F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 250.
Loggerhead Shrike
What is a soldiers least favorite month of the year?
March
Interesting Fact: Loggerhead Shrikes impale noxious prey such as monarch butterflies and eastern narrow-mouthed toads—then wait for up to three days to eat them, which allows time for the poisons to break down. These shrikes also eat the heads and abdomens of toxic lubber grasshoppers, while discarding the insect’s poisonous thorax. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Loggerhead_Shrike )
F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 250.
Loggerhead Shrike
At a local coffee bar, a young woman was expounding on her idea of the perfect mate to some of her friends. “The man I marry must be a shining light amongst company. He must be musical. Tell jokes. Sing. And stay home at night!” An old granny overheard and spoke up, “Honey, if that’s all you want, get a TV!”
Interesting Fact: The upper cutting edge (tomium) of the Loggerhead Shrike’s hooked bill features a pair of built-in pointy projections, aptly named “tomial teeth.” Like a falcon, the shrike tackles vertebrate prey with a precise attack to the nape, probably using these tomial “teeth” to paralyze the animal with a jab to the spinal cord. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Loggerhead_Shrike )
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 )
F/13.0 , 1/640, ISO 250.
Joshua Tree National Park
How are mountains able to see?
They peak!
Interesting Facts: The higher and cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of Yucca brevifolia, the Joshua tree for which the park is named. It occurs in patterns from dense forests to distantly spaced specimens. In addition to Joshua tree forests, the western part of the park includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California’s deserts. The dominant geologic features of this landscape are hills of bare rock, usually broken up into loose boulders. These hills are popular among rock climbing and scrambling enthusiasts. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Tree_National_Park )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 250.
Mount San Jacinto State Park
What do you call a professional fisherman?
A master baiter.
Interesting Facts: Joshua Tree National Park is an American national park in southeastern California, east of Los Angeles, near San Bernardino and Palm Springs. The park is named for the Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) native to the Mojave Desert. Originally declared a national monument in 1936, Joshua Tree was redesignated as a national park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act.[3] Encompassing a total of 790,636 acres (1,235.4 sq mi; 3,199.6 km2)[1]—an area slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island—the park includes 429,690 acres (671.4 sq mi; 1,738.9 km2) of designated wilderness. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Tree_National_Park )
Through Open Lens 