Periodically my 365 friends post pics of birds, flowers, insects etc of unknown type. Being a bit of an amateur sleuth, I'm happy to try to track them down and work out exactly what's in the pics. So, if you have a pic of *something* and you'd like to know what it is, feel free to add it to this thread and I'll see what I can find :)
A couple of notes:
a) I'm no ornithologist, botanist or entymologist, so I don't guarantee the right answer
b) I'm often pushed for time, so it could be a little while before investigations can begin
c) I don't guarantee I'll be able to solve your puzzle at all... but I'll give it a go :)
If anyone else out there is an armchair google detective, please feel free to join the fun!
If you do want your model identified, make sure you include:
* Where it was (city/state and country)
* when it was,
* how big it was (not always easy to tell from pics!),
* any other useful info (obvious patterns, colours, links to other pics of the same thing etc).
I took some photos of a most unusual looking duck in a pond in Fort Worth, Texas last weekend. I would like to know what kind of duck it is. It has a "pom pom" of feathers on the back of it's head. It was probably an meduim or average sized duck, about the same size as a male Mallard. I have a closer up photo of it, but have not posted it yet.
@grannysue I've seen similar ducks called "crested ducks". They have a mutation in their skull & this is the result. They are also bred domestically for this trait. I'm not an ornithologist & often get my bird IDs wrong on my posts....but that is my best guess.
Here's one I curious about.
Found in a creek in Santa Barbara County, CA. Has A Mallard bill. But the feathers are wrong. There were 2 identical ducks at this location. Probably a Mallard hybrid?
It's an Orb spider of some sort. I'm in Southern California, he nearly dropped onto my shoulder last week. He looks big, I know, but that's only because I have an awesome new Tokina macro lens and extension tubes - the body was about 3/4 of an inch long.
@grannysue So far it's looking like @molizard is right about the crested ducks. It appears to be a mutation that causes the 'ruff'. I'm still struggling to identify what type of ducks they are (I've now looked at so many pics that they're all starting to blur!).
@molizard, I think your duck is probably a young bird - it's looking like a mallard, but again, not quite there with identifying it yet. I'll keep looking though and let you know if I find something. Now to look at spiders instead...
@michellepj Tricky to be sure from this angle, but the most common orb weavers in the US seem to be cross orb weavers. If you spot this chappy (well, chapess, most likely) again, see if she has a white cross pattern on her back.
The stripy, fuzzy legs and web-casting abilities definitely suggest orb weaver anyway.
@kwakefield I think your right. Don't know why I didn't find it when I searched previously. @pfmandeville My guess is it's a warbler. See which one's are found in your area. Maybe a "yellow rumped warbler". If so, they are hard to get a pic of, so you did quite well here.
I have another one. These suckers are TINY. Like, the biggest ones could stand on top of a pencil eraser with room to spare. They almost look like ladybugs, but the spots and shape are different. The smallest were like...three could stand on an eraser. Any ideas?
@triciaanddazzle I haven't found an obvious match to them yet, but the closest so far is either a stink bug of some kind, or a ladybird/ladybug instar (juvenile phase). I'll keep seeking... Let us know if you get any more pics of them, or if they turn into something else!
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Here's one I curious about.
Found in a creek in Santa Barbara County, CA. Has A Mallard bill. But the feathers are wrong. There were 2 identical ducks at this location. Probably a Mallard hybrid?
@molizard, I think your duck is probably a young bird - it's looking like a mallard, but again, not quite there with identifying it yet. I'll keep looking though and let you know if I find something. Now to look at spiders instead...
The stripy, fuzzy legs and web-casting abilities definitely suggest orb weaver anyway.
@pfmandeville My guess is it's a warbler. See which one's are found in your area. Maybe a "yellow rumped warbler". If so, they are hard to get a pic of, so you did quite well here.
This is @otprofsp 's photo.
Wondering what tree/plant this could be.. in Rhode island .