Shelob, the Mexican red knee tarantula shedding her exoskeleton.  

 The darker specimen towards the top of the photo is Shelob emerging from the exoskeleton.

 She is weak after the process and needs to rest.

Red Knee Tarantula

Above: the shed exoskeleton.   

Doe bringing her fawn to look through my office window at me.

New Visitor

The swallow nest has been empty for a couple of days. All of the chicks have fledged. This morning I found a new resident in the empty swallows nest!

A pair of barn swallows built a nest right out side of my window this season, giving me an excellent view. I determined that they were barn swallows rather than cliff swallow because of the shape of the nest.

I do not have photos of mom and dad incubating the eggs, but they dutifully took turns and would only leave when the other returned to set. Once the chicks hatched, mom and dad took turns feeding the hungry chicks. My insect population seemed to drop.

When the chicks got a little bigger I could see that there were four of them! They instinctively lay flat and quiet until their parents would arrive with food. Then they would chirp vigorously. I was concerned about the many magpies around my home who will take a chick right out of the nest. However, these ever vigilant parents chased magpies away (about three times their size) on a regular basis.

It only took a few weeks for the swallow chicks to be fully feathered and ready to fly. They now fly about during the day, probably catching insects and return in the evening to the nest where the parents are still bringing them insects. Sure, it left a mess on my porch, but it is just a few short weeks and I completely enjoyed watching this process. I also appreciate all the swallows do to keep down the insect population. You are welcome back anytime swallows.

One of the does I have been watching this summer seemed to be alone most of the time. She looked a little older, with several scars and healed wounds. I thought she did not have any fawns this year. Then, late in July, she showed up in my yard with a very tiny new fawn. This late season fawn is smaller than the others born during this summer, but seems healthy.

Many deer have visited my yard this summer. I have enjoyed watching the does bring their new fawns to the pond for a drink. I have noticed right before the does have their fawns, they chase off their yearlings...who seem to form their own little group and wander around together.

Yearlings gathered together just before their moms give birth to new babies.

I love to see nature all around me. I see deer, a variety of birds and other animals regularly from my home, nestled in the foothills of Mt. Loafer, in Utah. I am enjoying observing and documenting the changing of the seasons and the many animal visitors I have in my area.