Favoritos de libbing_life

In wood chip landscaping. Mild mushroom odor and flavor. Cap extremely viscid!

Spores measure

(6.9) 7.2 - 8 (9) × (3.8) 4.1 - 4.7 (4.8) x (3.6) 3.9 - 4.4 (4.5) µm
Q = (1.6) 1.64 - 1.87 (1.9) ; N = 30
Me = 7.7 × 4.4 µm ; Qe = 1.7

A scrappy expanse of silky refuges and capture webs littered with body parts of previous victims. When preferred prey is entangled, the female spiders emerge from their 'nests' and overpower it by grabbing its extremities. In this case, a wasp https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9319446.
Presumably they inject venom because after a minute or so the prey stops struggling. Then they snip it out of the web and carry it into one of several 'nests' or refuges.
Unwanted prey, often beetles (see https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9319435 ) are also killed but sometimes left in the web, uneaten. Ants, in this case, Maranoplus ( https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9319390 )scavenge around the periphery of the webs, feasting on unwanted beetles or other left-overs.

Individual was observed at night (time estimated) just after a heavy rain crawling around buildings at the research station. It was still raining lightly when found. It was removed and photographed the next day and released in the same area. Time is estimated, it was well after dinner but not before midnight.

Found on beach by Dan Spach’s Wilderness Youth Project group. Turns out they were not the first to observe it, but at the time it seemed like it. So exciting for all the kids to experience first hand such a unique find!! WYP has said “we’re in the business of creating peak experiences.” This was certainly one of them!

Egretta novaehollandiae - White faced heron.

I was lucky enough to have this fellow fly over my head and land in a tree, then having got my attention, fly to a pond and begin wading about. Most of the surface was dull at this hour, but there was a sweet spot, so I waited as he did his rounds skulking through the murk and waited for him to pass through the pools of color from the (just turning) autumnal foliage.

One of the 2 is fake - guess which one.

Solution for all who are still wondering: The plastic rattle snake has been put in the entrance of the camp kitchen as a deterrent against the local troop of Malbrouck Monkeys, which used to raid the stored food, and surprisingly they never ever entered the kitchen since then.

This skink, however, equipped with astounding cognitive abilities, shows off with his balls of steel.

Err, I think it's a female....

Experts - What is going on here? This male American Kestrel sure did seem to have the hots for this female Merlin. He kept trying to get close to her and even brought her a few treats (insects?) from the grass beneath the fence. She accepted the treats but didn't seem thrilled with the attention. However, when he flew off, she followed him...