branch

Well I Hope The Neighbors Like This Song

February 13, 2017 — 14 Comments

black-capped-chickadee-branch

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320, Photoshop CS6.

Black-capped Chickadee

What kind of music are balloons afraid of?

Pop Music.

Interesting Fact: Winter flocks with chickadees serving as the nucleus contain mated chickadee pairs and nonbreeders, but generally not the offspring of the adult pairs within that flock. Other species that associate with chickadee flocks include nuthatches, woodpeckers, kinglets, creepers, warblers and vireos. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/lifehistory )

 

Why Wasn’t I Casted In The “Angry Bird” Movie?!

May 25, 2016 — 10 Comments

Chipping Sparrow 1

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 100.

Chipping Sparrow 

Bob: You know Tom, sometimes I don’t understand life.
Tom: What do you mean?
Bob: When we were a younger, we learnt to talk and to walk. At school, we always have to sit down and shut up…

Interesting Fact: In much of the West, Chipping Sparrows disperse shortly after breeding to move to areas with better food resources. It’s not unusual to see Chipping Sparrows on alpine tundra or along roadsides in open grasslands. This results in the common misperception that they bred in those areas, when really they simply moved there to molt. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Chipping_Sparrow/lifehistory )

A Little Birdie Told Me…

May 1, 2016 — 24 Comments

Chipping Sparrow

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 500.

Chipping Sparrow 

Bacon and eggs walk into a bar and order a beer, the bartender says sorry, we don’t serve breakfast.

Interesting Fact: Chipping Sparrows typically build their nests low in a shrub or tree, but every once in a while they get creative. People have found their nests among hanging strands of chili peppers, on an old-fashioned mower inside a tool shed, and on a hanging basket filled with moss. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Chipping_Sparrow/lifehistory )

Hey What’s Going On Down There, Keep It Down!

April 30, 2016 — 18 Comments

Black and white Warbler

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

Black-and-white Warbler

A couple of hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn’t seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: “My friend is dead! What can I do?”

The operator, in a calm soothing voice says: “Just take it easy. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.” There is a silence, then a shot is heard.

The guy’s voice comes back on the line. He says: “OK, now what?“

Interesting Fact: As warblers go, Black-and-white Warblers are combative: they’ll attack and fight with other species that enter their territory, including Black-capped Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and American Redstarts. This aggressive behavior extends to the wintering grounds, where they defend territories and when feeding in mixed flocks will drive other Black-and-white Warblers away. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-and-white_Warbler/lifehistory )

 

I Am Not Yelling! This Is How I Talk!

April 29, 2016 — 8 Comments

Brown-headed Cowbird ( Female )

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.

Brown-headed Cowbird ( Female )

A man inserted an ‘ad’ in the classifieds: “Wife wanted.” Next day he received a hundred letters.

They all said the same thing: “You can have mine.”

Interesting Fact: Social relationships are difficult to figure out in birds that do not build nests, but male and female Brown-headed Cowbirds are not monogamous. Genetic analyses show that males and females have several different mates within a single season. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird/lifehistory )

So They Say Orange Is The New Black, What If I’m Both?!

April 26, 2016 — 25 Comments

Eastern Towhee

F/6.3, 1/40, ISO 400.

Eastern Towhee

What did the bird say after his cage fell apart?

“Cheap, cheap!”

Interesting Fact: Eastern Towhees are common victims of the parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird. Female cowbirds lay eggs in towhee nests, then leave the birds to raise their cowbird young. In some areas cowbirds lay eggs in more than half of all towhee nests. Towhees, unlike some other birds, show no ability to recognize or remove the imposter’s eggs. Female cowbirds typically take out a towhee egg when laying their own, making the swap still harder to notice. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Towhee/lifehistory )

 

You Can’t See Me I’m Camouflage!

April 23, 2016 — 22 Comments

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 400.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

A magician was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.
The audience would be different each week, so the magician
allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again.
There was only one problem:  The captain’s parrot saw the
shows each week and began to understand how the magician did
every trick.  Once he understood he started shouting in the
middle of the show:
“Look, it’s not the same hat”
“Look, he is hiding the flowers under the table”
“Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades ?”
The magician was furious but couldn’t do anything, it was,
after all, the captain’s parrot.
One day the ship had an accident and sank.  The magician
found himself on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean
with the parrot, of course.  They stared at each other with
hate, but did not utter a word.
This went on for a day and another and another.
After a week the parrot said:  “OK, I give up.  Where’s
the boat?”

Interesting Fact: The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the only warbler able to digest the waxes found in bayberries and wax myrtles. Its ability to use these fruits allows it to winter farther north than other warblers, sometimes as far north as Newfoundland.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-rumped_Warbler/lifehistory )

Yellow Means Slow Down And Watch Me

April 20, 2016 — 32 Comments

Palm Warbler

F/8.0, 1/200, ISO 320.

Palm Warbler

A male and a female pigeon made a date to meet on a ledge outside
the 14th floor of the Chrysler Building.  The male was there on time,
but the female arrived an hour late.
“Where were you?” he cried.  “I was worried sick.”
“It was such a nice day,” she explained, “I decided to walk.”

Interesting Fact: The Palm Warbler is found in two different forms. Birds that breed in the western part of the range are duller, and have whitish bellies. Those breeding in the eastern part of the range are entirely yellow underneath. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Palm_Warbler/lifehistory )

They Call Me Mellow Yellow

April 17, 2016 — 24 Comments

Yellow Warbler

F/ 6.3, 1/640, ISO 200.

Yellow Warbler

A lady went to a pet shop.
“I’d like to buy two yellow canaries,” she told the owner.
“We don’t have any canaries, but we have these,” the owner
said, as he showed the lady some pale green parakeets.
“That’s not what I’m looking for,” the lady stated.
But the pet store owner refused to give up. He said, “Just
think of them as yellow canaries that aren’t quite ripe yet.”

Interesting Fact: Life can be dangerous for a small bird. Yellow Warblers have occasionally been found caught in the strands of an orb weaver spider’s web. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow_Warbler/lifehistory )

Come Visit My Branch

April 15, 2016 — 16 Comments

Magnolia Warbler

F/5.6, 1/400, ISO 100.

Magnolia Warbler

Two birds in a tree looking down on a man washing his car.

“If he doesn’t hurry up and finish,” says one bird to the 15other, “I’ll shit myself.”

Interesting Fact: Though it has very specific habitat preferences in the breeding season, the Magnolia Warbler occupies a very broad range of habitats in winter:  from sea level to 1,500 meters elevation, and most landscape types, except cleared fields. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Magnolia_Warbler/lifehistory )