Wildlife and Nature

A photo gallery of our favorite images from travels around the world.

Birds

Osprey

Burrowing Owl

The natural habitat of this species is becoming rare. This bird was forced to live next to a public baseball field and had lost much of its fear of people. Athene cunicularia. Cape Coral, Florida (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Wood Storks

Brant

Willets

Capturing a picture of Willets flying is very difficult. They fly very fast and constantly change direction. I was lucky. Tringa semipalmata. Sanibel Island, Florida (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Snowy Egrets

Tree Swallows

Tricolored Heron

Snowy Owl

Seeing a Snowy Owl on the beach always seems odd even though it makes sense. Bubo scandiacus. Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland, (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Tree Swallow

Red Crossbills

Although it may look like these birds were chasing parked cars, the bills are highly specialized to help them eat pine nuts. Loxia curvirostra. Banks of the Little Salmon River, Idaho (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Double Crested Cormorant

Indigo Bunting

Cedar Waxwings

Northern Cardinal

The Cardinals always seem at their best in the Fall and Winter when their color stands out the most. Cardinalis cardinalis. Arlington, Virginia (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Western Spindalis

Spot-breasted Oriole

Great Black-backed Gull

Northern Parula

Roseate Spoonbill

Reddish Egret

American White Pelican

Canada Warbler

Snowy Egret

Using its wings to throw shade on the water while feeding. Is this to cut the glare on the water to better see or to scare prey into revealing themselves? Egretta thula. Chatham, Massachusetts (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Common Nighthawk having a sleepy morning

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Upland Sandpiper

Western Kingbird

Hooded Warbler

Dickcissel

Rufous Hummingbirds

Northern Flicker

Northern Goshawk

One of the few raptors that will attack people especially if approached near a nest site. Accipiter gentilis. Westcliffe, Colorado (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Cliff Swallows

Say's Phoebe

Bald Eagle

Wild Turkey

Dusky Grouse

Mountain Quail

Downy Woodpecker

Scarlet Tanager

Prothonotary Warbler

Some insectivores like this warbler have learned that a good way to find insects is to check spider webs. ‎⁨Protonotaria citrea. Prince Frederick⁩, ⁨Maryland⁩ (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

American Goldfinch

Great Egret

Barred Owl

Pileated Woodpecker

Mammals

Coyote

It is usually difficult to get this close to this wary species, but this one had just finished a meal and we caught him off guard. Canis latrans. TransAm Bicycle Trail, central Oregon (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Red Fox

Bobcat

Gray Seal

Black Bear

Black Bears are expert tree climbers and are often found eating nuts high in trees within the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ursus americanus. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, (USA) Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Southern Flying Squirrel

Pronghorn Antelope

American Elk (Wapiti)

White-tailed Deer

Mule Deer

American Elk (Wapiti)

Bear Tracks in Road

Muddy footprints of a bear crossing the road. The tracks are appx. 4 inches (10 cm) wide. Ursus sp. Upper Wind River Range, Wyoming (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Manatee

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

American Mink

River Otter

Wonderful to see them in the Potomac which has had severe pollution problems in the past. Lontra canadensis. Potomac River, Virginia, (USA) Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Raccoon

Muskrat

Virginia Opossum (baby)

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

Columbian Ground Squirrel

Gray squirrel (Black variety)

White-tailed Prairie Dogs

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Pika

Humpback Whales

Humpback Whales are tracked based on the unique pattern each individual has on its tail. Megaptera novaeangliae. Provincetown, Massachusetts (USA) Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Reptiles and Amphibians

Common Box Turtle

As we crossed the country on the TransAm Bike Route, we helped 22 turtles cross the road so they would not get hit by cars. The most common was the box turtle. Terrapene carolina. Eastern Kentucky (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Common Box Turtle

Gopher Tortoise

The Gopher Tortoise is considered a keystone species since hundreds of other species depend on the burrows that it digs. Gopherus polyphemus. Winter Springs, Florida (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Spiny Softshell Turtle

American Toad

Fowler's Toad

Brown Basilisk

Not native to Florida, this species can walk on water for short distances. ‎⁨Basiliscus vittatus. Matheson Hammock Park⁩, ⁨Miami, Florida (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Green Iguana

Asian Water Monitor

These lizards can grow to be ten feet long and have become common in some of the city parks in Bangkok. They are considered beneficial in helping to control the rat population. Varanus salvator. Bangkok, Thailand. Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Little Brown Skink (Ground Skink)

Six-lined Racerunner

American Alligator (juvenile)

Wandering Gartersnake

Black Rat Snake

Cave Salamander

Northern Slimy Salamander

Invertebrates

Great Spangled Fritillary on Coneflower

Great Spangled Fritillary on Milkweed

Zebra Longwing

Monarch Butterflies by the Millions

It is an incredible sight to see millions of Monarch Butterflies in a small area in Mexico, where they overwinter. ‎⁨Danaus plexippus. Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve⁩, ⁨Mineral de Angangueo⁩, ⁨Mexico⁩. Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Monarch Butterflies

North American Luna Moth

Tulip-tree Silk Moth

Zebra Swallowtail

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Common Buckeye

Red Milkweed Beetle

Six-spotted Tiger Beetle

Dragonfly

Spider Web

Plants

Many varieties of water lilies (Nymphaeaceae)

Red Trillium (Wake-Robin)

Bloodroot

Wavy-leaf Coneflower

Wavy-leaf Coneflower and Queen-Anne's-Lace (Wild Carrot)

Dutchman's Breeches

Purple Rhododendron

Wild Azalea

Giant Sequoia

Osage Orange

Western Red Cedars

Great White Trillium

American Cancer-Root

Heartleaf Foamflower

Cucumber Tree

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Northern Maidenhair Fern

Downy Pagoda Plant

Eastern Beebalm

Spiderwort

Wholeleaf Indian Paintbrush

Slendertube Skyrocket

Roadside Wildlflowers

Foamflower

Giant Blazingstar

Round-lobed Hepatica

Landscapes

Catawba Valley

Hayscented Fern

Cattaraugus Creek

At its most scenic in the winter, Cattaraugus Creek flows 68 miles before entering Lake Erie in New York (USA). PedalingGuy has spent many days wandering up and down much of this stream with hip waders and fly rod. Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Castle Valley

Arches in Arches National Park

Lancaster, Kentucky

Western Kentucky

River Styx, Mammoth Cave National Park

Snow in Virginia

New River Valley

Ozark Morning

Jack's Fork River, Ozarks

Farm Truck

Kentucky Sunset

Sunset in Florida

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Calvert Cliffs

The white cliffs erode and reveal fossils from the Miocene along a nearby beach. The fossil shark teeth are especially plentiful. We found a couple! Teeth from the famous Megalodon are occasionally found here. Lusby, Maryland (USA). Copyright © 2018-2019 by Pedals and Puffins. All rights reserved.

Fall leaves on the way up Old Rag Trail