{"id":10635,"date":"2018-03-05T06:30:50","date_gmt":"2018-03-05T11:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=10635"},"modified":"2018-03-03T08:58:41","modified_gmt":"2018-03-03T13:58:41","slug":"take-5-scratching-an-itch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-scratching-an-itch\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Scratching an Itch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever watched a dog or cat contort itself to get at a particularly bothersome itch? Did you feel a little envious? Everyone experiences the occasional impossible-to-reach itch and it can feel like you’d do anything to get to it. Now imagine your entire body is covered by thick fur or feathers. YIKES.<\/p>\n

This week, we’re commiserating with our furry and finely feathered friends who were captured in the act of scratching, preening, or picking at some annoyance or another by one of the photographers from our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest. Check out the winners of the 2017 photo contest<\/a> on our website and follow us on Facebook<\/a> to find out when the 2018 contest opens this summer.<\/p>\n

\"Eastern

Eastern Cottontail \u00a9 Susumu Kishihara<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Mallard

Mallard \u00a9 Kimberlee Bertolino<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Red

Red Squirrel \u00a9 Janice Koskey<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Tree

Tree Swallow \u00a9 Tammy Vezina<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Herring

Herring Gull \u00a9 Elizabeth Brooke<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever watched a dog or cat contort itself to get at a particularly bothersome itch? Did you feel a little envious? Everyone experiences the occasional impossible-to-reach itch and it can feel like you’d do anything to get to it. Now imagine your entire body is covered by thick fur or feathers. YIKES. This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":10642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[158],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-take-5"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/03\/1345JaniceKoskey4555_fi.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-2Lx","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3833,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-patterns\/","url_meta":{"origin":10635,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Patterns","author":"Rosemary","date":"August 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The natural world is full of fascinating patterns, a fact that hasn't escaped the keen eyes of our\u00a0Photo Contest\u00a0participants.\u00a0Have a great shot of your own? There\u2019s still time to enter the\u00a02014 Picture This Photo Contest! Like this? Check out\u00a0Take 5: Beach Scenes.","rel":"","context":"In "Photo Contest"","block_context":{"text":"Photo Contest","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/photo-contest-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/08\/KathrynDannay-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/08\/KathrynDannay-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/08\/KathrynDannay-2012.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3988,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-reflections\/","url_meta":{"origin":10635,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Reflections","author":"Rosemary","date":"September 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Photographers know that a reflective surface can double the beauty of a stunning subject or landscape. Here's a selection of beautiful reflections captured by our Photo Contest\u00a0participants. Have a great shot of your own? There\u2019s still time to enter the\u00a02014 Picture This Photo Contest!","rel":"","context":"In "Photo Contest"","block_context":{"text":"Photo Contest","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/photo-contest-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/08\/SandySelesky-2011.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/08\/SandySelesky-2011.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/08\/SandySelesky-2011.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4068,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-night-sky\/","url_meta":{"origin":10635,"position":2},"title":"Take 5: Night Sky","author":"Hillary T.","date":"September 15, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"We may not be able to see\u00a0Northern Lights here in Massachusetts, but that doesn't stop photographers from capturing stunning photos of the moon and night sky. Check out a few past\u00a0Photo Contest\u00a0entries.\u00a0Have a great shot of your own? There\u2019s still time to enter the\u00a02014 Picture This Photo Contest!","rel":"","context":"In "Photo Contest"","block_context":{"text":"Photo Contest","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/photo-contest-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/09\/2012LucyLoomis4575.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/09\/2012LucyLoomis4575.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/09\/2012LucyLoomis4575.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6217,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-amazing-fungi\/","url_meta":{"origin":10635,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: Amazing Fungi","author":"Rosemary","date":"September 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Did you know that our Photo Contest has a Plants and Fungi category? Here are five remarkable images of fungi from past editions of our contest. If you enjoy snapping pictures of mushrooms, we'd love to see them. There's still time to\u00a0add your entry to this year's contest, which closes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/09\/Ronald-Reynolds-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/09\/Ronald-Reynolds-2012.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/09\/Ronald-Reynolds-2012.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4100,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-wild-portraits\/","url_meta":{"origin":10635,"position":4},"title":"Take 5: Wild Portraits","author":"Rosemary","date":"September 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It's difficult enough to photograph\u00a0a person and\u00a0create a compelling portrait\u2014but try capturing an intimate portrait of\u00a0a shy wild\u00a0animal. Despite the challenges, many\u00a0of our immensely talented Photo Contest\u00a0entrants have done just that. Here are some of our favorites. Have a great shot of your own? 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Both are secretive and wily, yet they've been favorite subjects of our Photo Contest photographers. Here are some of our favorite shots. Our 2014 Photo Contest deadline has now passed, and the judges are hard\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Photo Contest"","block_context":{"text":"Photo Contest","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/photo-contest-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/10\/Nick-DiNatale-2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/10\/Nick-DiNatale-2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/10\/Nick-DiNatale-2013.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10635"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10645,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10635\/revisions\/10645"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}