Thoughts On Ultraviolet Light

Standing on the back deck watching two Pileated Woodpeckers chase each other around, I started thinking. Uh Oh, when I go to thinking it is about like those woodpeckers zipping from tree to tree, up, down, sideways, rarely stopping. In fact the chattering sound they make resembles the chatter going on in my brain as I force it to work. I am a great believer in all things in moderation. One reason I do not wish to become to highly edjikated. I have exceptions to the all things in moderation rule, those being sex and ice cream. Not necessarily in that order I might add.

What I got to thinking about after forcing my brain to stop thinking about sex and ice cream(which is my norm) was ultraviolet light. A subject I know very little about.  A comment by a nature guide this weekend about kestrels seeing ultraviolet light zapped a memory cell. Better read up on it. In doing so I found out all birds see in a wider spectrum than humans do. With a part of that visual ability to see more ultraviolet rays than us.

While reading about how Kestrels use that vision to trail voles this thought occurred to me. The Kestrels probably are more focused on using that extra spectrum of vision and are able to eliminate distractions. Unlike me as I return from the kitchen with my bowl of ice cream to continue my reading.

Oh no, If the fields are covered in vole urine trails I better wash my clothes. I was laying in that stuff the other day photographing cranes. But if I am interested in getting close up shots of birds I better use a detergent that does not have a UV brightener. No worries I never wash my black jacket that I thought helps me blend in to the shadows. Now that I am more educated it might be the fact the black jacket absorbs the UV rays of light making me less visible to the birds. Hell, I found that out even before I became so educated on UV light.  That is one fault I have with becoming learned. I could have been chasing the “Little Woman” around the bedroom instead of doing all that reading and ice cream consumption.

Well I better fly on out of hear before my gal reads this and goes to whuppin’ up on me. Think I will eat another bowl of ice cream first a man needs sustenance after doin all that thinkin n becoming so edjimacted.