Month: January 2023

Take Off And See Whats Out There!

January 31, 2023 — 5 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 400.

Common Merganser ( Female )

Why was the baby strawberry crying?

Because her mom and dad were in a jam.

Interesting Fact: The female chooses the nest site, which is usually in a natural cavity or woodpecker hole in a live or dead tree, up to 100 feet off the ground and within a mile of water. Common Mergansers nest less frequently in rock crevices, old sheds, chimneys, lighthouses, holes in banks, holes in the ground, hollow logs, and burrows. They readily nest in boxes, including those designed for the much smaller Common Goldeneye. Sometimes they nest on the ground. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Merganser/lifehistory )

Look, I Found Your Business…. It Was All Up In Mine Again!

January 30, 2023 — 10 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

Northern Cardinal ( Female )

How do you make a lemon drop?

Just let it fall.

Interesting Fact: Northern Cardinals eat mainly seeds and fruit, supplementing these with insects (and feeding nestlings mostly insects). Common fruits and seeds include dogwood, wild grape, buckwheat, grasses, sedges, mulberry, hackberry, blackberry, sumac, tulip-tree, and corn. Cardinals eat many kinds of birdseed, particularly black oil sunflower seed. They also eat beetles, crickets, katydids, leafhoppers, cicadas, flies, centipedes, spiders, butterflies, and moths. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/lifehistory )

Are You Mocking Me?

January 29, 2023 — 17 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.

Northern Mockingbird

What do you call a snowman in July?

A puddle.

Interesting Fact: It’s not just other mockingbirds that appreciate a good song. In the nineteenth century, people kept so many mockingbirds as cage birds that the birds nearly vanished from parts of the East Coast. People took nestlings out of nests or trapped adults and sold them in cities such as Philadelphia, St. Louis, and New York, where, in 1828, extraordinary singers could fetch as much as $50. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Mockingbird/lifehistory )

Grow Old With Me.

January 28, 2023 — 6 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 200.

Red-breasted Mergansers

Why did the boy eat his homework?

Because his teacher said it was a piece of cake!

Interesting Fact: The oldest recorded Red-breasted Merganser was a female, and at least 9 years, 6 months old when she was shot in Alaska, the same state where she had been banded. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Merganser/lifehistory )

You Really Quack Me Up!

January 27, 2023 — 6 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 320.

Ruddy Duck

Did you hear about the duck who thought he was a squirrel?

It was one tough nut to quack.

Interesting Fact: Migrating Ruddy Ducks stop in a variety of habitats, most often on large, permanent wetlands, lakes, and reservoirs. They spend the winter throughout the southern half of the breeding range, also moving into wintering habitat that spans most of the United States and extends through Mexico to Central America. Their wintering habitat includes freshwater wetlands, lakes, and reservoirs as well as brackish bays, coastal marshes, and tidal estuaries. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )

You’re Duckie And Thats No Wise Quacky!

January 11, 2023 — 10 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 200.

Common Eider ( Males )

What did the duck say when he dropped the dishes?

“I hope I didn’t quack any!”

Interesting Fact: A colorful duck of the northern seacoasts, the Common Eider is the largest duck in the Northern Hemisphere. ( https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/1095/overview/Common_Eider.aspx )

That Hawkward Moment!

January 10, 2023 — 8 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 400.

A pirate walks into a bar with a steering wheel on his pants, a peg leg and a parrot on his shoulder. The bartender says, “Hey, you’ve got a steering wheel on your pants.”

The pirate says, “Arrrr, I know. It’s driving me nuts.”

Interesting Fact: ed-tailed Hawks typically put their nests in the crowns of tall trees where they have a commanding view of the landscape. They may also nest on a cliff ledge or on artificial structures such as window ledges and billboard platforms. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/lifehistory )

Deer Me To Jump?!

January 9, 2023 — 9 Comments

F/13.0, 1/640, ISO1600.

White-Tailed Deer

What is the cheapest kind of meat?

Deer Balls, two for under a Buck!

Interesting Fact: White-tailed deer are generalists and can adapt to a wide variety of habitats.[20] The largest deer occur in the temperate regions of Canada and United States. The northern white-tailed deer (O. v. borealis), Dakota white-tailed deer (O. v. dacotensis), and northwest white-tailed deer (O. v. ochrourus) are some of the largest animals, with large antlers. The smallest deer occur in the Florida Keys and in partially wooded lowlands in the neotropics. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer )

 

 

 

Come Hang Out With Me.

January 8, 2023 — 2 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 320.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

What did the triangle say to the circle?

Your pointless!

Interesting Fact: Nests in dead trees (hardwoods or pines), dead limbs of live trees, and fence posts. The same pair may nest in the same tree year after year, but typically excavate a new cavity each year, often placing the new one beneath the previous year’s.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-bellied_Woodpecker/lifehistory )

 

These Mushrooms Are Trippy!

January 7, 2023 — 15 Comments

F/6.3, 1/50, ISO 320.

Downy Woodpecker

“Doctor doctor I feel that Im a pack of card. What can I do ?”

Doctor: “I deal with you later.”

Interesting Fact: Downy Woodpeckers have the undulating flight pattern typical of many woodpecker species, alternating quick wingbeats with folding the wings against the body. When having a dispute with another bird, Downy Woodpeckers fan their tails, raise their head feathers, and jerk their beaks from side to side. In spring you may see courtship displays in which males and females fly between trees with slow, fluttering wingbeats that look almost butterfly-like. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Downy_Woodpecker/lifehistory )