United States

Every Sunset Is An Opportunity To Reset.

September 17, 2020 — 30 Comments

F/13.0, 1/640, ISO 250.

San Francisco Sunset Brown Pelican

What do the Starship Enterprise and toilet paper have in common?

They both probe Uranus and wipe out Klingons.

Interesting Fact:   As sunrise and sunset are calculated from the leading and trailing edges of the Sun, respectively, and not the center, the duration of a daytime is slightly longer than nighttime (by about 10 minutes, as seen from temperate latitudes). Further, because the light from the Sun is refracted as it passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, the Sun is still visible after it is geometrically below the horizon. Refraction also affects the apparent shape of the Sun when it is very close to the horizon. It makes things appear higher in the sky than they really are. Light from the bottom edge of the Sun’s disk is refracted more than light from the top, since refraction increases as the angle of elevation decreases. This raises the apparent position of the bottom edge more than the top, reducing the apparent height of the solar disk. Its width is unaltered, so the disk appears wider than it is high. (In reality, the Sun is almost exactly spherical.) The Sun also appears larger on the horizon, an optical illusion, similar to the moon illusion.  ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset#Historically )

When Butterflies Fall In Love, Do They Feel Humans In Their Stomach?

September 15, 2020 — 36 Comments

F/6.3, 1/100, ISO 320.

Butterfly

What did the grape say when it was stepped on?

Nothing, it just let out a little wine.

Interesting Fact:  Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteranclade Rhopalocera from the orderLepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises the large superfamilyPapilionoidea, which contains at least one former group, the skippers (formerly the superfamily “Hesperioidea”) and the most recent analyses suggest it also contains the moth-butterflies (formerly the superfamily “Hedyloidea”). Butterfly fossils date to the Paleocene, which was about 56 million years ago.  ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly )

NEVER FORGET

September 11, 2020 — 3 Comments

F/22.0, 77.0, ISO 125.

New York City Skyline 9/11 Tribute

A Time To Remember Those Who Died, Those Who Served, And Those Who Carry On.

Interesting Fact: The Tribute in Light is an art installation of 88 vertical searchlights placed six blocks south of the World Trade Center on top of the Battery Parking Garage[1] in New York City which create two columns of light to represent the Twin Towers in remembrance of the September 11 attacks.[2]Tribute in Light began initially as a temporary commemoration of the attacks in early 2002 but became an annual commemoration, currently produced on September 11 by the Municipal Art Society of New York.[3][4][5] The Tribute in Light was conceived by artists John Bennett, Gustavo Boneverdi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian LaVerdiere, and Paul Myoda, and lighting consultant Paul Marantz. ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribute_in_Light )

 

 

 

Catch Me If You Can!

September 10, 2020 — 42 Comments

F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200.

Great Egret

What do you call a man with a rubber toe?

Roberto.

Interesting Fact: Though it mainly hunts while wading, the Great Egret occasionally swims to capture prey or hovers (somewhat laboriously) over the water and dips for fish. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Egret ) 

I Don’t Like Green Eggs And Ham! I Do Not Like Them, Sam I Am!

September 9, 2020 — 15 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 250.

Mute Swans

How do you organize an outer space party?

You planet.

Interesting Fact: The Mute Swan is reported to mate for life. However, changing of mates does occur infrequently, and swans will remate if their partner dies. If a male loses his mate and pairs with a young female, she joins him on his territory. If he mates with an older female, they go to hers. If a female loses her mate, she remates quickly and usually chooses a younger male.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mute_Swan/lifehistory )

Wazzaap!

September 8, 2020 — 16 Comments

F/6.3, 1/145, ISO640.

Turkey Vulture ( Juvenile )

Why are hairdressers never late for work?

Because they know all the short cuts!

Interesting Fact: Outside of the breeding season, Turkey Vultures form roosts of dozens to a hundred individuals. When Turkey Vultures court, pairs perform a “follow flight” display where one bird leads the other through twisting, turning, and flapping flights for a minute or so, repeated over periods as long as 3 hours. Migrating flocks can number in the thousands. At carcasses, several Turkey Vultures may gather but typically only one feeds at a time, chasing the others off and making them wait their turn. Despite their size, Turkey Vultures are often driven off by smaller Black Vultures, Crested Caracaras, Zone-tailed Hawks, and other species. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/lifehistory )

Friday Is My Second Favorite F Word My First Is FOOD Definitely FOOD!

September 4, 2020 — 8 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 320.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Where does a tree store their stuff?

In there Trunk!

Interesting Fact:  The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher’s grayish coloring and long tail, as well as the way it mixes snippets of other birds’ repertoires into its own high, nasal songs, have earned it the nickname “Little Mockingbird.” ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue-gray_Gnatcatcher )

Just Act Weird It Keeps The Creeps Away!

September 3, 2020 — 14 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 200.

Snowy Egret

Why did the scarecrow win an award?

Because he was outstanding in his field.

Interesting Fact: Adult Snowy Egrets have greenish-yellow feet for most of the year, but at the height of the breeding season their feet take on a much richer, orange-yellow hue. The bare skin on their face also changes color, from yellow to reddish. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Egret )

I Am On A Seafood Diet. I See Food, And I Eat It.

September 2, 2020 — 13 Comments

F/ 6.3, 1/80, ISO 640.

Turkey Vulture

Two vultures are in a field, eating a dead clown.

One vulture says to the other, “Does this taste funny to you?”

Interesting Fact:  Turkey Vultures nest in rock crevices, caves, ledges, thickets, mammal burrows and hollow logs, fallen trees, abandoned hawk or heron nests, and abandoned buildings. These nest sites are typically much cooler (by 13°F or more) than surroundings, and isolated from human traffic or disturbance. While they often feed near humans, Turkey Vultures prefer to nest far away from civilization. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/lifehistory )

PhotoBomb!

August 31, 2020 — 18 Comments

F/13.0, 1/400, ISO 500.

Black Scoter 

Why did the belt go to jail?

Because it held up a pair of pants!

Interesting Fact:  The Black Scoter is among the most vocal of waterfowl. Groups of Black Scoters often can be located by the constant mellow, plaintive whistling sound of the males.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Scoter )