Neil DeMaster Photography

The Common Snapping Turtle is found in southern Canada down to Florida in most parts of the United States, east of the Rockies. They are omnivores and will eat almost anything smaller than them. Many times, lying in the mud on the bottom of a lake or pond with only their nostrils exposed waiting to ambush whatever is in reach. The average lifespan is 30-40 years but can live to 100 years. They spend most of their time in the water, but the females will travel over land to find sandy soil to dig a hole where they will lay 25-80 eggs. They are important to the environment as controllers of populations of some of their prey items and because they also scavenge, as ecological recyclers. While the common snapping turtle population is stable, the threats that face them are high and variable mortality of embryos and hatchlings, pollution and the pet trade. This photo was taken at Assawoman Wildlife Area in Delaware, USA on March 31, 2026

This is the Salt Harvesting Facility run by the Cargill Company on the Island of Bonaire. They use solar harvesting by letting sea water run into 250 acres of condenser ponds. There they let the wind and the sun evaporate the water increasing the salinity. Eventually it is moved into crystallization ponds where the salinity is increased even more until the salt starts to crystalize and eventually forms a several inch layer of salt. After that it is washed and stacked into the salt pyramids you see in this photo. The solar process is advantageous for forming large crystals known as salt gems. These can be used in water softeners, swimming pools, table use, and de icing materials among other things. This photo was taken in August of 2025

The Black Necked Stilt can be found in the United States and all the way through South America always around many types of shallow wetlands. Their diet consists of insects, shrimp, tadpoles, small crustaceans. small frogs and fish. Both parents build nests on bare ground, near or just above the water line. The female lays 2-5 eggs that are light brown with black blotches and both parents share in incubation. When the weather gets too hot the parents soak up water with their belly feathers and bring it back to the nests for cooling purposes. If a predator threatens the nest, nearby stilts will shriek, pretend to have broken wings or will aggressively dive at the threat. This photo of a juvenile was taken in Bonaire in August of 2025.

The Say's Phoebe can be found in western North America and Mexico in dry open areas. They breed in the northwestern U.S. and Canada up into Alaska. They build nests with a shelter or ledge overhead, sometimes in interesting places like wells, mineshafts and mailboxes. Their diet consists almost entirely of insects, including bees, flying ants and wasps, coughing up pellets of undigested insect parts. Fossils of these birds have been found dating as far back as the Pleistocene Era. This photo was taken in Phoenix, Arizona on November 24, 2025

The American Flamingo is the largest of the 6 flamingo species growing up to 5 ft tall and weighing 4-8 lbs. They are born gray and get their pink coloration from their diet of shrimp, algae and mollusks. They take in large gulps of water and then pulsate their tongue, forcing the water out of their curved bill while retaining the food. They have been known to travel 54 miles in a day for food. Their average lifespan is 20-25 years but can live up to 60. This photo was taken in Bonaire in August of 2025.