Crow on an ice floe

Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) like to ride the ice floes down the Wabash River. Three other crows flew off of this ice floe before I could get this picture of the last fourth crow. A few years ago I noticed the seagulls riding the ice floes on a bitter cold day. The crows picked another ice floe and raced the seagulls down the river. The crows made noise about it. Caw! Caw! The seagulls didn't say anything. I don't know who won the race.

This crow on the ice is just north of the Harrison Bridge on the Wabash River. Picture taken January 16, 2011.

Seagulls on the Wabash are usually herring gulls (Larus argentatus). Sometimes they could be ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis). Haven't seen too many seagulls around lately.

Link to Larus argentatus:

Link to Corvus brachyrhynchos:

Link to Harrison Bridge:

Link to Ice C. f. Crow:

Tumbleweed in snow

This tumbleweed (Amaranthus albus) rests in the snow along the Wabash River trail in Lafayette. Picture taken Jan. 16, 2011.

Link to previous post on tumbleweed:

More Red-tailed hawk pictures

These red-tailed hawks posed nicely for the camera. This hawk sits in an ash tree (Fraxinus) in front of the Old Chemistry Building on the Purdue campus.


A view of the same hawk in the ash tree and another red-tailed hawk perched on the roof of the Chemistry Building. Pictures taken January 8, 2011.

Previous post with a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis):

Red-tailed Hawk

A red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) perches on a river birch tree (Betula nigra) at John Purdue's grave on the Purdue campus. The red-tailed hawk feeds on rodents and graduate students. This is simply nature's way of thinning out the weak and unfit grad students.

Picture taken January 5, 2011.

Link to Buteo jamaicensis:

Link to Betula nigra:

Link to survival of the fittest:

Link to previous post on red-tailed hawks:

Persimmon tree bark

Persimmon tree bark has a characteristic squarish blocky look to it. This is a good example. This persimmon tree (Diospyros virginiana) is one of the trees on the Purdue tree trail on the Purdue campus. Notice the ripe fruits over the ground. This tree is in front of Grissom Hall at Grant & North Streets.

Link to Purdue Tree Trail:

The squirrels have been using the fork of this tree as a place to feed on the ripe persimmons. Pictures taken December 31, 2010.

Link to Diospyros virginiana:

Link to Diospyros virginiana:

Link to previous post on persimmon:

Wabash River at end of December

Wabash River, looking upstream at the Harrison Bridge at Lafayette, Dec. 26, 2010.


Wabash River, looking upstream at the pedestrian bridge at Lafayette. Harrison Bridge in the background. Dec. 29, 2010.


Wabash River, looking upstream from the pedestrian bridge. Warmer weather has melted much of the snow. Dec. 31, 2010.

Animal tracks on the Wabash River bank

Snow cover reveals animal activity. These tracks are on the bank of the Wabash River, at the footbridge over the ditch just north of Lyboult Park. They could be either from river otters (Lontra canadensis) or from beaver (Castor canadensis), I don't know.

Link to Lontra canadensis:

Link to last year's post on otters:




Animals climb out of the water on to the bank of the river here. Notice that the Wabash River water is clear today and not murky with algae as you see it in the summer.

Obviously these tracks in this last picture are from beaver activity. This area of tree saplings is close to the trail along the Wabash. Beaver have come out of the river and crossed the trail to harvest these trees. They chew them down here and drag them back to the river.

Link to Castor canadensis:

All pictures were taken December 25, 2010.