Maine to Texas and Back to Wisconsin

During breeding season, has vibrant greenish-yellow facial skin, orange bill, and long feather plumes that extend from the back to beyond the tail.

A sampling of wild creatures seen on a visit on a day in January in Florida.

In the 1890s, Jerome, Arizona, thrived as a booming copper mining town with a reputation for its wild and often lawless environment.

Our Clerodendrum/Starburst tree is just about to blossom. Loved by the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher that eats aphids, hemipterans, beetles, moths, butterflies, flies, ants, bees, wasps, and spiders; forages by moving up and down outer branches of trees or shrubs. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: flycatcher-like perching bird with blue-gray upperparts, white underparts, and prominent white eye-ring. Wings are dark. Black tail is long and white-edged. Female tends toward grayer tones.

Range and Habitat

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: Breeds from southern Oregon, Wyoming, Minnesota, the Great Lakes region, southern Ontario, and New Hampshire southward. Spends winters from southern California to the Gulf coast and the Carolinas. Preferred habitats include deciduous woodlands, streamside thickets, live oaks, pinyon-juniper, and chaparral. (iBird Pro)

These little guys move very fast requiring a fast shutter speed. These were taken with a 1/4000th of a second. (If you are ever asked what shutter speed you should be using with bird photography, the answer is 1/3200th of a second.). Larger birds move more slowly and one can use much slower speeds. Smaller birds like a hummingbird might still be blurry with 1/4000th. My default shutter speed on my cameras is 1/2000, adjust as to the bird or animal photographing. As they say, your mileage may vary…

Cooper’s Hawks look very similar to the Sharp-shinned Hawks. Generally the Cooper’s Hawks are smaller but there is overlap. This was ID’d as a Cooper’s by the Merlin voice ID app when two of them were talking to each other.

Mendenhall Glacier is 13.6 miles (21.9 km) long located in Mendenhall Valley, about 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Juneau in the southeast area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The glacier and surrounding landscape is protected as part of the 5,815 acres (2,353 ha) Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, a federally designated unit of the Tongass National Forest.^[3]

The Juneau Icefield Research Program has monitored the outlet glaciers of the Juneau Icefield since 1942, including Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier has also retreated 1.75 miles (2.82 km) since 1929, when Mendenhall Lake was created, and over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) since 1500. The glacier used to be called the “Drive by” glacier because it used to be easily seen from the nearby road.

Here is my ChatGPT response:

The Matriarchal System of Orca Whales

Orcas, also known as killer whales, live in highly organized social structures that are matriarchal, meaning they are led by a dominant female. This structure is particularly evident in resident orca populations, which are known for their stable and complex family groups called pods.

• Leadership: The oldest female in the pod, often referred to as the matriarch, plays a central role in guiding the group. She leads the pod in hunting, navigating, and social activities. Her knowledge, particularly of hunting grounds and safe passages, is vital to the survival of the pod.
• Social Structure: Orca pods are usually composed of the matriarch, her offspring, and even her grandchildren. Male orcas typically remain in their mother’s pod for life, contributing to the strong social bonds within the group.
• Role of Experience: The matriarch’s experience is crucial, especially in times of scarcity. Studies have shown that pods with older matriarchs tend to fare better during food shortages because these older females remember where to find food.
• Communication: Orcas are known for their sophisticated communication skills, using a variety of vocalizations to coordinate activities and maintain social bonds within the pod. The matriarch often plays a key role in these interactions.

In summary, the matriarchal system of orca whales is a fascinating example of how leadership and experience can shape the social dynamics and survival strategies of a species.

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Feedback:

Your prompt was well-phrased and specific, which made it easy to understand what you wanted. You clearly identified the subject (orca whales) and the aspect you were interested in (the matriarchal system), which is perfect for getting a focused response.

Suggestions:

• If you wanted more details, you could specify by asking something like, “Can you explain how the matriarch’s role impacts the survival of the pod?” or “What are the key differences between matriarchal systems in orca whales and other species?” But overall, your prompt was excellent!