My Beloveds... A Whole Row Of Some Of My Favorite Native Inverts And, Of Course, Robins.

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), taken May 27, 2024, in Georgia, US

Nature's police, fittingly blue-colored! Sometimes the jays will sound the alarm to get everyone to leave the feeders so they get VIP access to all the seeds. Sometimes the jay alarm call is actually a starling, and all of the birds get double-tricked!

Jumping Spider (Pelegrina proterva), male, taken March 18, 2025, in Georgia, US

My first angry face of the year! Regardless of his grumpy appearance, I missed him dearly this winter. These guys are quite common in my area, especially the males which like to climb the posts of my boardwalk to hunt. They're quite hard to distinguish from some other species in the genus unless you compare them side-by-side, but luckily this is the only species of this genus that appears in my normal hunting grounds, so I'd notice if they looked off. The females are a different story entirely, as is the case for most in Dendryphantina...

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula), taken February 10, 2025, in Georgia, US

The "king" part of this bird's name has certainly gone to their heads. I've seen these little guys pick on some pretty big birds, with notable success. It pays to be little and mean in the bird world!

Common Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon), juvenile, taken May 22, 2025, in Georgia, US

My first (and hopefully not last) snake of the year: a tiny watersnake! This guy couldn't have been very old. I would actually guess based on his size that he was very recently born! The little creek I found him in will provide a great place to begin life, full of small fish, salamander larvae, and invertebrates for this baby to eat until he's large enough to eat bigger prey and swim long distances.

Unlike most other snakes, N. sipedon is ovoviviparous, meaning eggs develop and hatch inside the mother before being laid, and the mother gives birth directly to baby snakes! Upon being born, these babies are immediately independent and soon leave the mother, who can give birth to—in extreme cases—up to 30 babies!

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), female, taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US

A woodpecker sitting like a perching bird for once in its life... These guys are so funny to watch, especially when they sit on the feeder perches and look around them, flinging their whole body in every direction to get all the best angles. It's quite impressive, honestly, even if they look ridiculous doing it!

Blue-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum ambiguum), male, taken September 5, 2024, in Georgia, US

In terms of dragonfly season here, these guys fly really late, right about at the end. I think this was actually one of the last ones I saw last year—he was definitely the last I photographed. What a fiery way to end the season, though! This guy is gorgeous, and he posed very well for me! Sometimes I swear bugs want me to take their pictures, and who am I to say no to such a handsome guy?

Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), males (1-3) and female (4), taken January 10, 2024, in Georgia, US

Male cardinals stand out so much in the white and gray of the snow! However bright they may be, the female of this batch is definitely my favorite. Her almost imposing image framed by branches is just perfect to me.

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), male, taken May 9, 2025, in Georgia, US

Looking quite sharp in more than one way! This guy must have just finished his spring molt—those feathers are spotless! I'm still seeing some bald and semi-bald cardinals running around, so the molt is still underway, but they, too, shall be fresh and beautiful like this guy afterwards!

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), male, taken January 23, 2025, in Georgia, US

There are currently several pairs of bluebirds sharing the feeders, but come spring there will only be one! They're quite territorial nesters with their own species, but they're easily beaten out by more aggressive species like starlings and house sparrows, which, along with several other factors, drove them to concerningly low numbers in the mid-1900's, going so far as to be listed as endangered in some states. Conservation efforts by professionals and the general public in the mid-late 1900's quickly caused a rebound in the population, and we are now seeing their increase slow, indicating they are almost at maximum population capacity!

Southern Sprite (Nehalennia integricollis), teneral female, taken May 1, 2025, in Georgia, US

A delicate damsel! I'm extremely excited to have gotten some good pictures of this species, as they're pretty rare in my area. I've only seen one previously, a male last summer. Males of this species can be identified by their bright blue eyes and tail tips which contrast their otherwise green and white body. Females look very similar when fully adult but can be differentiated, having dark blue eyes, duller bodies, and a much smaller blue spot on the tail (white tail spot on the individual in the photo). Now that I'm actually actively looking for damselflies when I go out, I hope I'll see more new faces!