Wildlife in My Backyard, and Other Nature Topics

Introduction The Taylor Valley of East Antarctica holds a strange and interesting phenomenon. Imagine walking across the snow covered Arctic tundra, and you come across a water fall that looks like its spilling out gallons of blood. This week we are going to explore the phenomenon known as Blood Falls.                                                                                                        National Science Foundation/Peter Rejcek             ...

  Introduction For this week’s blog post I wanted to write about one of the largest true bugs in North America the wheel bug.     Wheel Bugs in my Backyard The wheel bug is a regular visitor to my backyard during the summer and early fall months. During these months it is not uncommon for me to encounter several wheel bugs a week. Most of the time I encounter these insects walking on the side of the house, walking across a tree branch, or resting on one of the garden plants. One time I was even lucky enough to capture a photo of a wheel bug eating a bumble bee.                During the later spring months, I occasionally encounter juvenile wheel bugs. Most of the time, I spot them on the garden plants or in the flower garden.         Photo credit Matt Bell 2017                  ...

  Introduction For this week’s blog post I wanted to write about one of the more beautiful birds that can be found in Pennsylvania, the ring-neck pheasant.    Ring-neck Pheasants in my Backyard The ring-neck pheasant also known as the common pheasant is one of the less common visitors to my backyard. I normally see this bird once every few years during the fall and winter months. In total I have had three different sighting of ring-neck pheasants in my backyard.         One of the sightings occurred at the edge of my backyard. A single male pheasant walked out of the corn field. I was able to watch him for a few minutes until he disappeared into the woods. The second sighting was the longest and most interesting. A male and female ring-neck pheasant came to the bird feeder and started eating the bird seeds I leave out for species of ground birds. I was able to watch these birds eat for about half an hour. The shortest and...