Gallery

Let’s Get Lost!

January 15, 2024 — 2 Comments

F/13.0, 1/640, ISO 250.

Joshua Tree National Park

Is it safe to swim in the ocean this week?

Sure, the sharks are all busy filming with Discovery.

Interesting Facts: The flatland between these hills is sparsely forested with Joshua trees. Together with the boulder piles and Skull Rock, the trees make the landscape otherworldly. Temperatures are most comfortable in the spring and fall, with an average high/low of 85 and 50 °F (29 and 10 °C), respectively. Winter brings cooler days, around 60 °F (16 °C), and freezing nights. Snows occur occasionally at higher elevations. Summers are hot, over 100 °F (38 °C) during the day and not cooling much below 75 °F (24 °C) until the early hours of the morning. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Tree_National_Park )

Bald Move To Fly Today.

November 29, 2023 — 11 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 320.

Bald Eagle ( Juvenile )

Who won the race between two balls of string?

They we’re tied!

Interesting Facts: Bald Eagles are powerful fliers—soaring, gliding, and flapping over long distances. In one of several spectacular courtship displays, a male and female fly high into the sky, lock talons, and cartwheel downward together, breaking off at the last instant to avoid crashing to earth. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/lifehistory )

Howl At Me!

November 28, 2023 — 22 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 320.

Coyote

What did the Coyote say when someone stepped on his foot?

Aoooowwwwwwww!

Interesting Fact: Coyotes are formidable in the field where they enjoy keen vision and a strong sense of smell. They can run up to 40 miles an hour. In the fall and winter, they form packs for more effective hunting. ( https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/c/coyote/ )

I Feel Loonly.

November 27, 2023 — 2 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 400.

Common Loon ( Nonbreeding adult )

What did the chicken say when it got to the library?

“Book book book book book book book…”

Interesting Fact: Migrating Common Loons occasionally land on wet highways or parking lots, mistaking them for rivers and lakes. They become stranded without a considerable amount of open water for a long takeoff. A loon may also get stranded on a pond that is too small. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Loon/ )

I Like To Be Alone But I Hate Being Lonely

November 26, 2023 — 5 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 160.

Common Goldeneye

What did the salad say when the cabbage interrupted their meal?

Lettuce alone!

Interesting Fact: The eyes of a Common Goldeneye are gray-brown at hatching. They turn purple-blue, then blue, then green-blue as they age. By five months of age they have become clear pale green-yellow. The eyes will be bright yellow in adult males and pale yellow to white in females. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Goldeneye )

 

I Don’t Have To Take This… I’m Going Home.

November 26, 2023 — 2 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 200.

Black Scoter

Why did the tiny ghost join the football team?

He heard they needed a little team spirit.

Interesting Fact: A coastal duck that breeds in the subarctic, the Black Scoter is not well studied in North America. Only a few nests have ever been found. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Scoter )

 

 

I Had Food Last Night And I Forgot The Rest!

November 24, 2023 — 2 Comments

F/6.3, 1/800, ISO 160.

Greylag goose

Why did the nurse go to art school?

To learn how to draw blood!

Interesting Fact: Greylag geese tend to pair bond in long-term monogamous relationships.[20] Most such pairs are probably life-long partnerships, though 5 to 8% of the pairs divorce and re-mate.[20] Birds in heterosexual pairs may engage in promiscuous behavior, despite the opposition of their mates. ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greylag_goose# )

 

 

 

Get Ready, Set, Goooooooo!!!!!

November 16, 2023 — Leave a comment

F/7.1, 1/160, ISO 500.

Tufted Titmouse 

Why did the artist bring a pencil and paper to a duel?

He wanted to draw his weapon.

Interesting Fact: Tufted Titmice flit from branch to branch of the forest canopy looking for food, often in the company of other species including nuthatches, chickadees, kinglets, and woodpeckers. When they find large seeds, such as the sunflower seeds they take from bird feeders, titmice typically hold the seed with their feet and hammer it open with their beaks. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tufted_Titmouse/lifehistory )

 

Two Peckers One Hole

November 9, 2023 — 28 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 320.

Hispaniolan Woodpeckers

How do crazy people get through the forest?

They take the psycho path.

Interesting Fact: The Hispaniolan Woodpecker is sufficiently abundant to be considered an agricultural pest in some areas, on account of it feeding in fruit orchards, although it also regularly consumes insects and tree sap. It nests in tree-cavities and breeds in loose colonies of up to 20 pairs. ( https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/hiswoo1/overview )

But Officer, I’ve Never Been Able To Walk A Straight Line.

November 7, 2023 — 12 Comments

F/5.6, 1/280, ISO 500.

Atlantic Ghost Crab

Why is there only one Yogi Bear?

Because when they tried to make another one, they made a Boo-Boo.

Interesting Fact: Crabs of this species usually engage in a combat that is non-contact. The combat style is more ritualistic in style and ends in contact in very rare cases. ( https://www.animalspot.net/ghost-crab-sand-crab.html )