The Wolf Versus The Fisherman-Who Wins?

I believe this a Wolf Spider. They like to hide indoors in damp places as the weather gets cooler. They are intimidating to look at but aren't particularly aggressive or dangerous to humans. They have venom they use on their prey which would cause only minor pain or irritation if a person was bitten by one. They are cannibalistic and a female spider can carry as many as 100 spiderlings on her back after they are hatched. That is probably the scariest thing about them. One spider sneaking around catching insects isn't a big deal but 100 of these guys running around sounds like a Halloween nightmare! 

This is a fishing spider. They are not a threat to humans either but I can tell you when I found this giant near the stream it was intimidating to look at. Not so much that I didn't want to get closer to get a photo of though. 

This spider was much bigger than the Wolf Spider I found. I decided to ask google if a fishing spider took on a wolf spider, who would win? The answer was that the smaller wolf spider would win that battle, unless the battle took place in the water where the fishing spider would have the advantage. Why did I need to know this? For know other reason other than I knew that I would get an answer if I googled it.  (Even though these spiders aren't dangerous to humans, don't play with them. They might bite if you try petting them!)

These American Golden Plover Get Around!

The American Golden Plover are uncommon in Connecticut but can be found in the right place at the right time. Rocky Hill Meadows in September is once such time and place. 

They are a touch smaller than Black-bellied Plover and prefer agricultural fields over mudflats. What I really found interesting is that they breed in the Arctic tundra, winter in South America, spend time staging in large numbers in places like Illinois, and somehow end up in Patagonia. They have one of the longest migratory routes at 25,000 miles including a non-stop flight of 2,400 miles over open ocean. 

I was a just happy to get a picture of one as I've seen them a couple of times but never had a photo to go with it.

Biking For Shorebirds At The Meadows

There is a dirt road that passes through miles of agricultural fields near the Connecticut River in Rocky Hill and Wethersfield. It can be a good spot for certain species of birds. September, especially, can be good for shorebirds after rain leaves behind some puddles and fresh sod is pulled up. I gave up on this area when they decided to lock the gates. I just didn't have the patience to walk out there every time. 

I finally invested in a bike rack and decided to bike my way out through the fields.

It was a rainy morning on Sunday but there wasn't a lot of bird activity. I did, however, enjoy some nice views of this Semipalmated Plover.

Raven, Butterfly, Goldfinch And August Is Over!

I took a bike ride through some agricultural fields near the Connecticut River in Rocky Hill. It used to have open gates to drive your car through but now that the gates are closed a bike is the best option to cover the 5 mile treck. It can be a good shorebird spot but on this day it was a raucous raven that caught my attention. Boy can they squawk!

 Zinnias are great if you're looking for attention from birds and butterflies! This swallowtail looks like it needs to get to the wing repair shop soon.

Goldfinches are on them every day! Every year I try to add more perennials and rely less on the annuals but I'm planting Zinnias every year no matter what.

Looking at birds in the garden, a trip down to the shore and one bike ride through the farm fields is about all the birding I did in August. I looked at the calendar today and realized that August has already come to an end!