Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates Pubescens), Juvenile Males, Taken May 27, 2024, In Georgia, US

Chinese Mantis (Tenodera sinensis), nymph, taken April 19, 2025, in Georgia, US

My first mantis of the year! I just happened to see this guy parkouring away from me while I was focused on a damselfly. I had to lose the damselfly, but it was worth it since mantises are rarer! Chinese Mantises are quite controversial insects, since it is unsure whether they are an invasive species or a non-native naturalized one due to lack of definitive evidence. Many people destroy chinese mantis oothecas and kill the insects on sight, but I am much more partial to letting them live. I have seen several people claim that they are bad because they kill hummingbirds and other pollinators, while I have witnessed more carolina mantises doing this than chinese! My area is not very plagued by chinese mantises, with me seeing only 2 chinese vs. 7 carolina last year, and none vs. 5 carolina in 2023. It's an interesting debate, but chinese mantises have been in the US for over a century. If they aren't already, they're likely getting to the point of naturalization soon.

Shore Spiders (Pardosa milvina), male (left) and female (right), taken July 3, 2024, in Georgia, US

I only discovered after I was sorting through my photos from this trip that I had coincidentally gotten a male and female of this species in the exact same position, which helps emphasize their differences. You can see the difference in coloration, abdomen size, and palp size pretty well! This species is everywhere where I am, and they're especially prevalent on the shore of the creek, as their name suggests!

Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis), taken March 11, 2025, in Georgia, US

A small friend enjoying an equally small seed. The buds on the japanese maple make pictures in it look much more lively! Once it has leaves, the birds will be much harder to find within the sea of red. For now, however, I get to enjoy them in plain sight!

Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus), taken January 23, 2025, in Georgia, US

Very small, and very very round. Some days the wrens here look more sphere than bird. That's part of their charm!

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), female, taken March 7, 2025, in Georgia, US

A woodpecker sitting like a perching bird for once in its life... These guys are so funny to watch, especially when they sit on the feeder perches and look around them, flinging their whole body in every direction to get all the best angles. It's quite impressive, honestly, even if they look ridiculous doing it!

Nomad Bees (Genus Nomada), taken May 5, 2025, in Georgia, US

Some little red bees! These guys are always super busy unless, of course, they're sleeping like in the third image! Yesterday the bees were quite gracious with their landing times, sitting still long enough for me to actually press the shutter button lol. Normally, they're flying around constantly, searching for the burrows of other bees to lay their eggs in!

Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), taken October 29, 2024, in Georgia, US

There is a thriving squirrel army in my backyard. On the days leading up to winter, there can sometimes be over a dozen inside the fence at once. This one stopped for a drink!

Gray Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis), taken April 27, 2024, in Georgia, US

Catbirds, I feel, are inherently chaotic birds. They always bring the party to the feeders when they bring the year's fledgelings! They also sound like fucked up little kittens. So there's that. But I always enjoy seeing them! They're pretty brave and always arrive in groups so there's lots of photo opportunities, which I of course appreciate.

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), male, taken January 23, 2025, in Georgia, US

There are currently several pairs of bluebirds sharing the feeders, but come spring there will only be one! They're quite territorial nesters with their own species, but they're easily beaten out by more aggressive species like starlings and house sparrows, which, along with several other factors, drove them to concerningly low numbers in the mid-1900's, going so far as to be listed as endangered in some states. Conservation efforts by professionals and the general public in the mid-late 1900's quickly caused a rebound in the population, and we are now seeing their increase slow, indicating they are almost at maximum population capacity!

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), female, taken January 23, 2025, in Georgia, US

One of the only cardinals brave enough to come down to the feeders while I was out today! The red-winged blackbirds are coming through right now, so I sat for an hour in the cold weather only for them to keep just enough distance to make okay-ish—but not good—pictures!! All of the male cardinals were skittish today because of the wind, but this pretty lady posed nicely!