Canada Goose--

Branta canadensis

The Canada Goose - sometimes mistakenly called the Canadian Goose (I know some people might call it a Canadian Goose because when I was younger I myself called it one! ;-) - is a large bird that is known for migrating in the winter. You can distinguish it for its recognizable honk! and V-shaped flight patterns in a flock. Its head and neck is black, except for a white patch much like a beard. It kind of looks like a bald guy with a beard. The females are often smaller than the males. The base of its neck is white. Most of the body is light brown.

In the summer, they can be found in most of Canada, as well as the northern United States. Year-round, you can find them in the midwest and in areas east and west of it. In winter, the Canada Goose is found in all of the southern United States and a teensy bit in north Mexico.

They are mostly herbivores, but will sometimes eat insects and small fish. When on land, they will eat grass, and also lots of grains, such as wheat, corn, barley, and others. In urban areas, they have been known to get food out of trash cans. When in the water, they feed on seaweed and silt, and sometimes small fish.

They have a "Least Concern" conservation status.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Goose

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/canada-goose/

http://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/canada-goose

Ruby-throated Hummingbird--

Female

Archilochus colubris

The ruby-throated hummingbird is a small bird, with a wingspan of 8-11 cm (3.1-4.3 in) and a length of 7-9 cm (2.8-3.5). Only the males have the little red patch on their throat. The females usually have no throat patch, though some will have a white-ish throat patch. The females are also generally larger than the males. They are solitary creatures, and all ages of both genders are aggressive and protective of their territory. The only time two birds will be seen together is if they are fighting, but more often it is mating. The females are the sole caretakers of her young, until they are 22-25 days old. Then the young leave the nest.

Male

They are found in the eastern half of the United States, mostly everywhere east of the Mississippi River. When migrating, they can be found a little bit more western areas, as well as most of Mexico. They will migrate to southern Mexico, also to the southern-most tip of Florida.

They love to feed from hummingbird feeders.

The ruby-throated hummingbird has a conservation status of least concern.

Sources:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird/id?wspapp=12227116744&gclid=CPzHq7PNua8CFc6a7QodWFzghA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird

http://www.hummingbirds.net/rubythroated.html

Carolina Wren--

Thryothorus ludovicianus

The Carolina Wren is a small, stocky bird that is mostly brown, with a white belly, white "eyebrows," and white specks on her back. Their range (---->) is most of the eastern United States as well as some of Mexico, including the Yucatan Peninsula. This Wren is a small (being about 4.5-5.5 inches long [12-14 cm] and weighing less than 20 grams [0.75 oz]), but vocal bird, though only the male makes a song. The females don't sing, though they do make other noises, in case of danger or something similar.

When a male and female mate, the relationship lasts for life. They will be in the same flock forever, and in mating season they will be the only ones to mate with each other.

They like to live in highly vegetated areas, scavenging for insects and fruit. They will live up to about six years in the wild, but in captivity one reportedly lived to be 23 years, though that has not been proven true.

Sources:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Carolina_wren/id

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/carolina_wren/lifehistory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Wren

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/carolina-wren/

Tufted Titmouse-

Baeolophus bicolor

The Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a bird native to the eastern United States. The Tufted Titmouse has recently begun to expand its range Northward, and it's breeding nicely. He has a "Least concern" conservation status. He is in the same family with Chickadees and other species of Titmice.

He has a distinctive grey tuft or crest on the top of his head. Under his wings there is a little bit of brown. He's grey on top and has a white underside. Why am I calling it a he? I don't know, I guess it just looks like a he to me. His eyes are a pure black, with a more faded black ring around the eye, giving the appearance that the eye is bigger than it is. 

Much like a Carolina Chickadee, the Tufted Titmouse nest in a cavity in a tree's trunk. Sometimes, many birds will stuff themselves inside one nest and some birds might even suffocate because so many birds are in this cavity that they can't get out. It's quite sad, to me. He prefers to live in mature trees, not saplings. Deciduous  forests are ideal for this bird's habitat, but he will live in suburban areas if there are older trees available. 

He is a very active bird; when foraging for food, he will jump from branch to branch, hang upside-down, and even hover in midair when collecting bugs, berries, etc. He eats almost anything small enough for him to eat, such as berries, insects, snails, seeds, spiders, nuts, and seeds. His flight is fluttery, but not up-and-down-y; he tends to remain level.

His song is a high-pitched peter-peter-peter. He does not migrate, remaining a permanent resident wherever he may live, but he does flock with chickadees and nuthatches. 

