We have four photos today provided by three readers.
The first is a black-billed magpie (Pica hudsonia) from reader Stephen Barnard in Idaho, which came with this note:
These birds are common, but intelligent and of a suspicious nature on the farm. I find them hard to photograph. In town they’re bold, even harassing my B*rder C*llie.
Reader Jay Lonner sends two photos he took while diving:
Attached please find photos of a Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and a Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi) that I took on a recent trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands. These images were taken off the small island of French Key. Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered, and as an avid diver this is only the second one that I have seen in the wild.
The Caribbean reef shark is locally common, but I like the lighting on this shot. Also note the structure distal to the pelvic fin, which I suspect is a remora but could be a clasper.
From reader jsp, a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) taken on October 23 near Winfield, Missouri. Why did the fox cross the road?
European magpies (Pica pica) are common, but intelligent and of a couldn’t give a damn disposition! They have moved into urban environments and are everywhere in England and Wales (less so Scotland). Noisy, chattering birds that seem to be perfectly happy in a human world.
To get to the chicken on the other side?
Beat me to it.
I was going to go with “To get to the other chicken”.
You’ve still got the “vixen” line open. (Perhaps ; using the notification archive, I’m decontextualised.)
To eat the church’s chicken.
Very nice photos, thanks. I love magpies. As I drive west from the damp east and hit the dry west, magpies appear. I love that. Harbingers of the Rocky Mountains.
Heh, magpies. Archer, my GSD has a running battle with a family of them every day (side notes, we fed the breeding pair last winter, so as far as they are concerned the garden is home). Even now as I type they’re sitting on the garden chattering at him. This year’s babies are fully grown now and learning everything from their parents, so as you can imagine five magpies can be most inventive when it comes to annoying and teasing one dog.
“GSD” ?
It’s a d*g.
The male is particularly brave and cheeky, I took a video of him last year practically standing on a sleeping Archer to eat Archer’s chicken. He flew up onto the wall just as Archer woke up and chattered at him with what we translated into “Nah nah ni nah nah, ate your chicken dog! Flap this.”
Reblogged this on tolmima.
Nice photos as always. But as a confirmed cat person (we just acquired our tenth last weekend), I hereby propose that Border Collies, like foxes, be named honorary cats. There are Border Collies, and then there are D*gs.
I wish I had magpies here.
I love the turtle picture because I really love those turtles, having grown up with a tortoise.
Nobody’s yet mentioned the shark, so let me be the first. Beautiful portrait of a beautiful animal!
b&
And yes, that’s a remora in its pocket (the clasper is adjacent, and slightly shorter).
Stephen, I always love shots that show birds’ plumages to such advantage!
Went to bird eastern Oregon a couple of weeks ago, one of the target species being Black-billed Magpie; but we dipped on it. 🙁
Jay, both those shots are stunning! The Hawksbill especially captivates–like Diana, I have a fondness for most Chelonia. It’s a tragedy how many of them are endangered these days.
I saw one of the tortoises I grew up with for sale at a pet store. It was a baby still and for a crazy price (can’t remember how much but hundreds). They really aren’t the most appropriate pet and I worry that the poor things suffer when sent to homes that don’t know what they are getting themselves into.
Indeed. That is especially true for sulcata tortoises which, like iguanas, are widely available as cute babies but all too soon become too huge for most people to even begin to house and care for properly.
jsp–beautiful fox! And I really like the composition of that shot/cropping. 🙂