Marl Bed Flats, 8/26/2015

Red-footed Cannibalfly

Late last week I drove out to Marl Bed Flats. It has historically been my favorite place to look for shorebirds, but it has all but dried up, and the shorebirds are all gone.  I was hoping with all the rain we've had recently that things might change, so I gave it another shot.  Still no shorebirds.  The highlight of the morning was a flyover Eastern Kingbird--it didn't even have the decency to land in the park for a photo.

Spicebush Swallowtail

So I turned my attention to butterflies and other insects.  If I were more devoted to butterflies, I suspect I would see far more than I do. I see lots of them but I'm usually too tired and sweaty to give them much attention.  I photographed three butterfly species and one robberfly. I also learned something new about checkered-skippers.  I've seen Common/White Checkered-Skippers before (the two species are essentially identical), but I also saw a Tropical Checkered-Skipper.  You can tell the difference between the two by the white spot on the wing that is past the dark bar on the forewing.

Tropical Checkered-Skipper

Common/White Checkered-Skipper

Just in case you might be interested in my slow morning of birding, here's my eBird checklist for the morning.