest and look up and listen for the high-pitched song of this beautiful little bird.  

And now, a (partially) white blue jay!

So, just a few days ago, a melanistic fox squirrel appears in the yard. I wrote about that oddity in my last post. This morning I glance out the back window and what do I see? This strange and beautiful creature! It's a partially leucistic blue jay, absent the black (melanin) pigments that mark the face and neck of a typical jay. When I first saw the bird, it was consorting with several other jays at a feeder, and it stuck out like a sort thumb.

NOTE: I am referring to the animal as partially leucistic, even if that's being a bit general. One can get extremely bogged down in what seems to be largely unverifiable explanations for various conditions of pigment anomalies. For a good general discussion about anomalies in pigmentation, with a key to place birds into six general categories of color aberrations, CLICK HERE.

As a frame of reference for our odd jay, here is a typically plumaged blue jay. The black collar, eye line and dark saddle across the base of the bill are conspicuous plumage highlights of a blue jay.

Thanks to Julie Zickefoose (she authored THIS BOOK about blue jays) for aging this jay as a hatch-year bird (born last spring/summer). Whatever all the factors that caused its excessively snowy plumage, it is a beauty. The jay has been coming in to the feeders intermittently today, usually in the company of several other jays. I hope he sticks around. I'll certainly try and help by keeping the jay smorgasbord going.

A melanistic fox squirrel

As always, click the photo to enlarge

Right time, right place. I happened to glance out the porch windows into the backyard this afternoon, and was stunned to see a huge black squirrel perched prominently 25 feet away. It was the only time all afternoon that I glanced out there. My first reaction was to grab my big telephoto, which I often leave set up on a tripod for emergency situations. Unfortunately, I had to shoot the beast through a window, but the images came out okay in spite of that.

While my initial thought was that the unusually pigmented animal was a melanistic gray squirrel, as soon as I looked closer I rethought that identification. This squirrel was noticeably larger and chunkier than several nearby gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), and through the lens I could see its interesting orangish cast, caused by underlying hairs. This orangish tint is especially apparent on the squirrel's belly, face, and eye ring.

It was a melanistic fox squirrel, Sciurus niger! I had heard of such a thing, but had never before clapped eyes on one. I've seen many melanistic gray squirrels, and have written about them HERE. Indeed, at my annual forays at NettieBay Lodge and vicinity in northern Michigan, this is the common form of gray squirrel. Here in Ohio, "black" grays are far less common, but there are numerous enclaves scattered about. Melanistic gray squirrels appear glossier and more uniformly black than does this one, with a less robust tail, head and neck, and a skinnier gestalt. A typical fox squirrel is a beautiful mammal, with a deeply orange pelage. HERE is a post about them from long ago.

Much has been written about melanism in Sciurus squirrels, at least the two eastern species, fox and gray. Here's an especially detailed and wonky paper should you wish to learn more - just CLICK HERE. Sometimes, populations or individuals of "white" gray squirrels occur, such as the famous white squirrels of Brevard, North Carolina (CLICK HERE for more). I made a special detour last year to see those squirrels, and will have to write about them sometime. I'm not sure if "white" fox squirrels occur regularly.

Anyway, today's oddity fox squirrel was especially odd to me, as I know of no population of variant color morphs of squirrels anywhere around here - Worthington, Ohio. I'm told there are some colonies of melanistic gray squirrels in and around Columbus, but I've not seen any. This was also the first fox squirrel in this yard, to my knowledge. This little slice of suburbia is full of typically colored gray squirrels, and I just posted a cute photo of one a few days ago, HERE. There is even a pair of eastern red squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, constantly tearing around here. But never one of the big, comparatively clumsy fox squirrels. And the first one turns out to be a real standout. I kept a close watch for the black/fox squirrel the rest of the afternoon, but did not see him again. I hope he becomes a regular.

NOTE: Regular color variants of an animal - such as this fox squirrel, gray squirrels, or rough-legged hawks, or snow geese - are correctly termed morphs, not phases. Morphs are stable, occur regularly, and do not change or shift color. If they are black, or white, they will remain black or white throughout their lives. Phase indicates a shift or change in development over time, such as in a phase of the moon. If squirrel variants did shift colors from black to orange in the course of their development, phase could be applied as a descriptor. However, they do not. I add this because I see the word phase so commonly misapplied :-)