Falls Lake Wildathon Pictures

Birds are one critter present rain or shine.  Each wildathon is a constant tally of this most numerous species countable. This Osprey is arriving at a nesting platform.  There are 13 platforms at Falls Lake and nearly all of them are used by Osprey.   For other birds like Eagles, knowing the location of nests helps in finding them on the Wildathon.  Osprey however are so abundant usually several are seen.

Mammals can be found in some strange places, like this pair of Raccoons sleeping in a Wood Duck box. Bluebird boxes can occassionally host Flying Squirrels or a Golden Mouse!  Most wildathon sightings are quick views of escaping mammals.

Reptiles, turtles and snakes, are found sunning themselves around wetland and riparian areas. Identification is made with binoculars or by sneaking up close, as I did to get this picture of a Painted Turtle.  Commonly seen with Yellow-bellied Turtles in wetlands and ponds.

Amphibians are usually tallied at night by listening to calling males.  However using artificial habitat (PVC pipes which act as bamboo) Green Treefrogs are lured into them, to roost for the day.  This species only recently expanded it's range into the eastern piedmont with very healthy populations at Falls Lake impoundments.

Weather permitting, butterflies are very active in spring.  They can be seen nectaring on flowers or even drinking from puddles on gravel roads. This Zebra Swallowtail is a spring only species, seen here imbibing minerals from a wet gravel road.

Also weather dependent, dragonflies have numerous species present only in the spring. This Painted Skimmer posed nicely for photographs and was a first Wildathon record for the species which is only out in spring!

At night, after I've found all the nocturnal mammals I could find and have tallied some fireflies, my search turns to moths. This Virginia Creeper Sphinx moth was at one of the parks restroom facilities, attracted to the lights.