F/6.0, 1/125, ISO 640.
Golden Eagle
What do you get when you cross fish and an elephant?
Swimming trunks.
Interesting Fact: Although capable of killing large prey such as cranes, wild ungulates, and domestic livestock, the Golden Eagle subsists primarily on rabbits, hares, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden_Eagle/overview )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 1250
Bald Eagle
Did you hear the joke about the roof?
Never mind, it’s over your head!
Interesting Fact: The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and a spiritual symbol for native people for far longer than that. These regal birds aren’t really bald, but their white-feathered heads gleam in contrast to their chocolate-brown body and wings. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 125.
Osprey
In class:
Math Teacher: “If I have 5 bottles in one hand and 6 in the other hand, what do I have?”
Student: “A drinking problem.”
Interesting Fact: Osprey eggs do not hatch all at once. Rather, the first chick emerges up to five days before the last one. The older hatchling dominates its younger siblings, and can monopolize the food brought by the parents. If food is abundant, chicks share meals in relative harmony; in times of scarcity, younger ones may starve to death. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey )
F/6.3, 1/2500, ISO 320.
Red-tailed Hawk
One day a man came home from work to find his wife crying hysterically in the kitchen.
“What’s wrong, dearest?” asked the confused husband.
“Oh darling,” sobbed the wife,
“I was cleaning little Jen’s room when I found whips, handcuffs and chains under her bed, along with a very erotic porn magazine! What ever are we going to do?”
“Well,” replied the man, “I guess a spanking is out of the question?”
Interesting Fact: The oldest known wild Red-tailed Hawk was at least 30 years, 8 months old when it was found in Michigan in 2011, the same state where it had been banded in 1981. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/overview )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 1250.
Bald Eagles
What falls but never gets hurt?
The rain!
Interesting Fact: Bald Eagles occasionally hunt cooperatively, with one individual flushing prey towards another. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.
Cooper’s Hawk
What did the tree say to spring?
What a re-leaf.
Interesting Fact: Dashing through vegetation to catch birds is a dangerous lifestyle. In a study of more than 300 Cooper’s Hawk skeletons, 23 percent showed old, healed-over fractures in the bones of the chest, especially of the furcula, or wishbone. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 320.
Northern Harrier
A camel meets an elephant.
The elephant asks jokingly: “Why do you have two breasts on your back?”
The camel replies: “With a face like yours, I’d just shut up.”
Interesting Fact: Northern Harriers are the most owl-like of hawks (though they’re not related to owls). They rely on hearing as well as vision to capture prey. The disk-shaped face looks and functions much like an owl’s, with stiff facial feathers helping to direct sound to the ears. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Harrier )
F/6.3, 1/145, ISO640.
Turkey Vulture ( Juvenile )
Why are hairdressers never late for work?
Because they know all the short cuts!
Interesting Fact: Outside of the breeding season, Turkey Vultures form roosts of dozens to a hundred individuals. When Turkey Vultures court, pairs perform a “follow flight” display where one bird leads the other through twisting, turning, and flapping flights for a minute or so, repeated over periods as long as 3 hours. Migrating flocks can number in the thousands. At carcasses, several Turkey Vultures may gather but typically only one feeds at a time, chasing the others off and making them wait their turn. Despite their size, Turkey Vultures are often driven off by smaller Black Vultures, Crested Caracaras, Zone-tailed Hawks, and other species. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/lifehistory )
F/ 6.3, 1/80, ISO 640.
Turkey Vulture
Two vultures are in a field, eating a dead clown.
One vulture says to the other, “Does this taste funny to you?”
Interesting Fact: Turkey Vultures nest in rock crevices, caves, ledges, thickets, mammal burrows and hollow logs, fallen trees, abandoned hawk or heron nests, and abandoned buildings. These nest sites are typically much cooler (by 13°F or more) than surroundings, and isolated from human traffic or disturbance. While they often feed near humans, Turkey Vultures prefer to nest far away from civilization. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 400.
Black Vulture
Why can’t you give Elsa a balloon?
Because she will Let it go.
Interesting Fact: Black Vultures lack a voice box and so their vocal abilities are limited to making raspy hisses and grunts. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Vulture/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 