Diario de little_blue_heron

ONISCIDEA
Porcellio spinicornis (Brickwork Woodlouse): no associated observation - bit when handled, but it couldn't break the skin
Trachelipus rathkii (Rathke's Woodlouse): no associated observation - bit when handled, but it couldn't break the skin

HEMIPTERA
Anthocoridae (Minute Pirate Bugs): https://inaturalist.ca/observations/145394487 - bit when landed on arm
Thysanoptera (Thrip): no associated observation - bit when landed on arm

NEUROPTERA
Chrysopa chi (X-marked Green Lacewing): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/140530595 - bit when handled, but couldn't break the skin

HYMENOPTERA
Camponotus herculeanus (Hercules Carpenter Ant): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/220140882 - bit when handled
Formica (Wood, Mound, and Field Ants) no associated observation - bit when handled. Also bit when I walked near a nest and they crawled up my pants
Vespula (Ground Yellowjackets): no associated observation - bit when I was running through a field and it smacked into my arm in flight

COLEOPTERA
Carabus nemoralis (Bronze Ground Beetle): no associated observation - bit when handled
Malachius aeneus (Scarlet Malachite Beetle): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/191501293 - bit when handled

DIPTERA
Culicidae (Mosquito): no associated observation - bit when landed on bare skin

ORTHOPTERA
Acrididea (Grasshopper - likely the Two-striped Grasshopper / Melanoplus bivittatus): no associated observation - bit when I was handling it and put my finger under the head right next to the mouthparts

ODONATA
Sympetrum (Meadowhawk): no associated observation - bit when I was handling it and put my thumb under the head right next to the mouthparts

There was a large pile of what looked like foam caught in one of the beaver dams in the creek. The pile was at least 3 ft high and probably ~5 ft across, with some smaller piles surrounding it. Not sure where it came from.

(documenting this here so that I can find the photos later on, since it wouldn't count as an observation)

Usually I am lucky if I see 5 bird species after sitting for an hour in the yard, but for some reason on 11 Aug 2018 around noon the yard was full an overwhelming number of birds of all types - there were warblers in the garden, robins and flickers on the lawn at our feet, tanagers, juncos, sparrows, and finches on the telephone wires, flycatchers on the fences and woodpeckers of various types on the telephone poles, and many of them were making noises. It was difficult to know where to look!

I had never seen so many kinds of birds in one spot before, and there has never been anywhere near that number and variety in the yard since then. I wonder whether it might have resulted from some kind of bizarre weather pattern, or maybe the smoke from the forest fires? I seem to remember that it was rainy that week and it had finally cleared up that day.

My grandpa and I sat and watched the birds for about an hour, and I tried to photograph as many of them as possible. All of the birds listed below were seen during that time while sitting in the same spot (except for the mysterious flycatcher and sparrow, which were seen just down the street as we were walking to the yard).

Hairy Woodpecker: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411379
Yellow Warbler: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411390
Tennessee Warbler: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411421
Yellow-rumped Warbler: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411395
Warbling Vireo: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411375
Western Tanager: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411399
Northern Flicker (many color varieties): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411377
American Robin: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411384
House Sparrow: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411396
Dark-eyed Junco: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411409
Black-capped Chickadee: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411416
House Finch (?): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411403
Flycatcher sp.: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411359
Sparrow sp.: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411362

Others (may be included in the list above):

Downy/Hairy woodpecker: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411361
Whatever this is: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411385
Whatever these are: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411407

Below is a list to keep track of which of the possible male flicker combos I have seen so far:

SHAFTS | MALAR | NAPE
Red / Red / Red: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411400, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411387, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411383, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/151793430, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/133559684
Red / Red / None:
Red / Black / Red: Sort of: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/150180972
Red / Black / None:
Yellow / Red / Red: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411377, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411389
Yellow / Red / None:
Yellow / Black / Red: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/150316261, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/150105480
Yellow / Black / None: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411410, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152411366

Note: "Red" includes reddish-orange, and "yellow" includes yellowish-orange.

Below is an explanation of the tags that I occasionally add to my observations:

Video = I have at least one video that depicts the same individual at the same time/place recorded in the observation

Interesting = The observation includes some feature of interest (e.g. odd behavior, interspecific interaction, unusual color form, cool vocalization, etc.)

Best = This is one of my nicer-looking photos for the taxon depicted in the observation

Microlife = small aquatic inverts (rotifers, protists, cladocerans, etc.)