Nalle Bunny Run Group Walk 2016-06-18

Only four folks joined me on Saturday morning for the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve. It was a warm morning, but we enjoyed finding 25 species of birds and some other cool stuff. Here are some highlights.

All morning we heard at least two different singing Painted Buntings, but we could never get a look at one. I was only able to get this distant photo of one of them before the group arrived:

Insects were as engaging as the birds this morning. There was this velvet ant we saw near the gate before we started the hike. (Velvet ants are actually solitary flightless wasps.)

In the dense oak-juniper woods east of the driveway we found a young Texas Persimmon tree covered in a light gray powdery substance. When we looked closer we saw it was covered in these small bugs. Thanks to @earthgrazer for the ID on these. They turned out to be Citrus Flatid Planthoppers the feed on the tree's sap, and create that light gray wax as well. If you zoom in on the photo, you can see their yellow eyes!

Near the spring I was excited to find the largest damselfly in North America, this Great Spreadwing which is about two inches long:

And later we found North America's smallest dragonfly, this male Eastern Amberwing which is only about one inch long:

Great Blue Herons are usually a fly-by observation on the Bunny Run, but down on the sandy prairie area we found this one loafing in a juniper tree:

What a fun morning!
Here's our complete bird list.
Here are a few more photos.
And attached are the same photos as iNaturalist observations.

Posted on 19 de junho de 2016, 10:01 PM by

mikaelb

Observações

Fotos / Sons

What

Mariposa-Arco-Íris (Passerina ciris)

Observador

mikaelb

Data

Junho 18, 2016 08:14 AM CDT

Lugar

Austin, Texas, United States (Google, OSM)

Descrição

Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.

We heard Painted Buntings singing all morning, but I could never show the group one. All I got was this distant photo before the walk started.

5 IDs

Grau de Pesquisa

View

Fotos / Sons

What

Pyrisitia lisa

Observador

mikaelb

Data

Junho 18, 2016 08:36 AM CDT

Lugar

Austin, Texas, United States (Google, OSM)

Descrição

Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.

3 IDs

Grau de Pesquisa

View

Fotos / Sons

What

Anolis-Verde (Anolis carolinensis)

Observador

mikaelb

Data

Junho 18, 2016 08:38 AM CDT

Lugar

Austin, Texas, United States (Google, OSM)

Descrição

Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.

8 IDs

Grau de Pesquisa

View

Fotos / Sons

What

Cardeal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Observador

mikaelb

Data

Junho 18, 2016 08:41 AM CDT

Lugar

Austin, Texas, United States (Google, OSM)

Descrição

Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.

6 IDs

Grau de Pesquisa

View

Fotos / Sons

What

Dasymutilla klugii

Observador

mikaelb

Data

Junho 18, 2016 08:57 AM CDT

Lugar

Austin, Texas, United States (Google, OSM)

Descrição

Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.

Grau de Pesquisa

View

Fotos / Sons

What

Metcalfa pruinosa

Observador

mikaelb

Data

Junho 18, 2016 09:25 AM CDT

Lugar

Austin, Texas, United States (Google, OSM)

Descrição

Taken during the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run Wildlife Preserve.

This young Texas Persimmon tree had dozens of these leaf hoppers on its trunk. It also had a grey powdery substance that might have been a fungus on it, or maybe it was related to the leaf hoppers?