Wordless Wednesday: It's Lunchtime!

Suzume (スズメ) the Tree Sparrow Doing Pizza Crust

Feathered Friends Don't Go Hungry

Not out in the wilderness chasing wildlife, I've spent plenty of time at home this summer.

It's so hot and humid no one wanders far from air conditioning for more than a few minutes.

A place called Gate 1 (ゲートワン) nearby, serves various types of pizza.

When I get the urge to eat some pizza, it's worth a few minutes walking in the hot sun.

A pizza takes them about 20 minutes, to bake and box up for customers.

I don't mind sitting in their air-conditioned waiting area waiting for my order.

A large pizza is enough for two meals, around this house and nothing goes to waste.

At Gate #2, to my residence, a flock of these Tree Sparrows congregates.

Leftover pizza crust and bread crumbs are provided for the birds, daily.

When I have 700 MM of a lens, the camera, and tripod handy, I shoot them.

Soon things should start cooling off on this island and, I'll get back to hiking in nature.

What do you do with pizza crust in your neck of the woods?

RELATED POST - Animation: Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Wildlife Photo: Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)

Some sources call this bird the Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

They can be found throughout Europe, Asia, the USSR and even Indonesia.

They are almost wiped-out in the UK but, we have plenty in Okinawa, Japan.

Let me know if the folks over in Europe need any.

If you ask real nice, I may throw a few thousand crows in to boot !

They have all kinds of neat stuff about these birds at ARKive.

When you go over there to learn more they have a gadget you should try.

Turn the volume on your computer, all the way up.

Push the LISTEN TO THIS SPECIES BUTTON

The Cornell LAB of Ornithology has a recording of the Tree Sparrows chirps hooked-up to it.

That way, you'll know if a sparrow is stuck in your engine compartment.

Or, you might have a loose fan belt.

It's nice to know these things !

Wildlife Photos: Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)

Here's a couple of shots I took today near a bridge leading to Hamahiga Island in Okinawa, Japan.

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow isn't a bird that gets a lot of attention in my collection, they're fairly common around here. I see them everrywhere but, just haven't taken many photos of them.

There was a flock of them, making a racket right nearby so, I took a few photos just because it's the only wildlife I came across today other than some boys jumping off the bridge into the ocean.

I'm in the process of breaking-in a new camera and need to learn where all the controls are so, these little critters were good practice for me.

It may be mating season for these birds, for all I know. Not sure if you want to see those photos, though.  Birds have a right to privacy, too. So, I'll just give you an introduction to them here.

The Eurasian Tree Sparrow looks similar to a House Sparrow, only they hang out at the edge of woods, farmlands and gardens.  They feed on seeds and grains. Notice the beak. It's built for munching on seeds, not bugs, fish, snakes or insects like most of the birds in my photo gallery.

For those interested in learning more about the Passer montanus, I'll turn you over to my good friends at THE WIKIPEDIA CHANNEL  They have plenty more information and even links you can go to and listen to the noises Eurasian Tree Sparrows make.

Tomorrow I'll be on the west coast of Okinawa trying to get some great shots of Dragonboat Races for you to see. So, it's time for me to get cameras, lenses, and this old body ready for another long, hard day. Hopefully, it'll be a sunny one, too!