A Moth and Me (and a Few Birds)

The November edition of The Moth and Me was just posted yesterday. This is the last edition for 2009 since moths in northern latitudes are becoming less and less active. The next edition will be in March of 2010.

Since I am posting a moth-related carnival, I will use this as an excuse to post a recent moth photo, taken at Negri-Nepote Grasslands Preserve on Sunday.

This is not the best of photos, but I believe this moth is still identifiable as a Celery Leaftier (Udea rubigalis). These moths are very small and flit around in the grass. A few other moths were also active at the preserve, but I was not able to photograph or identify them by sight.

The preserve was well-stocked with sparrows of multiple species. White-throated and Song Sparrows were, of  course, in large numbers. A few Field Sparrows and a lingering Chipping Sparrow were also present. The most noticeable birds, however, were the Savannah Sparrows, which almost outnumbered much more common species. At one location, a half-dozen put on a show for me as they hopped around and splashed in a shallow puddle. I also saw a Vesper Sparrow, which did not seem to be on good terms with the Savannahs.

Even though it was Sunday, gunners were firing in a nearby field (presumably private property). They were far enough away not to pose a significant threat, but close enough to be unnerving. Apparently crows liked their activity even less. A large mass of crows – over 200 – converged on that field and noisily mobbed whoever was shooting.