Wednesday, June 8, 2011

MicroSub

Juvenile Cliff Swallow, Robert Rafton
Now that I've lured in technogeeks, I'll reveal this post has nothing to do with very tiny submarines but, rather, micro-evolution and sub-species.

Anyone can distinguish a raccoon from a duck, but picking out various sub-species is a little trickier. For example, there are over twenty species of warbler in Southern Ontario and you've got to be a real expert to tell most apart. I'll confess I can only differentiate maybe three or four.

It's much easier to ID different types of swallows. The most common are tree swallows with their irridescent blue. Not quite as common are cliff swallows like the one above (a juvenile) and barn swallows like the one below. I don't really have any tips on where to find them, because they could be most anywhere. Trust me though, they're out there!

Barn swallow, Toronto photographer Robert Rafton