Time wasting
I am sick of being at work and working so hard so I decided to blow off some time.
What is your favorite insect?
What is your favorite bird?
What is your favorite frog (or toad)?
Mine is the Katydid
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/Insects/True%20Katydid/141pm2.jpg
Here is some sound clips for them:
http://www.entnemdept.ufl.edu/walker/buzz/141a.htm
Just listening to this makes me feel calm and peaceful.
I grew up listening to hundreds of these insects just outside my window at night. I would fall asleep every summer night to the sound of these guys, with a gentle summer breaze blowing over my face. Sometimes I would sleep outside on the back deck under the stars. I so miss living in the Missouri forest. Now all I hear outside my window is the rush of cars going by on the highway as I live close to a highway.
I also used to fall asleep to the sond of the whipporwhil:
http://www.bsu.edu/web/00cyfisher/images/Whip-poor-will.bmp
You can hear what they sound like on this website:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/whip-poor-will/id
That and tree frogs:
http://www.bnl.gov/esd/wildlife/images/GrayTreefrog.jpg
You can hear them on this webpage:
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/3506
And there were no sounds of cars or people talking or anything, no street lights, and the stars were very visible, so much so that I could see the band of the Milky Way.
AHHHH, just reminising about simpler times. If I could find a job in St. Louis I would buy that old house from my mom and live in it again, what an excellent place to raise a son, in the same house I grew up in, out in the forest, in nature, with dear and turkey walking by our back deck not 100 ft away. Oh, that would be so wonderful.....
What is your favorite insect?
I hadn't really thought about this until now! Uh, I guess I like leafcutter ants. They're so tiny, yet so strong for their size. And they practice agriculture! They use the leaves they cut to grow fungus.
What is your favorite bird?
KAKAPO! Seriously. Chicken-sized, bright green, cuddly flightless parrots. They're pretty critically endangered - within my lifetime their numbers have dipped below fifty in the whole species. They were one of my first forays into conservation and finding a love of animals, and it always makes me happy to see the Kakapo Recovery Plan making progress.
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/commenter/230000/237450_300.jpg
What is your favorite frog (or toad)?
I have to say I'm partial to the common toad, good old bufo bufo. :) They have such beautiful gold eyes, and several of them have let me pick them up and carry them around, and use them as models for sketching.
I'll probably come back to this buuuuuut I had to say:
WOOO NARCISSIS I can't believe you said Kakapo!!!! yaaaaah!!
I have actually 'met' a kakapo, and they are bigger, more beautiful, and with more personality than you could imagine. I love them to bits, and I'm soo so pleased to see someone on the other side of the world interested in their conservation : )
my favorite insect is easy
http://www.slrphotographyguide.com/blog/images/blue-dragonfly-thumb-500x507.jpg
favorite bird- I don't think I have one....maybe
http://www.irregulartimes.com/tweetybirg.jpg
I definitely don't have a favorite frog or toad...I think they all are pretty cute though.
http://www.jeffwilson.net/FunnyPictures/ToadOnBall.jpg
My favorite insect is the zebra butterfly
http://russian.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/d/dudleydocker/61.jpg
My favorite bird is a quetzal
http://www.birdsasart.com/Ralph-Resplendent_Quetzal.jpg
(I actually have one of these tattooed down the length of my back and the piece will be added to with zebra butterflies)
And my favorite frog is a red-eyed tree frog
http://eccentricmuse.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/treefrog.jpg
sharkie, that bird is beautiful!
Thanks! I've loved them since I was really little, but I've never actually seen one in person (I hear they have a stuffed specimen at my little bro's school though...). I would try to post pics of my tat, but unfortunately the "artist" kinda didn't know what he was doing and messed up the colors big time, so I need to wait until I have enough money to get it fixed by someone good.
Favorite Insect: Damselfly! Basically a more petit version of the dragonfly.
http://www.richard-seaman.com/USA/States/California/TahquitzCanyon/TahquitzDamselfly.jpg
Favorite Bird: LYREBIRD. So cool.
http://skola.amoskadan.cz/s_aj/esc/images/Australia/LYREBIRD.jpg
Look at this for an AWESOME video about their vocal abilities. Absolutely stunning.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y
Favorite Frog: Tree Frog! They're just so adorable.
http://www.wallpaperbase.com/wallpapers/animals/frogs/frog_5.jpg
Okay. the insect took a TON of thought.
I decided on whip scorpions. Even though i think its just a HUGE tie.
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Nature/Arachnids/Amblypygids/TaillessWhipScorpion.jpg
Bird. Hmm.
Emus make me giggle. And theyre super cute.
http://www.southeasternoutdoors.com/wildlife/birds/images/emu-nest.jpg
And for frog. eeeee! I love frogs. I went through a total obsession when i was little.
I would have to say the Waxy Monkey Frog <3 haha
http://www.rieo.net/amph/exfrog/hyla/phyllo/sauvag1.jpg
And for frog. eeeee! I love frogs. I went through a total obsession when i was little.
I would have to say the Waxy Monkey Frog <3 haha
Aww!!! Super cute froggy!
can I go for general invertibrate rather than insect?
I used to work with some goliath bird eating tarantulas , loved them, so fluffy and awesome...
http://www.spectroscopynow.com/ftp_images/Goliath_1.jpg
For bird, I might second Narcissis on the kakapo. Or maybe kea...
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Birds/NewZealand/CommonForest/KeaEatingRentalCar.jpg
For frog I have to go for Archey's frog, also super endangered, and pretty funky looking.
http://www.aucklandzoo.co.nz/images/B%20L%20%20archeyi%201%20Whareorino%20saddle4.jpg
Snowqueen, have you seen pink katydids? I saw a picture of one for the first time 2 weeks ago, theyre so pretty.
http://cache.foxsaver.com/thumbnails/2009/07/27/1321571097l.jpg
oooh, I found my kakapo pictures, so I'm back : )
his name is Sirocco, isn't he gorgeous?
http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt44/oncewerewesties/sirocco.jpg
http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt44/oncewerewesties/sirocco2.jpg