Dan Larson graciously allowed me to participate Saturday with
the Baker Wetlands bird survey which is conducted twice per month. We witnessed a very agitated Red-shouldered
Hawk harassing a Great Horned Owl, landing a solid blow to the back of the owl’s
head. None of the participants were
seriously injured in the fray. Afterwards,
we hit Clinton, Pomona and Melvern Lakes, but found very little open water and
very few species. The day was not
without success, however, as I added American White Pelican, Greater
White-fronted Goose, and a Striped Skunk to the new species list.
Sunday, as the sun warmed the side of our house, I searched
for basking insects and found a small Braconid Wasp (Contesia species). These small wasps inject eggs into
caterpillars, and there are over 1,500 species of Contesia worldwide. This brings my species total to 113 as of
February 16.
Greater White-fronted Goose at Melvern Lake.
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