nature4507 posted: " This blog includes several of those observations that end with the question of 'how do they do that?'. This is a mother Indigo Bunting in one of her flights to feed her babies. She was near the Nature Center walk-way and had a big audience for several" WondersOfNature
This blog includes several of those observations that end with the question of 'how do they do that?'.
This is a mother Indigo Bunting in one of her flights to feed her babies. She was near the Nature Center walk-way and had a big audience for several days. While I and others watched, she would arrive at a bush near the nest, which was either on the ground or near it, with a bug that was almost immediately fed to the little birds. Her bug snatching and timing is the 'how'. She was probably gone no more than 5 minutes before returning with a bug ... usually a big one. This went on for days. In this photograph she does look like she's worked up a sweat (assuming birds sweat).A Harvester. One of the photographer / watchers was keeping track of the variety of bugs she returned with. I think he had seen at least eight and likely more.Meanwhile, the male was around he didn't participate in the feeding. As he perched in this tree near the nest maybe he was yelling 'faster, faster'. Although I didn't see it, I was told he did feed the young birds as they left the nest.This is a Damsel Fly hovering over the stream near Warble Bridge. It was one of several. I took numbers of photographs with the idea of trying to get some idea of how the wing configuration might relate to movement. That effort didn't result in anything other than lots of photographs. This was taken at 1/1000 of a second. How they can hover for an extended period is a mystery.These are mating (I assume) Robber Flies. The 'how' question is their flying. While watching, they flew 3 times and each time landed on a leaf such as this one. They stayed connected and at least by one observation, when they flew, one was going backwards and the other forward. Both were flapping their wings. Other than several million years of evolution, how do they coordinate take-off, flight and landing while connected and both participating in the flying?This is another of the little (cute) Gray Tree Frogs. The question is 'how do they get out onto a leaf with a stem without it twisting under their weight. While they don't weigh much, leaves aren't very rotationally stable. I've never actually watched one move onto a leaf. They are usually sitting like this. This is an Eastern King Bird mother (father) with one of three young ones they were feeding. They weren't nearly as fast as the Indigo Bunting.A Great Blue Heron 'fishing' at the South end of Mallard Lake. While it wasn't successful in the short period I watched, it raised the question again of 'how does it see enough in the lily pad and weed covered water to catch anything'? It does somehow find fish as was observed last year.A pollen covered bee in IR.This is an iridescent green Tiger Beetle in IR. As is apparent, except for the white spots, it absorbs all infrared wavelengths. This is probably an Acorn Weevil. Acorn Weevil in IR.The amazing hummingbird on flowers near the Nature Center Building.This is called (Seek) a Four Banded Stinkbug Wasp. it's on a Rattlesnake Master flower.A really colorful tree hopper; probably a nymph given its underdeveloped wings ... maybe. What might be the function of the bristles in back?A Jagged Ambush assassin bug. Very common on flowers of the savanna and prairie. A Funnel Spider waiting for a guest.This is rather gross. I've seen larger flies all over larger creatures but this bunch on an ant is new. I couldn't find an identification for the flies.Wild Garlic ... yet one more invasive species.A final 'how do they do that'. First is the circular perfection of the orb weaver web. The second is the overall structure as shown in the next photograph.It's a little hard to see, but the center web is held in place by the long strand from the tree on the right and extending to the dark tree on the left. Other support strands then got connected to the bush to the side and below. Finally, the spider made the bug catching web in the middle. This structure was done by a probably 1/2-inch bodied spider (I couldn't find the spider) and was completed in less than a day (probably at night). It wasn't there yesterday afternoon. Of the questions, one is certainly ... where does it get the material resources to make all that web in that period of time? While web isn't very massive, it has to be made from chemicals the spider produces from what it eats. Another question ... does the spider know what it's doing or just blunders along to create the structure. This doesn't look like a random event so it must have some sort of plan. Once again, millions of years of evolution and the wonders of nature.
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