A Pair of Scissors In the Texas outback, I was hoping to catch this species with their exaggerated tail feathers spread … hence their name. No such luck, but I still dubbed the image A Pair of Scissors. ~ Anecdote and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers capture, A Pair of Scissors © Jerry L. Ferrara
The Rockhopper Penguin at the far right [in submissive pose] had just picked its way through established nesting sites in the colony. It went through a good amount of trauma in the process receiving opposition from members of the clan. Here, it is being aggressively confronted and was truly “catching hell”. Catching Hell This morn it ran the gauntlet through others’ nesting sites. Perhaps its sole intention was to pilfer neighbors’ rights. Instead it met resistance, demeanors did quite swell. This is what it means for those who end up catching hell. ~ Rockhopper Penguin capture and poem, Catching Hell © Jerry L. Ferrara. New Island, Falkland Islands.
Start of the Day Today’s image, Start of the Day, goes way back to the era of color film. This Desert Tortoise was just waking up and exiting its burrow to forage in the desert’s early morning coolness. The image has a publication history having been used in National Wildlife Magazine and a National Geographic book titled The Secret Lives of Animals. ~ Anecdote and Desert Tortoise capture, Start of the Day © Jerry L. Ferrara. California’s Mojave Desert.
One Single Ephemeral Slice of Time It was a bit of a frustrating encounter with this buck Black-tailed Deer. Every time he raised his head, there was either brush in the way or a piece of grass or straw protruding from his mouth. The light was really nice and I realized it wasn’t going to last forever. So I kept clicking off shots irrespective of not seeing what I wanted. Then the opportunity came … one single ephemeral slice of time. Click! ~ Anecdote and Black-tailed Deer capture, One Single Ephemeral Slice of Time © Jerry L. Ferrara
Intrepid Traveler The Eastern Kingbird has been a regular visitor to our North Idaho environs ever since I can remember, yet only in spring and summer. Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology indicates this intrepid traveler spends its winters in South America journeying from as far north as Canada’s Northwest Territories. That’s quite a range! I caught this one staging to catch insects from a wire fence next to a pasture close to my home last summer. ~ Anecdote and Eastern Kingbird capture, Intrepid Traveler © Jerry L. Ferrara
Questions The Chestnut-eared Aracari is a strikingly colorful South American bird that is a notable member of the Toucan [think cereal] family. Their gaudily imprinted and outrageously large bills are hallmarks of this rowdy species. Why do they wear these impressive “badges”? There are questions and then there are questions. Oh Chestnut-eared Aracari, why do you seem to be wary? For one might just ask, “Why wear a mask that makes you look so darn scary”. Now let us all look at your beak. To say it is gross would be weak. Its size a surprise, why so large we surmise. The reasons all seem quite oblique. Is your bill used in courtship and breeding? Or primarily is it for feeding? No answers return, about this concern. We are left with a puzzle that’s needing. What are the selective pressures that have given rise to the unusual traits of the myriad creatures inhabiting our planet? Many questions still remain. ~ Poem and Chestnut-eared Aracari capture, Questions © Jerry L. Ferrara. Mato Grosso Brazil
Against a Torrid Sky Late in the day a lone Osprey sits at its nest silhouetted against a torrid sky. ~ Anecdote and Osprey capture, Against a Torrid Sky © Jerry L. Ferrara
Gaping In a Texas swamp, with its mouth wide open, an American Alligator cools down. The process is called gaping. ~ Anecdote and American Alligator capture, Gaping © Jerry L. Ferrara
The Wind Dancer Every time I see a Black Tern in flight I think, “There goes the wind dancer.” Handsome and elegant little creatures of freshwater marshes, their distinctive “kek-kek-kek” call is a harbinger of spring. They arrive, breed, rear their young and just as suddenly as they appear, they vanish. Their journey takes them back to the wetlands of Mexico and Central America for the winter. My first attempts at photographing Black Terns in flight proved a daunting task. Their aerial patterns are anything but linear and predictable. Erratic is more the rule, or maybe an unchoreographed, free-style dance would be a better description. I caught this one in mid-ethereal flight as it danced across the wind. ~ Anecdote and Black Tern capture, The Wind Dancer © Jerry L. Ferrara
Its Prey Had Arrived The cat rested serenely on a steep hillside outcrop. Though its view was stunningly commanding, the Puma periodically closed its feline orbs and “cat-napped”. Then, without any provocation, it all at once rose up and steadily stared into the deep distance. Its prey had arrived … hell was about to break loose. ~ Anecdote and Puma capture, Its Prey Had Arrived © Jerry L. Ferrara