New year, new (old) blog?

Hello!

Well it's a full 7 months since I last posted here - in fact I let pretty much all of my social-media-type things go in the latter half of 2014.  Just needed a break I suppose, and a bit of a re-think.  But with the onset of 2015 I'm diving back into the mix, and there are many changes and updates to annouce!

First and foremost, about a month back I published a new website!  The old one was long overdue for an upgrade, and I'm excited to have something new, simple and clean.  You can see it in the same bat-place:

www.kylehorner.com

Secondly, I have taken yet a third reluctant plunge (Facebook and Twitter being long under the belt) into a social medium, and gotten an Instagram account.  Do you Instagram?  If so, you can find me here:

http://instagram.com/khornernature/

Thirdly, I'm excited to be guiding a trip to Florida for Eagle Eye Tours in about a month's time.  If you have some spare cash and nothing to do mid-Feb, you can find the details here:

http://www.eagle-eye.com/florida-birding-tour

And finally, with photography and other activities being slow in the winter, I have been working hard to process as many photos as I can, and finally get my collection up-to-date!  Here's a whole bunch of shiny new edits from the last few months:

Definite Tussock Moth (Orgyia definata)

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Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris)

Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum)

Long-tailed Salamander (Eurycea longicauda)

Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata)

White-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum obtrusum)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)


American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)


Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)


Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus)

Mississippi Green Water Snake (Nerodia cyclopion)

Masked Treefrog (Smilisca phaeota)

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)

Fingers crossed for more to come (New Years resolutions being what they will)!

Kyle

More Odes!

Spring seems to finally be springing - what a gorgeous day!  Had my first Killdeer of the year, and my first stoneflies too.  There is hope for the future.

In the meantime, the dragonfly (and damselfly) editing spree continues!  Here are some more:

Cherry-faced or Ruby Meadowhawk (Sympetrum sp.)

Cherry-faced or Ruby Meadowhawk (Sympetrum sp.)

Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta)

Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta)

Hopefully we'll be seeing some in-person soon!

Kyle

Playing catchup...as always!

Hello!

Somehow managed to get motivated to edit some photos still in the sort pile from last year today!  Here are some dragonflies and damselflies from the year that was 2013:

Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)

Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata)

Four-spotted Skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata)

Frosted Whiteface (Leucorrhinia frigida)

Hagen's Bluet (Enallagma hageni)

Lance-tipped Darner (Aeshna constricta)

Hopefully progress continues!  Won't be long (hopefully) until we're seeing dragonflies for real!

Kyle

Getting Back to Business

Hello world!

I can't believe that my last blog post was "A few fall photos...", nearly 5 months ago!  It has been a long winter in many ways, and I haven't spent much time thinking about blogs or Facebook or photos.  Although the winter is typically a slow season for me, especially from a photography standpoint (a major challenge of specializing in reptiles, amphibians and bugs), it has been punctuated by some exciting things!  I co-lead my first tour for Eagle Eye Tours (a hunt for endemic birds in Central Mexico), and had a great time delivering presentations for the Toronto Field Naturalists, the Flamborough Probus Club, the Royal Botanical Gardens Docents and Nature Guelph.  I also just recently had an image published in Ontario Nature magazine, attached to a great article about the Long Point Causeway Improvement Project (p.7)!

As the weather warms (sort of) I'm trying to get back on top of things, in preparation for the return of the migrants and the emergency of all the scaly, slimy and crawly things that I love.  I've been working on a few odds and ends, such as:

• Updating my Upcoming Presentations page.

• Refurbishing my long-dormant Flickr profile.

• Taking the plunge into the strange, new world of 500px.

Today I even edited a few photos from my giant pile!  Here are a trio from last summer that never saw the light of day:

Violet Dancer (Argia fumipennis violacea)

Violet Dancer (Argia fumipennis violacea)

Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta)

Now all I need is for Spring to arrive, and I'll be all set to go!  Getting a bit impatient...

Kyle

Boring Odes?

I am playing catch-up as usual, but managing to get a few shots edited.  On my recent foray to shield country, I picked up a few photo-lifer odes.  Exciting for me, but I suspect that to many, they are some of the less charismatic dragons and damsels out there.  Nevertheless, I like 'em, so here they are!

If any odonate experts out there see issues with my identifications, let me know!  These freakin' things are hard!!

Ashy Clubtail (Gomphus lividus)

Lancet Clubtail (Gomphus exilis)

Stream Bluet (Enallagma exsulans) - and a lot of mites!

Hagen's Bluet (Enallagma hageni)

They may be the sparrows of the odonate world...

Kyle

Workshops!

Hello!

I am excited to announce a series of new workshops that I will be offering in conjunction with Natura Tours Inc.!  They cover birds, butterflies and dragonflies, and run from summer 2012 through winter 2013.  You can see them on my Workshops page, or directly on Natura's website.  Be sure to take a look and see if any of them interest you!

Got an exciting weekend planned and will hopefully have some photos to show for it soon!  Also I have not forgotten about Africa photos, but have been temporarily stalled :(.

Cheers!
Kyle

Random Photos

Well it has definitely been a slow fall for blog posts - I blame that on my real job and a daunting stack of unsorted photos.  I have started to sift through this aforementioned stack, and some of the results can be seen here.

On another note, I am gearing up for some time out of country - a week in the Dominican Republic with the family over Christmas, and the 2.5 month journey to southern Africa that I posted about earlier.  I am hopeful that both will deliver some excellent opportunities for good photos and stories to match.  I am long overdue for a shake-up, and can't wait to get going!

