Bayonne

Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!

March 11, 2023 — 6 Comments

ring-billed-gulls

F/5.6, 1/320, ISO 400.

Ring-billed Gull             

What do you call a man with seagull on his head?

Cliff

Interesting Fact: Migrating Ring-billed Gulls apparently use a built-in compass to navigate. When tested at only two days of age, chicks showed a preference for magnetic bearings that would take them in the appropriate direction for their fall migration. The gulls also rely on landmarks and high-altitude winds to provide directional cues.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-billed_Gull/lifehistory )

Bottoms Up!

March 8, 2023 — 5 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.

Killdeer

What did the apple tree say to the farmer?

STOP PICKING ON ME!

Interesting Fact:  The male and female of a mated pair pick out a nesting site through a ritual known as a scrape ceremony. The male lowers his breast to the ground and scrapes a shallow depression with his feet. The female then approaches, head lowered, and takes his place. The male then stands with body tilted slightly forward, tail raised and spread, calling rapidly. Mating often follows. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer )

Your Worries Will Float Away

March 2, 2023 — 3 Comments

gadwall

F/6.3,1/250, ISO 400.

Gadwall

Why are bad school grades like a shipwreck in the Arctic Ocean?

They’re both below C level!

Interesting Fact: Gadwall have increased in numbers since the 1980s, partly because of conservation of wetlands and adjacent uplands in their breeding habitat through the Conservation Reserve Program and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Their habit of nesting on islands within marshes gives them some protection from predators. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gadwall/lifehistory )

Is Yellow Really The Color For Me?!

March 1, 2023 — 6 Comments

savannah-sparrow

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 500.

Savannah Sparrow   

What can you catch but not in your hands?

A cold!

Interesting Fact: In many parts of the species’ range, especially in coastal areas and islands, Savannah Sparrows tend very strongly to return each year to the area where they hatched. This tendency, called natal philopatry, is the driving force for differentiation of numerous Savannah Sparrow subspecies. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/lifehistory )

I Don’t Stalk. I Investigate!

February 22, 2023 — 2 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

Black-and-white Warbler 

What do you call a guy who never farts in public?

A private tutor.

Interesting Fact: The Black-and-white Warbler is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. The genus name means “moss-plucking,” a reference to its habit of probing bark and moss for insects.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-and-white_Warbler )

You Are My Sunshine

February 20, 2023 — 15 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

Palm Warbler

Why didn’t the sailors play cards?

Because the captain was on the deck.

Interesting Fact: Canada’s boreal forests stretch for miles and miles. The great boreal forest, often called “North America’s bird nursery,” is the summer home to billions of migratory birds and an estimated 98% of all Palm Warblers. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Palm_Warbler )

It Takes Nothing To Join The Crowd. It Takes Everything To Stand Alone.

February 19, 2023 — 10 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 200.

Killdeer

What’s the difference between a guitar and a fish?

You can tune a guitar, but you can’t tuna fish.

Interesting Fact: Gravel rooftops attract Killdeer for nesting, but can be dangerous places to raise a brood. Chicks may be unable to leave a roof because of high parapets and screened drain openings. Adults eventually lure chicks off the roof, which can be dangerous – although one set of chicks survived a leap from a seven-story building. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer )

You Big Silly Goose!

February 16, 2023 — Leave a comment

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 320.

Brant Goose

How do baseball players stay cool?

They sit next to their fans.

Interesting Fact: An abundant small goose of the ocean shores, the Brant breeds in the high Arctic tundra and winters along both coasts. The Brant along the Atlantic have light gray bellies, while those off the Pacific Coast have black bellies and were at one time considered a separate species.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brant/lifehistory )

Ehh, What’s Up Duck?

February 8, 2023 — 15 Comments

F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200.

Mallard 

Why did the duck cross the road?

Because there was a quack in the sidewalk. 

Interesting Fact:  Ducks have webbed feet, which they use for paddling beneath the water. Their feet have no nerves or blood vessels, which mean that they won’t feel chill from swimming in icy water. ( https://americanexpedition.us/mallard-duck-information-facts-photos-and-artwork )

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 )