First Major Obstacle And DONE!

F/6.3, 1/125, ISO 640.

Canada Goose ( Juvenile )

Why couldn’t the leopard play hide and seek?

Because he was always spotted.

Interesting Fact: The oldest known wild Canada Goose was a female, and at least 33 years, 3 months old when she was shot in Ontario in 2001. She had been banded in Ohio in 1969. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/lifehistory )

From Small Beginnings Come Great Things

F/5.6, 1/200, ISO 100.

Canada Goose Goslings

What do you get when you cross fish and an elephant?

Swimming trunks.

Interesting Fact: Young often remain with their parents for their entire first year, especially in the larger subspecies. As summer wanes birds become more social; they may gather in large numbers at food sources; where food is limited and patchy, may compete with displays and fights.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/lifehistory )

PAUSE For A Moment And REFLECT

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.

Red breasted Merganser 

What did E.T.’s mother say to him when he got home?

Where on Earth have you been?

Interesting Fact: The female creates a depression on the ground that she covers with dead grasses, forming a shallow bowl. She plucks down feathers from her breast to help insulate the nest. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Merganser/lifehistory )

 

 

Always Be Yourself… Unless You Can Be A Duck… Then Always Be A Duck.

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 200. 

Red-breasted Merganser 

Two men meet on opposite sides of a river.

One shouts to the other, “I need you to help me get to the other side!”

The other guy replies, “You’re on the other side!”

Interesting Fact: Red-breasted Mergansers are among the fastest flying ducks, clocking speeds of up to 81 miles per hour.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Merganser/lifehistory )

 

 

Welcome To The Duck Side. We Have Quackers.

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.

Ruddy Duck 

Why didn’t my girlfriend believe I was a ghost?

She could see right through me.

Interesting Fact:  The nest is usually made of dead, dry plant materials, though some are built entirely with green vegetation. It starts as a platform and becomes more bowl-like throughout the construction process, with an inner cup measuring 4–12 inches across and 0.5–5 inches deep. Ruddy Ducks usually weave a canopy of vegetation over their nests. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )

Bad Hair Day: Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 200.

Red-breasted Mergansers 

Can February March?

No, but April May.

Interesting Fact:Red-breasted Mergansers nest along forested riverbanks, marsh edges, lakeshores, coastal islands, and sandy shores with vegetation. They are never far from water. Female Red-breasted Mergansers select a spot on the ground under dense cover from low tree branches, fallen logs, or boulders. They nest alone or in colonies often with gulls and terns. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Merganser/lifehistory )

 

 

A Wise Duck Once Told Me “QUACK” And He Meant It!

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 125.

White-cheeked pintail

Why did the student wear eye-glasses in math class?

It improved DiVision!

Interesting Fact: White-cheeked Pintail: Large, heavily spotted dark and light brown duck with striking white cheek patches, blue bill with bright red base, buff pointed tail. Legs and feet are blue-gray. Feeds on aquatic plants, small invertebrates. Swift direct flight with strong rapid wing beats. AKA Bahama Duck. ( https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/1029/overview/White-cheeked_Pintail.aspx )

Drink Water Suprise Your Liver!!

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 200.

Wood Duck

Want to hear a pizza joke…. nah, it’s too cheesy.

What about a construction joke? Oh never mind, I’m still working on that one.

Interesting Fact:  Courting males swim before a female with wings and tail elevated, sometimes tilting the head backwards for a few seconds. Males may also perform ritualized drinking, preening, and shaking movements. Both members of a pair may preen each other. (  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/lifehistory  )

Don’t Forget To Duck!

F/14.0, 1/800, ISO 640.

Northern Shoveler 

To whom do fish go to borrow money?

The loan shark!

Interesting Fact: They are fairly social ducks, occurring in groups with shovelers and other dabbling ducks, especially during the winter. During the breeding season, they are less tolerant of other shovelers encroaching on their territory. Defensive males often chase intruders on the water and in the air. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Shoveler/lifehistory )

 

 

DON’T PANIC!

F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 360.

Canada Goose 

A man goes to his doctor because he’s been feeling very ill for days. The doctor gives him several sets of pills.

The doctor instructs; “Take the green pill with two big glasses of water when you get up. An hour later, take the white pill with another glass of water. Take the blue pill with a big glass of water after lunch. Mid afternoon, take the orange pill with plenty of water, and repeat that at dinner. Then, just before going to bed, take the red pill with several big glasses of water.”

The man is alarmed at huge volume of medicine he has been given to take, and nervously asks, “What’s the diagnosis? What’s wrong with me?”

The doctor says, “You’re dehydrated.”

Interesting Fact: The “giant” Canada Goose, Branta canadensis maxima, bred from central Manitoba to Kentucky but was nearly driven extinct in the early 1900s. Programs to reestablish the subspecies to its original range were in many places so successful that the geese have become a nuisance in many urban and suburban areas.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/lifehistory )