Marty Essen's Blog, page 293

Pileated woodpecker

Marty’s photo of the day #2491: I bet you didn’t know that pileated woodpeckers supplement their diet by eating berries.

(Photographed in Montana)

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Greetings from Grand Rapids, Michigan!

Marty’s photo of the day #2490: Greetings from Grand Rapids, Michigan! I have been up since 2:15 a.m., driving to the airport and flying from Montana. Because of the goofy flight schedule, I’m actually here a day early. Tomorrow night, at 9:00 p.m., I present “Around the World in 90 Minutes” at Grand Valley State University. If you are nearby, come see my show!

I have no idea what this Columbian ground squirrel has to do with this post. But she’s kind of cute, isn’t she?

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How I know Planet Earth is totally screwed

Here’s how I know Planet Earth is totally screwed: I live in the mountains, in the Bitterroot Valley. No matter what the temperature, I go on a half-hour bike ride each morning down the hill to my mailbox to get the newspaper. I do this both for exercise (the ride back up is strenuous) and to be ecologically responsible (saving hundreds of gallons of gas each year). In the winter, I shake my head at all the people down the road who insist on letting their cars idle to warm up each morning. It’s actually bad for modern automobiles to idle for long periods of time, and it is most certainly ecologically irresponsible.

I ride my bike even if it’s zero degrees outside (I have studded tires to, hopefully, keep me from wrecking when I hit ice), yet even when it’s in the thirties I pass idling automobiles. And it’s not for just a minute or two. They will be idling when I go down and still be idling when I come up. Sure, 80 percent of my neighbors are Republican, but come on!

Imagine how much pollution goes into the air from all the cars idling to warm up just here in Montana. If people are so self-indulged that they can’t even inconvenience themselves a tiny bit to sit on a cold seat, no wonder politicians get away with massive favors to corporate polluters. Way too many Americans don’t give a shit about the future of our planet, their children, or their grandchildren.

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Quieter than a wolf on a hunt

Marty’s photo of the day #2489: “Shhhhh! I’m in my front yard, sneaking up on a moose. . . . . I’m quieter than a wolf on a hunt. She doesn’t have a clue that I’m here. Um . . . I take that back!”

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Artsy red-winged blackbird

Marty’s photo of the day #2488: It’s time to get artsy again! We’ve all seen red-winged blackbirds photographed from the front or from the side, but my favorite shots are those taken from unconventional angles.

(Photographed in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana)

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Muskrat age verification

Marty’s photo of the day #2487: Your age will determine your reaction to this photo:

If you are under 50: “Oh, look! It’s a cute muskrat!”

If you are over 50: “Oh, shit! Now I’m going to be stuck on ‘Muskrat Love’ for the rest of the day!”

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Return of the hummingbirds

Marty’s photo of the day #2486: Looking forward to the return of the hummingbirds!

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The real tortoise and the hare

Marty’s photo of the day #2485: Little did the tortoise know: the hare had passed the finish line hours ago.

(Gopher tortoise, photographed in Florida)

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Juvenile badger

Marty’s photo of the day #2484: Here’s a photo taken near where I live in Montana: a juvenile badger.

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Columbian ground squirrels

Marty’s photo of the day #2483: Here’s a photo taken near where I live in Montana: Columbian ground squirrels.

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