Domincan Republic nature

So Much On My Mind It’s A Wonder My Neck Doesn’t Snap.

July 16, 2020 — 9 Comments

F/6.3, 1/50, ISO 200.

American Flamingo 

What did one hat say to the other?

You stay here, I’ll go on a head.

Interesting Fact: The American flamingo has adapted to its shallow-water environment in several ways. It has evolved long legs and large webbed feet to wade and stir up the bottom of the water bed to bring up their food source to then be retrieved. To feed, it has evolved a specialized beak which is hooked downward and features marginal lamellae on the upper mandible, and inner and outer lamellae on both the upper and lower mandibles. These are adapted for filtering out differently sized food from water.[16] Depending on the food source in their area, diets depend on the exact morphology of their beaks on what can and cannot be strained out of them. It submerges its head under water to retrieve its food, and may have its head under water for long times, which requires it to hold its breath. Factors which affect the habitat choice of American flamingos are environmental temperatures, water depth, food source, accessibility of an area, and the presence of vegetation beds in feeding areas. If available food items do not meet the needs of the flamingos or the temperature is not appropriate to their requirements, they move to a better feeding or more temperate area. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_flamingo )

Don’t worry, I’m not gonna do what you all think I’m gonna do, which is, you know, FLIP OUT!

July 1, 2020 — 8 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.

Greater Antillean Grackle

What do you call a broke Santa?jerry

It’s Saint-NICKEL-LESS

Interesting Fact: The Greater Antillean grackle (Quiscalus niger) is a grackle found throughout the Greater Antilles as well as smaller, nearby islands. Like all Quiscalus grackles, it is a rather large, gregarious bird.[2] It lives largely in heavily settled areas. It is also known as the ‘kling-kling’. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Antillean_grackle )

Be Clawsome!

June 19, 2020 — 2 Comments

F/8.0, 1/640, ISO 100.

Atlantic Ghost Crab

What’s red and moves up and down?

A tomato in an elevator!

Interesting Fact: The Atlantic ghost crab lives in burrows in sand above the strandline.[2] Older individuals dig their burrows farther from the sea, some starting as much as 400 m (1,300 ft) inland.[4] Burrows can be up to 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) deep, and can be closed off with sand during hot periods. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_ghost_crab )

Hi There!

May 29, 2020 — 4 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 400.

Hispaniolan Amazon Parrots

What goes tick tick woof woof?

A watch dog.

Interesting Fact: As with other amazons, it prefers forested areas where food is plentiful. This parrot lives in the wood forests in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. However over the recent years they have been captured out of their natural habitat illegally for pet trades or just to keep them as pets which are very popular in the Dominican Republic. Right now[when?] the population ranges from 10,000 to 19,000 in the wild and decreasing. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispaniolan_amazon )

Double Take!

May 15, 2020 — 2 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 250.

White-Cheeked Pintail

What kind of water do you put into a waterbed?

Spring water.

Interesting Fact: It is found in the Caribbean, South America, and the Galápagos Islands.[4] It occurs on waters with some salinity, such as brackish lakes, estuaries and mangrove swamps. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-cheeked_pintail )

Welcome To The Jungle We Got Fun And Games!

May 13, 2020 — 2 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 800.

Hispaniolan Amazon Parrots

What is a mattress’ favorite season?

Spring.

Interesting Fact: Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and plantations. It is threatened in its home range by habitat loss and the capture of individuals for the pet trade. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispaniolan_amazon )

“S” Stands For Both SADNESS And SMILE. It’s Up To You How You Wanna See It.

May 12, 2020 — 9 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 250.

Tricolored-Heron

Why did the worker get fired from the calendar factory?

He took a day off.

Interesting Facts: Although they are solitary foragers, they nest in colonies often with other herons and egrets. At the colony males are aggressive toward all individuals that come near the nest site, but gradually let a female enter during courtship. Aggressive posturing includes calling, stretching the neck straight up, fluffing up the crest feathers, holding the wings below and away from the body, fighting and jabbing in midair, and shaking twigs. Males court females near the nest site. Males bow down, grab a twig, and then stretch the head straight up while snapping the bill. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tricolored_Heron/lifehistory )

I Don’t Have A Drinking Problem, I Drink, I Get Drunk, I Pass Out, No Problem!

April 4, 2020 — 15 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

American Flamingo 

Why did the baseball player bring a rope to the game?

He wanted to tie the score

Interesting Fact: American flamingos are saltwater birds that ingest food with a high salt content and mostly drink salt water (with an osmolarity of usually 1000), hyperosmotic to the bodies cells . Also, though not commonly, they can drink fresh water at near-boiling temperatures from geysers. From their high-salt diet, they would lose more water and have a greater salt uptake. One way in which they osmoregulate is through the use of a salt gland, which is found in their beaks.[17] This salt gland helps excrete excess salt from the body through the nasal openings in the flamingo’s beaks. When these birds consume salt, the osmolarity increases in the blood plasma through the gut. This causes water to move out of the cells, increasing extracellular fluids. Both these changes, in turn, activate the salt glands of the bird,[18] but before any activity occurs in the salt glands, the kidney has to reabsorb the ingested sodium from the small intestine. As seen in other saltwater birds, the fluid that is excreted has been seen to have an osmolarity greater than that of the salt water, but this varies with salt consumption and body size. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_flamingo )

Do You Understand The Words That Are Coming Out Of My Mouth?!

April 2, 2020 — 19 Comments

F/6.3, 1/160, ISO 200.

Green Heron

What does a teddy bear say when you offer it a sandwich?

“No thanks, I’m stuffed”

Interesting Fact: Green Herons are common and widespread, but they can be hard to see at first. Whereas larger herons tend to stand prominently in open parts of wetlands, Green Herons tend to be at the edges, in shallow water, or concealed in vegetation. Visit a wetland and carefully scan the banks looking for a small, hunch-backed bird with a long, straight bill staring intently at the water. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green_Heron )

Hey Autocorrect! Quit Tampering With My Curse Words, You Mother Forklift!

April 1, 2020 — 9 Comments

F/5.6, 1/100, ISO 640.

Bananaquit

Why did the fly fall off the toilet?

It got pissed off.

Interesting Fact: The bananaquit is known for its ability to adjust remarkably to human environments. It often visits gardens and may become very tame. Its nickname, the sugar bird, comes from its affinity for bowls or bird feeders stocked with granular sugar, a common method of attracting these birds.[19] The bananaquit builds a spherical lined nest with a side entrance hole, laying up to three eggs, which are incubated solely by the female.[4] It may also build its nest in human-made objects, such as lampshades and garden trellises. The birds breed all year regardless of season and build new nests throughout the year. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bananaquit )