Conversations with Critters
Walk with the animals. Talk with the animals. And the Critters feel rather blue, walking the walk…
Today, Critters, we are spreading our wings in wide open spaces. But! Before we get off the ground, we want to make note of the fact, in fact, that we have taken down the Tuesday Paywall as a gift and a greeting to all of our new readers and subscribers. We also wish to thank everyone who is generous and kind in financially supporting these hardworking Critters. Thank you for sharing this space with us. We thank and welcome everyone for helping Conversations with Critters continue to grow.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming on the path unwinding. The Critters are faced with an Existential Question during this season of March Madness. Are they talking about NCAA college basketball? About watching the University of Oregon’s Ducks, the Men’s Basketball team, lose in double bummer overtime? We can’t go on. We go on.
Because. Although, we live in this beautiful state of Oregon where ducks are so treasured as to have become a symbolic university mascot, our attention is drawn quite naturally further out into the Pacific and the expanse of the environment, home to the life of a wild friend, a tremendous critter who really does know how to walk the walk. Please, join us now in excellent critter exploration conversation.
Heidi: Hello, Everyone! We are so happy to have you here with us. The Critters are facing an Existential Question, so we are going to get started right away. It is that important. That critical.
Jasper: Hello, Friends and welcome. I’ve been hitting the field books hard. Full stop. My studies of ornithology will truly come in handy as we take a deep deep dive with one of the world’s foremost and preeminent divers with the strongest of strong necks.
Chris: What. And welcome, Critters.
Panda. Hello and welcome welcome. Jasper, Chris, Critters one and all. The question pertains to the Blue-footed Booby, Sula nebouxii.
Chris: Thank you, Panda, for identifying this incredible species.
Jasper: Thank you, Panda.
Panda: And the Existential Question is: why are their feet blue?
Chris: Question mark.
Jasper: Question mark.
Panda: In my estimation (emphasis mine, all mine), their feet are blue because it’s their favorite color and pairs well with the sky when they fly.
Chris: Profound thinking, Panda. In my humble opinion, their feet are blue because that’s a good color to walk around in, although openly and honestly, my toe beans are pink and gray.
Jasper: Chris, you mean it feels good to walk around with blue feet?
Chris: Yes, Jasper.
Jasper: Thank you for the clarification, Chris. Thank you very much. I’ve been, as I noted above, studying ornithology. The Blue-footed Booby has Blue Feet due to their fresh fish diet. It’s like being Orange. Full stop. The end.
Chris: Jasper, you are Orange because of genetics. Even though you have fish in your diet like the Blue-footeds, your toe beans are pink.
Jasper: Yes. And?
Chris: And that is a Scientific Endeavor for another conversation.
Jasper: I see. Thank you, Chris. I will make a mental note to circle back to this at a future time yet to be determined.
Panda: Critters, let’s share a keen and curated photo gallery of these outstanding incredible wild wild birds for the edification and enjoyment of our readers.
Panda: Jasper, based on hitting the field guides hard, please inform us of the ecological ornithological range of the Blue-footeds.
Jasper: Thank you for this opportunity to be of service, Panda. Please, allow me to display their distribution range in the map below which designates the Eastern Pacific and mostly tropical locales.
Panda: Directions, with or without a map, with or without a compass, can get a little confusing.
Chris: Good point, Panda. As long as I can find my food bowl, I’m there.
Jasper: Thank you for mentioning this, Panda. To clarify, the Eastern Pacific borders the West Coast of North, Central and South America. Furthermore, the Eastern Pacific borders our food bowls due to our Furever Home being on the West Coast of North America.
Chris: This is so clarifying that I am clear about needing my next nap. To sleep, perchance to dream about eating fish. The end.
Jasper: Will you dream about having blue feet from your diet, Chris?
Chris: Jasper, that would be unnatural. So. No. My toe beans, for the record again, are pink and gray.
Jasper: I see. Critters, I have one more field note to share with you about the Blue-footeds.
Chris: We’re all ears.
Jasper: The bluer the feet of these incredible wild birds, the better their nourishment and more Blue-footed babies are born. This is known in the vernacular as reproductive success. The end.
Panda: Thank you, Jasper.
Chris: Thank you very much, Jasper.
Jasper: Of course. Of course. So, thank you, Readers, for being here with us. Please, stay safe and have fun out there! We’ll see you next time! The. End.
🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Poetry with Pets
Blue like the blue sky
Blue is the color that flies
Blue-footed Booby
By Jasper Kitten, Chris & Panda
Thank you for reading with us luvluvluv Jasper Kitten, Chris & Panda
Notes:
All photos, both wild and domestic, by Heidi Zawelevsky
Thank you for walking with the animals. The End.
Excellent information about a bird I know nothing about. I love that haiku poems as well!
It is the most fun bird name, too!