Nalle Bunny Run Group Walk 2016-06-18
Only four folks joined me on Saturday morning for the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve. It was a warm morning, but we enjoyed finding 25 species of birds and some other cool stuff. Here are some highlights.
All morning we heard at least two different singing Painted Buntings, but we could never get a look at one. I was only able to get this distant photo of one of them before the group arrived:
Insects were as engaging as the birds this morning. There was this velvet ant we saw near the gate before we started the hike. (Velvet ants are actually solitary flightless wasps.)
In the dense oak-juniper woods east of the driveway we found a young Texas Persimmon tree covered in a light gray powdery substance. When we looked closer we saw it was covered in these small bugs. Thanks to @earthgrazer for the ID on these. They turned out to be Citrus Flatid Planthoppers the feed on the tree's sap, and create that light gray wax as well. If you zoom in on the photo, you can see their yellow eyes!
Near the spring I was excited to find the largest damselfly in North America, this Great Spreadwing which is about two inches long:
And later we found North America's smallest dragonfly, this male Eastern Amberwing which is only about one inch long:
Great Blue Herons are usually a fly-by observation on the Bunny Run, but down on the sandy prairie area we found this one loafing in a juniper tree:
What a fun morning!
Here's our complete bird list.
Here are a few more photos.
And attached are the same photos as iNaturalist observations.
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
We heard Painted Buntings singing all morning, but I could never show the group one. All I got was this distant photo before the walk started.
Photos / Sounds
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Little Yellow (Pyrisitia lisa)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Klug's Velvet Ant (Dasymutilla klugii)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
Photos / Sounds
What
Citrus Flatid Planthopper (Metcalfa pruinosa)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
This young Texas Persimmon tree had dozens of these leaf hoppers on its trunk. It also had a grey powdery substance that might have been a fungus on it, or maybe it was related to the leaf hoppers?
Photos / Sounds
What
Great Spreadwing (Archilestes grandis)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Giant Robber Flies (Genus Promachus)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Shaggy Portulaca (Portulaca pilosa)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Standing Cypress (Ipomopsis rubra)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Neon Skimmer (Libellula croceipennis)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Immature male. Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)Observer
mikaelbDescription
Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.
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