2024-03-31: First bees of spring at Lake Quinault - Kestner Homestead Trail

Arrived at the ranger station at 3pm, a little late for observing bees. Since this was due to excellent bee activity at July Creek, I couldn't complain too much. Started along the trail and soon saw a white butterfly resting on a salmonberry flower a ways off the trail. Thank goodness for telephoto lenses!

High moth activity; several times moths that were resting near the trail fled before I was able to photograph them. I very much regret not noticing a beautiful large brown moth on a tree trunk right next to the trail before I startled it.

A lot of skunk cabbage in bloom and other hikers said it was an unusually dense bloom. I didn't observe any pollinators on the skunk cabbage.

On down the trail. Several bumblebees circled me to get a good look at me, but none let me get a good look at them. However, I observed more Lepidoptera (and many more escaped my lens) and a wide variety of interesting flies resting in sunny trailside spots near blooming cardamine. I took a rest on a bench and watched sunlight and cloud shadows chase each other across the mossy trunks of old-growth bigleaf maple.

I arrived at Kestner homestead at 5PM, and noted that the wide cleared fields would likely make a good Hymenopteran observing spot later in the season and earlier in the day (there were few flowers at the time). There were also, of course, old buildings and fences. And a beautiful view of the mountains. As I wandered the area in search of bees (got an Andrena on a fence).

Not many bees on this leg of the trip, but with so many excellent flies and far more moths than I actually managed to photograph, I can't regret the adventure.

Posted on Απρίλιος 06, 2024 0413 ΜΜ by wildnettle wildnettle

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Καλλιφορίδες (Οικογένεια Calliphoridae)

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 05:22 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 05:22 ΜΜ PDT

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Καλλιφορίδες (Οικογένεια Calliphoridae)

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 05:22 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 05:21 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 05:20 ΜΜ PDT

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Συρφίδες (Οικογένεια Syrphidae)

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 05:10 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 05:10 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 05:06 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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Οιστροειδή (Υπεροικογένεια Oestroidea)

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 05:05 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 05:04 ΜΜ PDT

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Resting on fence rail

Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 04:50 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 04:36 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 04:32 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 04:32 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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Καρδαμίνη (Γένος Cardamine)

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 04:30 ΜΜ PDT

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 04:13 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 03:59 ΜΜ PDT

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On cardamine I think

Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 03:44 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 03:41 ΜΜ PDT

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 03:31 ΜΜ PDT

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People said the density of skunk cabbage bloom here this year is unusually high (I have not been here long enough to know).

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 03:27 ΜΜ PDT

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On bird poop

CV says mesoleuca gratulata and it’s probably right.

Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 03:13 ΜΜ PDT

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Ιχνευμονίδες (Οικογένεια Ichneumonidae)

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 03:12 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 03:11 ΜΜ PDT

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 03:09 ΜΜ PDT

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Resting in salmonberry flower

Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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Καλλιφορίδες (Οικογένεια Calliphoridae)

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wildnettle

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Μάρτιος 31, 2024 03:06 ΜΜ PDT

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Today I am using mostly telephoto + extension tubes to try to observe as many different insect species as I can rather than try to get pristine photos of a few cooperative individuals. I don’t expect all images to be good enough to allow species ID. The primary goal is to document that there are bees out already.

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