There used to a be different bird, called the black-crested titmouse, but it turns out, the Black-crested and the tufted titmouse are the same, it's just that the black-crested has, as the name implies, a black crest instead of a blue-grey one. 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tufted_Titmouse

http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/ttitmouse.htm

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/tufted-titmouse-baeolophus-bicolor

http://sdakotabirds.com/species/tufted_titmouse_info.htm

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tufted_Titmouse/id/nc

Carolina chickadee--

Poecile carolinensis (Try saying that ten times fast! ;-P)

Though similar in appearance to the Black-capped chickadee, they are not the same. They both have little black "caps" on the tops of their heads, little black beards, grey wings, and white bellies. But there are a few differences you can point out to identify them from each other. One is that the beards on the Carolina chickadee have sharper edges, so the edge of the beard is more defined against the pure white cheeks. The Black-capped chickadee has more brown on its belly. Carolina chickadees also have a white tint at the edges of the wings. Also, If you're in a place where carolina chickadees don't live, it's a black-capped chickadee, and vice-versa. But sometimes, in the places where their ranges overlap, the two species can mate with the other and produce hybrids that may sing the song of one, the other, or a mixture of both. Carolina chickadees live in a burrow as a nest, going into small holes in trees to build their homes. They lay 3-10 white eggs with brown speckles each mating season. Eggs are about 1 inch long. Sometimes, a relationship between a male and a female can last several years, as if the birds are soul mates. The average lifespan of a Carolina chickadee is 4-5 years, although the oldest one found in the wild was 10 years and 8 months old. It is a relatively small bird, with a rounded head and fat-ish body, giving the appearance to be spherical in shape.

Sources:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Carolina_chickadee/id/ac

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/carolina_chickadee/lifehistory/ac

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Chickadee

http://www.tnwatchablewildlife.org/details.cfm?displayhabitat=forest&sort=aounumber&typename=FOREST&uid=09041709225531560&commonname=Carolina%20Chickadee

P.S. I'm going to get a picture of my own of a Carolina Chickadee but this one will have to do for now.

Introduction to my BIRD SEGMENT! YAY!

So, since it's starting to get warm again, I want to work on birds! I get a ton of birds flying around in my backyard, such as hummingbirds, the tufted titmouse, and carolina chickadee, so I thought I could snap a few pictures and put up some posts! I spent summer and fall last year doing plants, winter doing spiders, and, officially, I am going to do birds now.

I also wanted to let you know, if you haven't noticed, that I am tagging my posts. I have a lot, so if you want you can scroll through them. I have tags for poisonous spiders, trees, bugs, etc. If you want me to add a tag that you think would be helpful, leave it in the comments. :-)

Remember to take nature walks and see what plants and bugs you can identify on the way! It's fun, and a great family activity.

And spread the word about my blog to friends and family. I don't want to get famous or anything, I just want to know that I do have a few people who read my blog.

I know that this is a long intro, but I wanted to apologize for not getting a post up last week. The ENTIRE family was sick, and it was not fun. Promise. And since google docs is down, I can't work on that essay that I should be, so I'm going to do my research for the next post if going to be doing. Psst! It's the carolina chickadee! Don't tell anyone!

xx Rapid Turtle xx <3

The six-spotted fishing spider--

Dolomedes triton

More commonly known as the six-spotted fishing spider, this spider can be found almost everywhere in North America, in South america sometimes too. Females, without legs, can be up to 20 mm long (.79 in), and with legs up to 90 mm (2.4 in). Males, without legs, are 9-13 mm (.35-.51 in) long. I would tell you how big males are with legs but none of my sources said, and even when I googled it I couldn't find anything. :( But I can surely continue this post while still missing that piece of information. This spider is called such because it has six spots on its back separated into three rows of two, as seen above. It can be a green-ish color or grey-ish and also brown-ish. As with all fishing spiders, they prefer to live in a place where water is abundant, because it will eat minnows, tadpoles, and also insects that live near water, such as mosquitoes and dragonflies. They are able to walk on the water because their eight legs even dispute the weight of the spider, making each leg lighter than the water, therefore floating and walking is a natural ability. Eggs are lain in the summer, and the female will encase the egg sac in a "nursery web" until they hatch. Sexual Cannibalism in present in this species. **The picture in the top left is the eye arrangement pattern of Dolomedes.**

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolomedes_triton#Distribution_and_habitat

http://bugguide.net/node/view/1990

http://hr-rna.com/RNA/Spider%20pages/Fishing%20spider%20page.htm