The Northern Mockingbird

      Years ago, when we first bought our house, we decided to extend our kitchen by raising the floor of our enclosed porch and turning it in to a dining area.  When my husband was doing the work we made the decision to install huge windows and a glass sliding door.  This is a joy for a nature lover such as myself and has become my favorite room in the house.  I get to observe the birds in their natural element without being seen.  Being a photographer this is a bonus, because if birds see you they remain at a distance that makes them difficult to photograph. 

 Undoubtedly one of the most common song birds in my yard  is the northern mockingbird.  You can recognize it by its grey slender body, long tail, and short high pitched screech (which is just one of many... many... sounds it makes).  Some people find this bird to be quite annoying due to its excessive singing and terrorizing ways. The only thing I find annoying is the Carly Simon song "Mockingbird" that floods my mind every time I spot one.  More than anything I find this bird to be quite humorous in nature, especially when it is protecting its territory.  The northern mockingbird is so militant and has this serious look about it. Watching it chase other birds, squirrels and the local neighborhood cats can be very entertaining (my apologies to the cat lovers).  Just grab a seat and some popcorn and enjoy the show.  Here are some facts about this huge personality of a bird.

•          Northern mockingbirds live throughout North America, Canada, and Mexico
•          They can measure up to 11 inches and weigh up to 2 ounces.
•          The average life span of a northern mockingbird is 8 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity.
•          Mockingbirds are omnivorous . In the summer they prefer to eat beetles, ants, grasshoppers and spiders  In the fall berries and seed.
•          The male loves to show off its wings.  In fact it looks very mechanical at times the way they flap their wings (like the wing of a plane). During the mating season the male will fly up and down while singing a few feet away from the female to grab her attention.
•          Both the Male and female look about the same. The male is just a bit bigger than the female.
•          When they find a mate they stay together for life (just like a beautiful married couple).
•          Their nesting areas can be found in shrubs and trees
•          The female can lay up to 6 eggs
•          The mockingbird is a music teacher's dream in the fact that it can learn up to 200 songs and calls.
•          The male mockingbird is known to sing way more than the female (I can relate. My husband is a singer and he can sing way better than me).  

In my opinion mockingbirds are comical, beautiful and intelligent creatures made in perfect design by God.  If you take the time to observe them the way I do,  I'm sure you'll also find them to be amazing.

   

The Tiger Bee Fly

The Tiger Bee Fly

It's a bee! No, wait... it's a fly! Do you see the distinctive tiger pattern on its wings? Oh, I get it! It's a tiger bee fly. Now it all makes sense. 

I spotted this interesting looking insect earlier this morning, just in time for today's blog. I did have something else in mind to showcase, however, I thought this to be a bit more unique. After seeing those three features in one insect, I just had to post about it. 

Listed below are some facts you may find interesting.

• The tiger bee fly belongs to the family Bombyliidae (bee flies) 

• The female of this species likes to hang around wooden fences, because carpenter bees drill holes or burrows in to the wood to make a nest and lay their eggs. 

• The tiger bee fly discovers these nest and lays her eggs in the entrance of the carpenters bees nest. 

• Later on the pupae of the tiger bee fly feasts on the carpenter bees pupae (nature's way of extermination). 

• Though it's not officially known what the adult tiger bee fly eats, you may find it near muddy areas lapping up fluids or nectar from flowers. 

• They like open meadow spaces 

• You can find these beauties flying around mid July - September months.

I find it exciting to photograph the intricate details of both the common and uncommon creatures of this world. I hope you enjoy my images and the facts that go along with them. 

Long Legged Fly

     I find the summer months to be the most interesting time of the year. This morning I took my usual stroll in the backyard with my camera. Every day brings a new encounter. Today I came across this little fellow called a long legged fly. I don't know about you, but a lot of times I see things and don't even know the names of what I'm looking at. Thankfully with the advances of technology, a wealth of information is just a click away. Here are some interesting facts about this little amazing creature.

• Long legged fly is the common name and it's members of the order Diptera which means "true fly".
• They are an insect.
• Their bodies are iridescent and can grow up to the size 1/4''.
• They are very small and beautiful to look at.
• They have very long legs thus the common name. In fact the males use their legs to show off to the ladies ( Ooh La La !)
• I call them dancing legs because if you observe them closely, as I did, they move around so much on top of leaves that it appears as if they are dancing.
• They feed on thrips, aphids, larva of small insects and spider mites.
• Their feeding habits cause them to be very beneficial to have around while growing crops.
• They are what I consider a friendly bug.