Slideshow: The best reader photos from AnnArbor.com's call for Washtenaw County wildlife
An indigo bunting, just one of over 250 beautiful pictures submitted to us by readers across the county.
Courtesy of Carol Poulos
As the “cub reporter” (read: intern) in the AnnArbor.com newsroom this summer, I drew the assignment to cover the unfolding story of the Dexter bear. Through good times and bad, I followed the bear as it appeared, multiplied, gained celebrity status, and eventually went into hiding.
When, in conjunction with one of the bear stories, we received a photograph of the “Ann Arbor Raccoon,” we saw an opportunity to showcase readers’ talents and see more of the terrific wildlife Washtenaw County has to offer. We never imagined we would receive over 250 photographs from over 100 participants in the 4-day contest.
So, with the help of newsroom stalwart and copy editor Kelly Davenport, I put my new-found wildlife expertise to use to find the 35 best pictures for a final slideshow.
The raccoon that started it all.
Courtesy of Florence Pache
We tried to include many different types of animals (bugs, reptiles, birds, etc.) because we could have filled an entire slideshow with just the cute squirrel photos submitted.
There was no set grading system, but we did give credit for catching animals in comedic situations (i.e. the squirrel posing with the “Squirrels Welcome” sign) and we didn’t take more than four photographs from any individual entrant.
To see who took the photo, and the creative titles chosen by readers, click the slideshow after watching to go to our Flickr page.
Thank you all for sharing your photographs and stories with us, and we hope you enjoy the show as much as we enjoyed making it.
One final note: Make sure you watch till the end for an exclusive glimpse of the Dexter bear.
Ben Freed is a summer intern at AnnArbor.com. You can reach him by email at benfreed@annarbor.com or by phone at (734)-623-4674. Follow him on Twitter @BFreedInA2.
Comments
Molly Weber
Wed, Jul 20, 2011 : 8:59 p.m.
You should turn the best ones into a calendar and give the proceeds to some Ann Arbor Wildlife protection organization!
bornblu
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 4:41 p.m.
Great idea, fantastic pictures!! Any hints/info on cameras and lenses?
Urban Sombrero
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 12:56 a.m.
That picture of the indigo bunting is amazing. We get a ton of birds where I work. I've been there 10 years and in that time, I've only seen Indigo Buntings a handful of times. This spring, we had one hanging around our feeders for about 2 months, then it disappeared. I keep hoping it'll return. My boss lives North of the river and gets them on his property all spring/summer long. I keep hoping that they'll migrate to our office and stick around. They are truly striking and gorgeous to behold. If I knew how to attract them, permanently, I'd do it. Without a second thought. As is is, we get a ton of goldfinches (gorgeous!) and cardinals. But....those buntings are something else. I would love to keep them coming. Any tips on attracting them will be appreciated. I am absolutely in love with them. :)
Wolf's Bane
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 12:46 a.m.
Great idea and great photos.
Ann English
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 11:20 p.m.
The idea that a turtle might not be native to this area got me wondering if the cedar waxwing photographed isn't native here, either. I know they're found in the southeastern states as natives there. Glad someone turned a fox photo; better than a coyote one. What someone called a pig, I thought might be a wild boar. Anyone else see what appears to be a hognose skunk around here, with a broad white stripe down the back and completely white tail? They're native to the Southwest and Mexico, not supposed to be found up here.
Rod Johnson
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 5:41 p.m.
More likely a feral pig than a wild boar.
linuxtuxguy
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 1:11 p.m.
As the person who took the photograph of the Cedar Waxwing, I can assure you that they are native to the area. That particular one was photographed just off of State street near Briarwood.
tdw
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 12:33 a.m.
Yes it looked like a wild boar which is a wild pig ( I made the comment ) and they are not native to Michigan.( I don't even believe they are native to North America )
jcj
Tue, Jul 5, 2011 : 12:03 a.m.
Cedar wax wings have been around here for at least 50 years I used to see them as a kid!
