PASSERIFORMES

You’re My Boy Blue!

October 20, 2023 — 9 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 400.

Eastern Bluebird

Why don’t they play poker in the jungle?

Too many cheetahs.

Interesting Fact: This small, brightly colored thrush typically perches on wires and fence posts overlooking open fields. The birds forage by fluttering to the ground to grab an insect, or occasionally by catching an insect in midair. Bluebirds can sight their tiny prey items from 60 feet or more away. They fly fairly low to the ground, and with a fast but irregular pattern to their wingbeats. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Bluebird/lifehistory )

 

 

You Can’t Make Everybody Happy. You’re Not Pizza!

October 18, 2023 — 2 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 250.

Dark-Eyed Junco  

Why aren’t there any famous skeletons?

They’re a bunch of no bodies.

Interesting Fact: When foraging, Dark-eyed Juncos typically hop (rather than walk) on the ground, pecking or scratching at the leaf litter, or flit very low in underbrush gleaning food from twigs and leaves. They sometimes fly up from the ground to catch insects from tree trunks. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dark-eyed_Junco/lifehistory )

 

 

Don’t Juge Me I Have An Itch!

October 3, 2023 — 3 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler

Did you hear about the tree that had to take time off of work in autumn?

It was on paid leaf.

Interesting Fact: In winter, Yellow-rumped Warblers join flocks and switch to eating berries from fruiting shrubs. Sometimes the flocks are enormous groups consisting entirely of Yellow-rumped Warblers. If another bird gets too close, Yellow-rumped Warblers indicate the infraction by holding the body horizontally, fanning the tail, and raising it to form a right angle with its body. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-rumped_Warbler/lifehistory )

 

 

This Is My Formal Attire!

October 2, 2023 — 4 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 250.

American Crow

What did one autumn leaf say to another?

I’m falling for you.

Interesting Fact: Young American Crows do not breed until they are at least two years old, and most do not breed until they are four or more. In most populations the young help their parents raise young for a few years. Families may include up to 15 individuals and contain young from five different years. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Crow )

You had a bad day, You’re taking one down, You sing a sad song just to turn it around

September 22, 2023 — 12 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 250.

American Goldfinch

A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street. “But officer,” the man began, “I can explain.” “Just be quiet,” snapped the officer. “I’m going to let you cool your heels in jail until the chief gets back.” “But, officer, I just wanted to say,…” “And I said to keep quiet! You’re going to jail!” A few hours later the officer looked in on his prisoner and said, “Lucky for you that the chief’s at his daughter’s wedding. He’ll be in a good mood when he gets back.” “Don’t count on it,” answered the fellow in the cell. “I’m the groom.”

Interesting Fact: Goldfinches are among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, selecting an entirely vegetable diet and only inadvertently swallowing an occasional insect. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/lifehistory )

I Meant To Behave But There Were Too Many Other Options

September 20, 2023 — 8 Comments

F/6.3, 1/160, ISO 320.

Nelson’s Sparrow

Did you hear abut the hungry clock?

It went back four seconds.

Interesting Fact: The Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow formerly was considered the same species as the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow, collectively known as the Sharp-tailed Sparrow. The two forms have separate breeding ranges that barely overlap in Maine. They differ in genetics, songs, and subtle plumage characters. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Nelsons_Sparrow/lifehistory )

Peek A Boo I Can Still See You!

September 14, 2023 — Leave a comment

F/7.1, 1/800, ISO 200.

American Goldfinch

What do computers snack on when they’re hungry?

Chips!

Interesting Fact: Male and female move around together to choose a suitable nest site. The female builds the nest, usually in a shrub or sapling in a fairly open setting rather than in forest interior. The nest is often built high in a shrub, where two or three vertical branches join; usually shaded by clusters of leaves or needles from above, but often open and visible from below. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/lifehistory )

 

 

 

I Don’t Have Grey Hair I Have Wisdom Highlights

September 5, 2023 — 7 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 160.

Gray Kingbird

What’s the difference between in-laws and outlaws?

Outlaws are wanted.

Interesting Fact: The adult gray kingbird is an average-sized kingbird. It measures 23 cm (9.1 in) in length and weighs from 37 to 52 g (1.3 to 1.8 oz).[2] The upperparts are gray, with brownish wings and tail, and the underparts are white with a gray tinge to the chest. The head has a concealed yellow crown stripe, and a dusky mask through the eyes. The dark bill is heavier than that of the related, slightly smaller, tropical kingbird. The sexes are similar, but young birds have rufous edges on the wing coverts, rump and tail. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_kingbird )

 

Never Bend Your Head. Always Hold It High. Look The World Straight In The Eye.

September 1, 2023 — 15 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 320.

Curve-billed Thrasher

A wife says, “Hey! Look at that funny guy whose been drinking a lot.”

The husband responds, “Who is he?”

The wife answers, “Well, five years ago, he was my boyfriend and I denied him for marriage.”

The husband says, “Oh my God! He’s still celebrating his freedom!”

Interesting Fact: The Curve-billed Thrasher that lives in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and northwestern Mexico looks different than the form that lives in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and central Mexico, and they may be separate species. The Texas and eastern bird has a lighter breast, more contrasting spots, pale wingbars, and white tail corners. The more western form has a grayer breast with less obvious spots, inconspicuous wingbars, and smaller, more grayish tail corners. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Curve-billed_Thrasher/lifehistory )

TAIL Me What You Think?

August 31, 2023 — 20 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 200.

Great-tailed Grackle

Why did Frosty the snowman want a divorce?

Because he thought his wife was a flake

Interesting Fact: In winter, enormous flocks of both male and female Great-tailed Grackles gather in “roost trees.” These winter roosts can contain thousands of individuals, with flocks of up to half a million occurring in sugarcane fields in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley. (  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great-tailed_Grackle/overview  )