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Stephen Barten

@stephenbarten.bsky.social
187 followers 59 following 565 posts

Veterinarian (retired), naturalist, wildlife photographer, field herper, habitat restoration volunteer, prescribed burn crew, bluebird monitor, frog monitor, bumblebee monitor. NE Illinois. All images on this page are mine.

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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 6h
Blackpoll Warblers eating Gray Dogwood berries. We think of warblers as being insectivores, but in the fall they need to fuel up for migration and add berries and fruits to their diets as high energy food sources. #blackpollwarbler #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are usally are elusive as they forage for insects in dense vegetation. Last week a group of them were hunting in a patch of Gray Dogwood along the trail, hovering like hummingbirds and giving us close-up looks. #rubycrownedkinglet #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
There's no such thing as too many Flying Squirrel videos. #SouthernFlyingSquirrel #backyardwildlife #trailcamera #trailcamera
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Green Herons have very long necks #greenheron #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Double trouble Proof the rut hasn't begun in earnest; they're still getting along. #whitetaileddeer #bucks #backyardwildlife #trailcam #trailcamera
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Flying Squirrels are gathering the already shelled hickory nuts. #flyingsquirrel #backyardwildlife #trailcam #trailcamera
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The warblers are fattening up on insects for their long migration south. This Tennessee Warbler found a smorgasbord of tiny bugs hiding on the underside of a leaf. #TennesseeWarbler #warbler #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Gold-and-brown Rove Beetle, 3/4 inch long. Found near carrion, dung piles, and decaying organic material, they feed on the associated flies and maggots. They carry their tail curled over their back when alarmed, the underside of which is black and yellow like a wasp - it fooled me initially.
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Juvenile Red-headed Woodpeckers have brown heads. #redheadedwoodpecker #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
When our weekly bird hike visited McHenry Dam (McHenry, IL) I was expecting something more substantial.
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The mixed flock of warblers suddenly disappeared, but apparently not before this Cooper's Hawk was able to secure a meal. #coopershawk #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
This lone, young American White Pelican apparently has lost its flock. I hope it can find them—or they find it—for the long migration south. #americanwhitepelican #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It bodes well for successful bird hike when your first bird is magnificent. #baldeagle #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Our porch spider, a Spotted Orbweaver #spottedorbweaver #spider
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Bird hike bycatch: this white-tailed deer was just a few yards off the trail as our birding group passed by. She was obviously acclimated to people who stay on the trail. #deer #whitetaileddeer
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Olive-sided Flycatcher, a lifer for me, going to town on a Black and Gold Bumblebee. #olivesidedflycatcher #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Tobacco Hornworm doing the Mr. Burns "Excellent!" posture. #tobaccohornworm #Caterpillar
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
They appreciate the walk-up bar in our yard. #whitetaileddeer #trailcam #trailcamera #backyardwildlife
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The last of our side yard Monarchs emerged from its chrysalis this afternoon. Here it is resting next to the clear, empty chrysalis. This is the last of 5 or so generations of Monarchs this summer. They will migrate to Mexico to spend the winter before returning in the spring. #monarch #butterflies
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Excuse YOU, Mr. Northern House Wren! #northernhousewren #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The best bird walks are the ones where you spot cool non-birds like this Gray Treefrog. It was resting on a milkweed leaf and we only saw it because we stopped to look at a monarch caterpillar at the top of the plant. Cope's or Eastern? No way to be sure but I'm leaning Cope's. #graytreefrog #frogs
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
September is spider month. Here's a beautiful Shamrock Orbweaver, dorsal and ventral views, from this morning #shamrockorbweaver #orbweaver #spider
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
A parasitoid wasps laid its eggs on this Banded Tussock Moth caterpillar. The larvae fed on the caterpillar insides, emerged, and formed cocoons that will eventually produce adult wasps. The caterpillar will soon die. The wasps help control caterpillar populations. #bandedtussockmoth #parasitoidwasp
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Do you ever try those stereogram/"magic eye" puzzles, where you cross your eyes and try to look through the image and a 3-D hidden image appears?
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
A pretty Leaf-footed Bug on a coneflower #LeafFootedBug #insects #truebugs
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
If the proper name for a group of raccoons isn't a "mischief," it should be. It's really a gaze of raccoons, because they lock eyes with humans and other animals. A mother with kits is a called a nursery of raccoons. #raccoons #backyardwildlife #trailcamera #trailcamera
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This Red-femured Spotted Orbweaver patiently builds a huge web stretching from a shade umbrella to our garage every night. It's so wide and fragile that it comes down every time it rains, but she just builds a new one the next night! #spottedorbweaver #spider #spiderweb