OurYankeeLady
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 10:14 p.m.
Wow! Very nice. Beautiful animals and some very talented people who took those photos. Thank you all for the smile.
dfossil
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 9:22 p.m.
Excellent job everyone! Do it again!! Doit some more!!
TexasGirl
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 6:10 p.m.
Great idea! Sorry I missed out on the submissions, but I hope you will do it again sometime! Enjoyed all the photos!
Tru2Blu76
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 5:15 p.m.
Friend of mine lives East of L.A., he's not a Nature buff but is handy with a camera. He and his housemate began feeding a squirrel recently. A couple of days ago: the squirrel came looking for its usual handout - didn't see anyone in the backyard so it came right into the kitchen thru their open back door. Friend's housemate was standing right there at the sink. Squirrel ignored person, went searching for peanuts until chased out the door. My friend grabbed his camera and got video of the whole thing - put it up on YouTube. AA Raccoons: I see them all the time at storm drain openings and of course when they come out (mostly at night). There was a whole family of them @ Packard & 4th Ave. They'd hiss at me as I passed that point on my bicycle. Q. Who caught the Northern Pike IN Ann Arbor? Now AA.com will have to do this every year.
tdw
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 6:26 p.m.
Tru... could has been any where in Washtenaw County. " Now AA.com will have to do this every year " Heck I'd like to see one this winter
silverwings
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 2:51 p.m.
So, you were both the cub reporter and the bear reporter. Enjoyed the indigo bunting—those are hard to get!
rosy12
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 2:32 p.m.
Really enjoyed these beautiful photos - GREAT JOB!!!!
mb20fan
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 2:23 p.m.
I think there should have been captions to.At least telling what kind of animal it is in each picture.The pic`s are good nice.
John B.
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 9:33 p.m.
There are captions, but it takes several steps to view them. You have to get to aa.com's flickr site, then find the right photos, then do a slideshow, then click on 'show information.'
Diana
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 1:59 p.m.
I wish I could watch these slideshows on my IPad.
scan
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 1:01 p.m.
Turtle is non-native.. someone's pet?
Epengar
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 10:34 p.m.
The city's Natural Area Preservation unit has a nice set of web pages on local amphibians and reptiles: <a href="http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/fieldoperations/NAP/Herps/Pages/default.aspx" rel='nofollow'>http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/fieldoperations/NAP/Herps/Pages/default.aspx</a>
scan
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 3:42 p.m.
Yes, the other is a big ol' snapper :)
tdw
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 3:16 p.m.
scan.....Yep.The one photo sure does look like one.The other one looks like a common snapper
scan
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 2:29 p.m.
tdw- certain turtles are native to Michigan, others are not. This appears to be a desert tortoise, so someone sent in a snapshot of their pet and duped annarbor.com. You can learn about our native turtles at the Leslie Science Center or by searching "michigan turtles" and clicking on the DNR link. The only truly terrestrial turtles in this area are the Eastern Box Turtle, although others are known to hang out in the woods to forage or lay eggs (however, none of them look remotely like the tortoise in the above photo).
tdw
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 1:50 p.m.
scan....since when are turtles non-native ? Now the pig on the other hand....
AnnArborEats
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 12:48 p.m.
Wow! That was great! Thanks!
tdw
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : noon
Cool pictures.I just wish ( and this IS NOT a complainant ) that there were captions telling the area that they were took. Oh BTW A2.com.The Dexter bear thing,real cute.You kinda had my hopes up for a second.
Linda Peck
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : noon
Thank you so much! Love these pictures. I look forward to more down the road!
DDOT1962
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 11:48 a.m.
Tip 'o the hat to all with an eye for a photo...
ConcernedCitizen
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 10:43 a.m.
Bravo! Thanks for the idea, and thanks to the community for all of the delightful photographs.
bedrog
Mon, Jul 4, 2011 : 10:27 a.m.
great stuff....