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February 29, 2008

Friday Feathers

Each time I see this bird it pauses just long enough for me to capture its image. The White-Breasted Nuthatch seems to know instinctively that this photographer is nearby.

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Out of all the birds I've photographed to date, this one never hesitates to "strike a pose." :-)

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February 22, 2008

Friday Feathers

This Pileated Woodpecker was happily hammering away on this tree branch up until the time it sensed danger. When a bird's internal alarm system sounds, they freeze in place until it's safe to move about again.

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Hawks are the typical suspects; they perch in trees nearby just waiting for some unsuspecting bird to slip up, then swoop down and grab their prey. Evildoers. ;-)

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February 15, 2008

Friday Feathers

This photograph of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird is one of my favorites.

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I remember how time-intensive it was for me to capture just one shot of the tiny bird; I'd sit for hours near the feeder and wait for it to show up. Like clockwork, the hummingbird would stop by for a quick sip every 15 minutes or so, but they're very fast. I had my eyes glued to that feeder, quickly learning that if I shifted my gaze for a second they'd have shown up and flown away. After days of sitting in the same spot and shooting as quickly as possible, I finally captured a shot I was happy with.

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February 14, 2008

Happy Valentines Day!

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February 11, 2008

Be My Anti-Valentine

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Nothing says "You're Special" like a mass-produced sentiment written by someone else. Like, er, this one.

Anti-Valentines Day cards at meish.org

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You make me feel like...

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... a pudgy, naked, winged child has shot an arrow into my chest cavity.

Find this one and other Valentine's Day e-cards at Someecards.

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Scientist Valentines

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"I'm Sagan all my love for you"

This one and more at Ironic Sans: Scientist Valentines.

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Almost but not quite

I'm 57 percent geek. :-)

57% Geek

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February 8, 2008

Friday Feathers

Here's a bit of a sunshine for early February: the American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) in its bright yellow attire.

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I'll never understand why the male birds are prettier than the females. However, in the case of this Goldfinch, it endures a wardrobe change in the winter and looks very much like the dull and drab female.

On a photography/color/technical note, I noticed a color difference in the photo after I uploaded it. I did a screen grab of the image as it appears here (on the left) and the original (on the right marked with a yellow dot) image opened on my desktop.

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The photo on the right is brighter and more detailed than the one on the left, which means that the photos I've featured here aren't rendering the way they should. *shrug*

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February 7, 2008

Chinese New Year: The Year of the Rat

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the Year of the Earth Rat.

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The rat is first of the dozen animals in the Chinese zodiac's 12-year cycle. It symbolizes beginnings, and the rat is seen in the East as witty, charming and able to amass great wealth.

Posted by me, of course!

February 6, 2008

Quote

"There are many ways of breaking a heart. Stories were full of hearts broken by love, but what really broke a heart was taking away its dream - whatever that dream might be." - Pearl S. Buck

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February 1, 2008

Friday Feathers

This photograph of a Great Egret (Ardea alba) makes me think of summertime.

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Since it's the first day in the usually frigid month of February, I thought I'd pretend I was somewhere warm... relaxing at the beach ... dusting my brain... ;-)

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