Wildlife

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 )

 

I Get Knocked Down But I Get Up Again You Are Never Gonna Keep Me Down

September 27, 2016 — 8 Comments

mallard-duck

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 250.

Mallard Duck

What did the duck say when he bought lipstick?

“Put it on my bill.”

Interesting Fact: Ducks are strong fliers; migrating flocks of Mallards have been estimated traveling at 55 miles per hour. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/lifehistory )

Don’t You Forget About Me

September 6, 2016 — 13 Comments

cedar-waxwing-1

F/ 11.0, 1/500, ISO 250.

Cedar Waxwing

What did the pencil sharpener say to the pencil?

Stop going in circles and get to the point! 

Interesting Fact: Cedar Waxwings with orange instead of yellow tail tips began appearing in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada in the 1960s. The orange color is the result of a red pigment picked up from the berries of an introduced species of honeysuckle. If a waxwing eats enough of the berries while it is growing a tail feather, the tip of the feather will be orange. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar_Waxwing/lifehistory )

Never Hide Your Wings!

August 24, 2016 — 20 Comments

Butterfly 1

F/ 5.6, 1/320, ISO 400.

Butterfly

My friend thinks he is smart.

He told me an onion is the only food that makes you cry, so I threw a coconut at his face.

Interesting Fact: Butterflies can eat anything that can dissolve in water. They mostly feed on nectar from flowers but also eat tree sap, dung, pollen, or rotting fruit. They are attracted to sodium found in salt and sweat. This is why they sometimes even land on people in Butterfly Parks. Sodium as well as many other minerals is vital for the butterflies reproduction. ( http://www.whatdobutterflieseat.info/ )

 

 

I Believe I Can Fly!

August 22, 2016 — 5 Comments

Franklin's Gull 1

F/14.0, 1/640, ISO 320.

Franklin’s Gull

What did the pig say at the beach on a hot summer’s day?

I’m bacon!

Interesting Fact: In breeding plumage, and sometimes in nonbreeding plumage as well, the Franklin’s Gull often shows a rosy pink cast (rarely salmon) on its chest and abdomen. This color is most apparent on the shafts and bases of its feathers. The color fades as the breeding season progresses as the pigment is broken down by sunlight.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Franklins_Gull/lifehistory )

 

 

I’m Walking Here!

August 21, 2016 — 8 Comments

Common Grackle 2

F/6.3, 1/1600, ISO 250.

Common Grackle 

How do men exercise at the beach?

By sucking in their stomach every time they see a girl in a bikini.

Interesting Fact: Common Grackles are resourceful foragers. They sometimes follow plows to catch invertebrates and mice, wade into water to catch small fish, pick leeches off the legs of turtles, steal worms from American Robins, raid nests, and kill and eat adult birds. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Grackle/lifehistory )

Ready, Set, Go!

July 26, 2016 — 6 Comments

Vesper Sparrow

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

Vesper Sparrow

Couples first day at a resort decided to hit the beach.
When the guy went back to there room to get something to drink, one of the hotel maids was making the bed.
He grabbed his cooler and was on my way out when he paused and asked, “Can we drink beer on the beach?”
“Sure,” she said, “but I have to finish the rest of the rooms beforehand.”

Interesting Fact: The Vesper Sparrow responds quickly to changes in habitat; it is often the first species to occupy reclaimed mine sites and abandon old farm fields as they return to forest.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Vesper_Sparrow/lifehistory )

Reflection On This

July 25, 2016 — 26 Comments

Great Blue Heron 4

F/6.3, 1/100, ISO 320.

Great Blue Heron

How do you prevent a Summer cold?

Catch it in the Winter!

Interesting Fact: The white form of the Great Blue Heron, known as the “great white heron,” is found nearly exclusively in shallow marine waters along the coast of very southern Florida, the Yucatan Peninsula, and in the Caribbean. Where the dark and white forms overlap in Florida, intermediate birds known as “Wurdemann’s herons” can be found. They have the body of a Great Blue Heron, but the white head and neck of the great white heron. (  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/lifehistory )

Where Are We?

July 21, 2016 — 16 Comments

House Finches

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 200.

House Finch

What did the bra say to the hat?

You go on ahead while I give these two a lift!

Interesting Fact: The total House Finch population across North America is staggering. Scientists estimate between 267 million and 1.4 billion individuals. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/lifehistory )

 

 

 

Day And Night

July 20, 2016 — 14 Comments

Moth

F/8.0, 1/200, ISO 100.

Skipper Butterfly

Why did the boy throw butter out the window?

To see butter fly. 

Interesting Fact: A skipper or skipper butterfly is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. They are named after their quick, darting flight habits. More than 3500 species of skippers are recognized, and they occur worldwide, but with the greatest diversity in the Neotropical regions of Central and South America. ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skipper_(butterfly) )