Flying Friends

We've had a number of one-off animal encounters recently; some repeats, some new. None of these are really worth a full post, so I've gathered photos and "extended captions" here for your enjoyment:

Last summer, the big find was the Polyphemus moth, with its 5" wingspan and large yellow "owl eye" markings. This year, we've found two Luna Moths (Actias luna) hanging around our front door, taking refuge from the day's predators and waiting for night. An internet search reveals their caterpillar's dietary preference for tulip poplars, which we have plenty of in the woods. The adults emerge for one purpose only: To find a mate, reproduce, and die. Like other moths in the family Saturniidae (the largest and most spectacular of all moths, with more than 1300 individual species worldwide), these moths have no functioning mouthparts, and survive off the stored nutrients in their bodies. The large feathery antennae of the male are used to sense the pheromones of the female from up to a mile away; a sensitivity essential to the survival of the species.

We've enjoyed feeding Ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) for over a year, and have a regular pair of birds who visit our back porch feeder. They will hover and feed every few minutes, drinking about 2 cups of nectar every seven days. The males are very territorial, and actively chase after any interloping hummingbirds who try to feed at "their" food source. I recently had another chance to hold a live hummingbird, this time rescuing one that had flown into some cobwebs in the garage. A few gentle tugs and its wings were free of the web strands, and it flew off into the daylight. More on our prior encounter here.

When we first moved to Hanover County, our next door neighbor talked about a tropical bird that would occasionally be seen in the woods with amazing colors and a unique call. A few weeks back, I looked up into one of the trees next to the house and saw a bright, bright red bird, larger than a cardinal, with jet black sings and a tail. I never got a great shot of the bird, but based on what I saw, it was likely a Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea), a regular inhabitant of eastern North American forests, and a migrant to northwestern South America during winter.

Have you had a unique animal encounter recently? Share a comment, a story or a link! Next up, we switch from winged encounters to crawling ones. More soon.