Winter wildlife

It's 9 degrees F in Chicago and it's the middle of winter. But it turns out you can still wildlife in these conditions! Today as I walked into work, I saw what looked like a lump of snow that had fallen off the roof. But as I got closer, it moved. I was startled to realize that the white lump was not snow, but a swan!

It had tucked its head into its side but looked up a little bit for a photo. This is a mute swan, Cygnus olor. You may be familiar with the trumpeter swan, but this is actually a different species that is native to Europe. It was introduced to the US and can sometimes be aggressive toward native birds. However, right now this guy or girl is not being aggressive; just cold. Apparently it lost its mate, so not only is it cold but it is single right before Valentine's Day. I was told that it was hanging out in the lagoon down the road, but seems to want to sleep near the building. It's probably warmer near the building, so if I were a swan I would want to sleep there too!

Cool insect

My mom took this photo in northern Minnesota. Anyone know what it is?

Urban wildlife?

In the middle of a big city, the wildlife viewings are much fewer than they are out in THE WILD. However, the urban jungle provides different observation opportunities: wildpeople. I have had a lot of interesting wildperson sightings, usually while on the bus. For example, the other day a man sitting across from me pulled a lighter out of his pocket and kept flicking it on and off. Fortunately I was getting off soon after this started so I didn't worry too much about the possibility of becoming an arson victim. Today I am pretty sure a satanist boarded the bus with me, judging from his pentagram necklace and the evil eyed face he wore. He was not taking life lightly. Surprisingly, he was polite and let me board before him. Then of course you have the various people who obviously don't care anything about how they look or smell. These people, often mistaken for homeless people, might have legitimate jobs but do not believe in cutting their hair, washing their hair or beards, or other matters of personal hygiene. I believe these wildpeople sightings can be found on public transportation in most cities, with local flavor varying from city to city. For example, you are much more likely to observe other people begging, peeing, or shouting about the size of your rear end while taking the red line on the El in Chicago than say, taking BART in San Francisco.

Swamp allure

Why would anyone in their right mind want to spend time in a hot, humid, muddy, bug-infested swamp? This is a question many of my friends and admirers have asked. If you have spent time in mangroves, salt marshes, bogs or other swamp-like environments, it is possible you love them but more likely that you hope to never go back. However, you will be missing out if you never go back.
Allow me to explain.

Mangrove forests are unlike other tropical forests in that they are depauperate of plant diversity. In the Americas, a typical mangrove forest has one to three tree species and a smattering of other types of plants such as vines and epiphytes (plants that live on top of other plants, such as bromeliads that grow on tree trunks). Because there are only a few woody species, there tends to be little or no understory. This means you can walk into a mangrove forest and feel like you are in a cathedral, with the branches of trees reaching high above you and nothing obscuring the view for what feels like miles. This makes it difficult to find a suitable ladies' room sometimes,

If the cathedral view is not enough, these forests are full of wildlife that you would rarely see other places. Because you can see farther than in other types of forest, it is easier to see and hear birds, plus if coatis are running through the forest far away from you there is a better chance of seeing them. Parrots squawk high overhead, announcing themselves as they fly by. Toucans rest in tree branches. Hummingbirds and mangrove warblers flash their bright colors in surrounding trees, but you won't see the snakes until they're close. A couple very cool tree frogs (e.g. hourglass; see previous post) hang out on trunks or leaves.

Then there is the adventure aspect. You never know when you might sink into the mud up to your waist, so stuck that you have to take your boots off to get out. You may come across a nest of africanized honey bees and have to sneak away quickly and quietly. There might be a thunderstorm with lightning crashing above and rain pelting down. Or on a calmer day, there is always the creaking sound of dead trees swaying in the breeze, just waiting to fall down.
If you can ignore the heat, protect yourself against the bugs, and don't mind getting muddy, mangroves are very rewarding places to explore.