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
It's that time of year when spiders seem to be everywhere. This one is a Sad Ground Crab Spider, Xysticus funestus. "Funestus" means "deadly" which might make it "sad" if in fact it was deadly, which it is not. Nor is this one on the ground. It needs a better name. #crabspider #spider
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
You might need a big screen to appreciate this one. As the possum walked by, it scared a Green Frog which first hopped to the left and then into the pond at the very far side. I slowed down the video when it hopped into the pond to see it better. #BackyardWildlife #trailcamera #trailcam
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Last night we watched the chimney swifts come to roost in the chimney of the historic Catlow Theater in Barrington, IL. We estimated over 500 swifts circled and eventually dove into the chimney to spend the night. #chimneyswifts #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Monarch caterpillars adopt this hanging "J" shape for 12-24 hours as the chrysalis forms inside the outer cuticle. When ready they shed the cuticle, revealing the chrysalis underneath. The two images are 15 minutes apart. Missed it by that much. #monarchcaterpillar #monarchchrysalis
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I found this stunning caterpillar right next to our milkweed plants that are covered with Monarch caterpillars. Obviously it was something different. It's a Brown-hooded Owlet: remarkable as a caterpillar but just a plain brown moth as an adult. #brownhoodedowlet #Caterpillar #moth
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
American Goldfinch feeding on one of the Silphium sp. at Grigsby Prairie #americangoldfinch #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography #citizensforconservation
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
My hickory nuts bring all the squirrels to the yard Flying squirrels are better than yours #flyingsquirrel #backyardwildlife #trailcam #trailcamera
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I evicted them from under the deck for non-payment of rent, but these squatters still think they still have pool privileges. #backyardwildlife #trailcam #trailcamera
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Don't worry, young Wood Duck, your crest will soon grow in and all the lady ducks will find you handsome. #woodduck #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Eastern Kingbird lost its balance in a gust of wind #easternkingbird #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Monarch caterpillars have 6 simple eyes or ocelli on each side; zoom in. They mainly detect light and motion. The black tentacles are tactile feelers to help them navigate. The first of 9 breathing holes (spiracles) per side is visible above the first leg. #monarchcaterpillar #Ocelli #spiracles
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Gold-marked Thread-waisted Wasps: a tongue-tying name and an impressive pas de deux #threadwaistedwasp #wasps
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Portrait of a Silver-spotted Skipper butterfly on a Blazing Star flower The long tongue used to gather nectar is coiled up and tucked away in the middle of its face; it's resting on an unopened flower. #silverspottedskipper #butterfly
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
The Zabulon Skipper is a small dimorphic butterfly; the male is mostly yellowish-orange and the female is mostly brown to brown-tinged burgundy. I found this lifer in my backyard. #zabulonskipper #skipperbutterfly #butterfly
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Both male and female tricolored herons develop breeding colors in the spring. The bills and facial skin become bright blue and the legs change from chartreuse-yellow to rosy-pink. SE Georgia last May #tricoloredheron #birding #birdingphotography #Birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
One of my faves, the Red-spotted Purple Butterfly. These are one of the brush-footed butterflies, so-called because the front legs are tiny and serve a sensory purpose, leaving only the four middle and hind legs for locomotion. #redspottedpurple #butterflies
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Love the cicada serenade we get every evening. This one‘s called a Scissor Grinder; its call is said to resemble the sound of sharpening scissors on a grinding wheel. Something we all do. #cicada #scissorgrinder #backyardwildlife
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Red birds really stand out. Summer tanager seen in SE GA last May. #summertanager #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The tenants are behind in their rent. #backyardwildlife #trailcam #trailcamera
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Cute little baby gators basking in the sun, dreaming that they're giant saltwater crocodiles as they shelter in the safety of Mom's watchful eye. Georgia, last March #alligator #fieldherping #insituherps
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Armadillos are most closely related to sloths and anteaters. They always give birth to identical quadruplets. They were first seen in the US in Texas in 1849 and since that time have spread their range as far north as southern IL and IN. This one was seen in GA in May. #armadillo
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
I really enjoy clever names: meet the Twice-stabbed Stinkbug, named for the two red spots on its back. They'r members of the stinkbug family and are really tiny, like 5 mm. #twicestabbedstinkbug #stinkbug #insects
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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Backyard Drama: A well-camouflaged White-banded Crab Spider feasts on a Ligated Furrow Bee while an oblivious Pure Green Sweat Bee collects nectar. Check those flowers closely! #crabspider #ligatedfurrowbee #greensweatbee
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