Copper Underwing

A few days ago I found and captured what I believe is a Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides). This individual is very worn, so much so that scales were flaking off as I handled and photographed it. (You can see some of the scales around it on the graph paper.) I guessed the identification first by its general shape, the scalloped margin of the forewings, and the unusual shape of the postmedian line – a combination of features I have so far found only in the genus Amphipyra. Since I had the moth in hand, I was able to lift the forewing for a look at the hindwing, which had the orange and brown pattern typical of A. pyramidoides. I was quite pleased to find this species, as I have seen relatively few true noctuids this year, especially compared to pyralids or crambids.

Butterflies from Cheesequake

Cheesequake is a state park at the eastern edge of Middlesex County. It encompasses part of the large salt marsh surrounding Cheesequake Creek and two forest types: a small pine-oak forest and a larger oak-hickory forest. Given the multiple habitats and the park's position along the boundary of forest and salt marsh, one would expect a diversity of bird life, particularly during migration, but the park has never quite seemed to match its full potential as a birding site. Yesterday the birding was reasonably good, with a few mixed flocks containing nine species of warblers in addition to the resident songbirds.

There were also some butterflies on the wing, mainly in a open sunny patch full of white flowers. The one above is a Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax).

On a nearby plant, there was a Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), which was the first of the butterflies I noticed in that patch.

A Common Wood Nymph (Cercyonis pegala), often a difficult butterfly to photograph well, was nectaring in the same patch.

This Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) seems to be one of the most brightly marked buckeyes I have seen this year. It must be a very fresh individual.

We have two "lady" species in this area, Painted Lady and American Lady, and I always have trouble remembering how to tell them apart when I am away from my guide book. This individual is an American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis),recognizable by the pattern of dark spots on the hindwing and the small white spot at the outside edge of the forewing.

Finally, this butterfly appeared in the woods. At first I was unsure of its identity because it did not seem like a butterfly I had seen before. It turned out to be the winter form of the Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis), a form that I was not familiar with. The summer form is darker, particularly around the edges.

In addition to the butterflies pictured here, I also saw a Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) and Cabbage White (Pieris rapae).

Batman

When I first noticed this moth on my mothing sheet, I was not quite sure where to place it as it did not seem to match any of the typical shapes I associate with moth families. Whether by skill or luck, I guessed that it might be a Tortricid, a member of a large and diverse family of micromoths. After flipping through a dozen or so plate pages on the Moth Photographers Group, I found my moth among the Sparganothidini.

Unlike macromoths, many micromoths have unimaginative English names, if they have an English name at all. This species breaks from that pattern with the name The Batman Moth (Coelostathma discopunctana). BugGuide says little about the species, so I am not sure of its habits or how such a plain-looking moth got such a colorful name. As far as I can tell, this Batman has no Robin in the realm of moths, but there is a Joker.

Loose Feathers #255

Great Egret / Photo by Rosie Walunas (USFWS)

Birds and birding news

• Despite 20 years of conservation and protection of old-growth forests, the Northern Spotted Owl continues to decline 2.9% per year throughout the Pacific Northwest. The cause of the continuing decline is unclear; government biologists are considering whether to reduce the number of Barred Owls.
• A new study shows that lice camouflage themselves to match the color of a bird's feathers. Dark-colored lice live on dark-colored birds, and light-colored lice live on light-colored birds. This makes it difficult for a bird to see the lice and pick them off during preening.
• Two environmentalists argue for changes to make the Altamont wind farm less deadly to birds.
• A new study estimates that Alberta's tar sands facilities, particularly tailings ponds, have killed about 2,000 birds annually over the past 14 years.
• Declines among some European migratory birds may be due to years to drought in sub-Saharan Africa. In sufficient rainfall would make it difficult for the birds to find food in the weeks before their migratory flights.
• World penguin populations continue to decline due to overfishing, climate change, oil pollution, and other factors.
• A British study found that starlings need very few clues from neighboring birds to create vast roosting flocks in winter.
• Opponents of a trash transfer facility near LaGuardia Airport in New York claim that the site will attract birds and endanger aircraft.
• A Swainson's Hawk repeatedly attacked a mail carrier in a Calgary neighborhood, so members of the neighborhood will be picking up their mail at the mail office until the hawk migrates. The hawk probably saw the carrier as a threat to its young.
• Longport Bridge beach in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, hosts a nesting colony of almost 3,000 Black Skimmers.
• Seattle plans to protect part of a park as a heron sanctuary.

Birds in the blogosphere

• Not Exactly Rocket Science: Male bowerbirds create forced perspective illusions that only females see
• Punctuated Equilibrium: Dead birds do tell tales
• Biological Ramblings: Least Sandpiper from Egg to Adult
• birdspot: Sep 9
• View from the Cape: Empids at Higbee's

Oil Spill

• An internal report created by BP found eight mistakes by BP and its contractors that led to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill. However, the report concluded that the design of the well was sound. BP's contractors – Halliburton and Transocean – denounced the report for not admitting design flaws. One interesting admission is that, prior to the explosion, oil was flowing from the well up the riser pipe at a rate between 86,400 and 100,800 barrels a day.
• Here is part 2 of a comparison of the Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spills, as told by a wildlife rehabilitator who worked at both. (Part 1 was linked in last week's Loose Feathers.)

Environment and biodiversity

• A USGS study found that the Potomac River has twice as much sub-aquatic vegetation as it did in 1990, and the area covered by native sub-aquatic vegetation has increased by a factor of ten over the same period. Sub-aquatic vegetation is crucial to a river's health because it filters pollutants and provides shelter for aquatic animals. Combined with improvements to the Blue Plains sewage plant, this means that the Potomac's water is cleaner than it has been in years.
• The tar sands mining operations in Alberta, Canada, are serving as a model for other areas that want to develop unconventional petroleum reserves as conventional oil sources become more scarce. Unconventional sources such as tar sands, shale oil, and extra heavy crude tend to be more difficult to extract and refine, and they release more carbon when burned.
• Nancy Pelosi and Edward Markey were in Canada this week to meet with supporters of oil sands mining and environmental groups there. The U.S. government will need to decide whether to permit a pipeline from Alberta to Texas to carry oil from the province.
• Organisms engage in mimicry for many reasons, including predation and defense from predation.
• The Dragonfly Woman: Migratory Dragonfly Species – Less Common Species

Blog Carnivals

• Carnival of the Blue #40
• Circus of the Spineless #54

Bluegrass Webworm Moth

When I ran my blacklight on Tuesday evening, by far the most common moth species on the sheet was Bluegrass Webworm Moth (Parapediasia teterrella). I counted 7 at one time, but there may have been more overall. Here are a few photos of the species, in different poses and angles. I am not sure if all of these show different individual moths since I took them over a few hours and the moths move around on the sheet.