Anyway, on to the photos.  The first is an odd one that has been sitting in my "To Sort" folder for months, mostly because I'm not sure what to do with it for several reasons.  Firstly, I'm unsure of the species, though my educated guess is Sweetflag Spreadwing.  Secondly, the picture also features some mysterious white orbs (on the stem, under the damselfly), and I have no idea what they are.  I have asked a few knowledgeable folks, and they have been stumped as well.  I don't know if they are associated with the damselfly at all, or if it is simply a coincidence that they are together.  If anyone can solve this mystery, please let me know!  Also of note is the cluster of red mites attached to the underside of the spreadwing.

Sweetflag (?) Spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus)

The second shot is another that fell by the wayside because it took more than 10 seconds to identify (and I'm sometimes lazy).  One of several plain, brown butterflies that lives here in southern Ontario, the Northern Pearly-Eye.  Distinguishable - it turns out - from the others by the reduced or absent second (from the front) spot on the forewing, especially noticeable from the underside (because I know you were wondering...)

Northern Pearly-Eye (Enodia anthedon)

This next one was a surprise find and a bit of a mystery.  I was herping in Simcoe County with a couple of friends, and one of them turned over a rock and uncovered this moth.  It certainly appears to be to be a Virgin Tiger Moth, but what I can't reconcile is that the forewing pattern is distinctly pinkish-orange, instead of the usual yellow.  I haven't seen a lot of these moths, so I don't know if this is a normal variation or if it's unusual.  Alternately, it is a different but similar species of which I am unaware.  I don't own a good moth book (necessary future investment) and have not been able to figure this out.  I was able to push the forewing aside, and it did have the red hindwing pattern that I associate with Virgin Tiger Moths (though apparently I was not smart enough to document this photographically).

Virgin (?) Tiger Moth (Grammia virgo)

The last shot for today was a quick grab-shot I took while looking for snakes in Norfolk County.  It was sweltering hot, we were out in a field, and we were skunked for snakes.  This little butterfly landed in front of me and, being unsure of its identity (and knowing I had not photographed one before), I started snapping.  I got three shots before it flew away - two were blurry, so this is now my only photo of an American Copper.

American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)

Well that's it for today, but it feels good to have made a dent in the pile of photos - hopefully it'll motivate me to do more soon!  I'll also get some details up about the upcoming travel as the preparations progress!

Kyle

Damsels and Dragons Workshop - Mountsberg

Looking for something to do on July 9?  I am doing a dragonfly and damselfly workshop for Mountsberg Conservation Area (just south of Guelph, Ontario).  For more information, go here:

http://www.conservationhalton.on.ca/events.cfm?itemid=3682

More MacGregor Photos

Here's a handful more from last weekend at MacGregor.

Chalk-fronted Corporal (Ladona julia)

Dot-tailed Whiteface (Leucorrhinia intacta)

Eastern Red Damsel (Amphiagrion saucium)

Northern Crescent (Phycoides cocyta)

Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens pipiens)

Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium pubescens)

Perhaps the coolest find of the weekend was this crazy aquatic insect, trekking (in a very ungainly fashion) across a trail between two marshy areas.

Predaceous Diving Beetle larva (Family: Dytiscidae)

That's all for now!

Kyle

Odonate ID

Hello,

So I spent 5 minutes reading this evening (yes, I can read) - something I maybe should have endeavoured to do prior to my earlier post.  It's amazing how reading can really teach you things.  It has been good (read challenging) to catch up on some long-forgotten damselflies.

So to that effect, the third "bluet" in my series is actually a Violet Dancer - a damsel that I knew to be a riverine species but found some distance from the nearest river.  I'm quite doubtful of the first "bluet" as well, but I guess I didn't get that far in my reading.  The unknown pruinose (fuzzy) damsel is a Powdered Dancer (I believe).

As usual, if I'm wrong and you'd like to correct me please feel free.  Otherwise I'll never learn :).

Kyle

Odes!

Hello!

Where does the time go between blog posts?  I guess I have been a bit busy working on some big developments (more on this later).  At any rate, I have finally pulled a post together.

I spent some time this weekend chasing Odonates (or just Odes, if you want to throw some lingo around and sound cool at a party).  Dragonflies and Damselflies are amazing creatures, and there are tons around if you just take the time to look!  I have spent some intimate time with dragonflies in the past, but have been focussed a bit more on damsels recently.  Which is frustrating cause they're so difficult to ID!  Damselfly experts prepare - there will be a lot of question marks in the post (not the butterfly!).

Here goes:

Oh bluets, how I despise thee.  Here are three bluets which may or may not be the same species.  Actually they may or may not be bluets...

Bluet #1

Bluet #2

Bluet #3

Here's a few that I know (I think)!

Ebony Jewelwing

Eastern Forktail

Here's one I haven't the faintest clue about...

Who am I??

Here's a damselfly that looks a lot like a frog (couldn't help myself).

Northern Leopard Frog

And to finish off, a few dragonflies (soo much easier!).

Widow Skimmer

Yellow-legged Meadowhawk

Calico Pennant

And sure enough, just when you think you know something, doubts begin to creep back in.  I'm going to take a leap at this one and say...

Red-waisted Whiteface?

Alright all you Odonate experts - go ahead, make me look silly.  Seriously, I would love it if anyone could ID the unknowns or correct the knowns :).  The field guide is on the way, but until then it's a bit of a guessing game!

That's all for now.  Until next time...

Kyle