AmberAbstractions

It Waits

The Eastern Kingbird forages by watching from a perch and then flying out to catch insects. It may capture food mid-air, or will hover to take insects and berries from foliage.

Researchers suggest red foxes use the Earth's magnetic field to accurately figure out the trajectory and distance to their prey. Famous for their vertical leap-pounce when hunting hidden rodents, they will leap into the air and plunge headfirst in order to pin their prey.

Singing for her supper

Unlike most songbird species, female cardinals sing. They often sing from the nest to communicate with their mate, signaling when to bring food or letting him know when to stay away.

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Badgers mate in late summer, but the fertilized embryos lie dormant for months and development resumes in late winter, usually resulting in litters of 1 to 5 kits born in grass-lined underground dens in the spring. In the den this mama is standing over, 2 kits await her return, she's the sole provider and protector for them.
By roughly 12 weeks of age, the cubs begin following their mother to learn how to hunt and forage. Then in late summer or early autumn the juveniles will leave the family to establish their own territories. Mom will return to her solitary life avoiding other badgers until its time to breed again.

They call me Whiskers

While researching this animal I found out that foxes have sensitive whiskers on their lower legs. These help them navigate dark, underground dens and detect the exact movement of prey in tall grass or burrows. They can also hear insanely well!! Reports suggest that they can hear a watch tick from 40 yards away!

Cinnamon Black Bear

Scientists have identified a genetic variant known as R153C in a pigmentation gene (TYRP1), that will change the production of melanin, turning a black bear brown. This mutation forces the bears body to produce reddish/yellow pheomelanin instead of pure black eumelanin. A bear's fur can also naturally darken to black as they reach adulthood. Heavier spring and summer molting or sun-bleaching can cause a bear's coat to take on a rusty, cinnamon appearance.

Sing your own song

No two Lazuli Buntings sing exactly the same song. Young males arrive at breeding grounds without a song and develop a unique one by combining fragments from older males in their "song neighborhood" according to the Nevada Department is Wildlife. (I cross referenced this one several times because its such a cool fact.)
These birds are named after the semi-precious gemstone lapis lazuli because of the males bright blue coloring.

Feed me!!

After an incubation of 28-30 days, both Sandhill Crane parents feed their young, dropping insects, grubs, and small amphibians directly into the chick's beak.

During their first two months, colts usually grow about an inch a day and can reach a height of nearly four feet by three months old!! Though they can walk and feed themselves and can even swim within hours of hatching, young colts will follow their parents to be fed and sleep under their mothers' wings for the first three to four weeks.

In Nebraska, we see a lot of Sandhill Cranes, but I have never actually seen a juvenile so this was an exciting experience for us.

In the wild, Coyote form unique hunting partnerships with American badgers to increase their odds of catching burrowing prey. Mat and I got to witness this phenomenon while in Yellowstone. It was reakky cool to watch such an odd pairing take place.