Nature

Squeak, Squeak Down The Creek!

May 21, 2017 — 6 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 320.

Warwick’s 27th Annual Duck Derby

Warwick’s annual Duck Derby, a popular fundraising event sponsored by Winslow Therapeutic Center, took place today.

What do you call a duck that steals?

A robber ducky.

Interesting Fact: The history of the rubber duck is linked to the emergence of rubber manufacturing in the late 19th century. The earliest rubber ducks were made from harder rubber when manufacturers began using Charles Goodyear‘s invention, vulcanized rubber. As a consequence, these solid rubber ducks were not capable of floating, but instead were intended for use as chew toys. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck#History )

Do Not Disturb!

May 17, 2017 — 20 Comments

F/14.0, 1/250, ISO 200.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Beach

What is the best day to go to the beach?

Sunday, of course!

Interesting Fact: Fraser Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia, is the largest sand island in the world covering around 163,000 ha and it has a beach 65 km (40 mi) long. ( http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/beaches.html )

At The Quack Of Dawn

May 15, 2017 — 12 Comments

F/6.3, 1/160, ISO 250.

Wood Duck

What do you get when a duck bends over?

Buttquack

Interesting Fact: Wood Ducks feed by dabbling or short, shallow dives. They are strong fliers and can reach speeds of 30 mph. Wood Ducks are not territorial, with the exception that a male may fight off other males that approach his mate too closely. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/lifehistory )

 

Behind Every Good Kid Is A Great MOM! ( Happy Mother’s Day )

May 14, 2017 — 6 Comments

Happy Mother’s Day to all mom’s out there!

F/3.5, 1/150, ISO 325.

Son: “Mom can I get twenty bucks”
Mom: Does it look like I am made of money
Son: “Well isn’t that what M.O.M stands for?”

Interesting Fact: In the United States, celebration of Mother’s Day began in the early 20th century. It is not related to the many celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have occurred throughout the world over thousands of years, such as the Greek cult to Cybele, the Roman festival of Hilaria, or the Christian Mothering Sunday celebration (originally a commemoration of Mother Church, not motherhood).[1][2][3][4] However, in some countries, Mother’s Day has become synonymous with these older traditions. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother’s_Day )

Wet And Wild!

May 13, 2017 — Leave a comment

F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 100.

Mallard Ducks

What season is it when you are on a trampoline?

Spring time.

Interesting Fact: Mallards are generalist foragers and will eat a wide variety of food. They don’t dive, but dabble to feed, tipping forward in the water to eat seeds and aquatic vegetation. They also roam around on the shore and pick at vegetation and prey on the ground. During the breeding season, they eat mainly animal matter including aquatic insect larvae, earthworms, snails and freshwater shrimp. During migration, many Mallards consume largely agricultural seed and grain. In city parks, they readily accept handouts from parkgoers.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/lifehistory )

If A Turtle Loses It’s Shell Is It Naked Or Homeless?

May 10, 2017 — 10 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 200.

Common Snapping Turtle

What kind of photos does a turtle take?

Shellfies.

Interesting Fact: In their environment, they are at the top of the food chain, causing them to feel less fear or aggression in some cases. When they encounter a species unfamiliar to them such as humans, in rare instances, they will become curious and survey the situation and even more rarely may bump their nose on a leg of the person standing in the water. Although snapping turtles have fierce dispositions,[16] when they are encountered in the water or a swimmer approaches, they will slip quietly away from any disturbance or may seek shelter under mud or grass nearby.[17] Common snapping turtles are very aggressive if caught, and have a strong enough bite to easily amputate human fingers. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_snapping_turtle#Behavior )

Dancing In The Street

March 1, 2017 — 6 Comments

dancing-in-the-street

F/4.0, 1/60, ISO 800.

Why don’t dogs make good dancers?

Because they have two left feet!

Interesting Fact: Archeological evidence for early dance includes 9,000-year-old paintings in India at the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka, and Egyptian tomb paintings depicting dancing figures, dated c. 3300 BC. It has been proposed that before the invention of written languages, dance was an important part of the oral and performance methods of passing stories down from generation to generation.[5] The use of dance in ecstatic trance states and healing rituals (as observed today in many contemporary “primitive” cultures, from the Brazilian rainforest to the Kalahari Desert) is thought to have been another early factor in the social development of dance. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance#Origins )

Laugh And The World Laughs With You, Cackle Maniacally And People Back Away From You Slowly

February 18, 2017 — 6 Comments

cackling-goose

F/5.0, 1/400, ISO 400.

Cackling Goose

What did the 30 degree angle say to the 90 degree angle?

“You think you’re always right!”

Interesting Fact: The Cackling Goose was long considered just a small race of the Canada Goose. The smallest four of the eleven recognized races were recently determined to be distinct enough to be their own species. Cackling Goose includes the races known as Taverner’s, Richardson’s, Aleutian, and Cackling geese. Confusingly, the “Lesser Canada Goose” is still a race of the Canada Goose. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cackling_Goose/lifehistory )

When You Are With The Right Person, Every Day Is Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2017 — 24 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day!

mallard-love

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 100.

Mallard

Girl: “I can’t be your valentine for medical reasons.”

Boy: “Really?”

Girl: “Yeah, you make me sick!”

Interesting Fact: Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine.[11] The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae).[12] Valentine of Rome was a priest in Rome who was martyred in 269 and was added to the calendar of saints by Pope Galesius in 496 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The relics of Saint Valentine were kept in the Church and Catacombs of San Valentino in Rome, which “remained an important pilgrim site throughout the Middle Ages until the relics of St. Valentine were transferred to the church of Santa Prassede during the pontificate of Nicholas IV“.[13][14] The flower-crowned skull of Saint Valentine is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. Other relics are found at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day#History )

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 )