F/6.3, 1/320, ISO 200.
Bald Eagle
Day 59 /365
And I was going to stay home today! 🙂
Interesting Fact: Immature Bald Eagles spend the first four years of their lives in nomadic exploration of vast territories and can fly hundreds of miles per day. Some young birds from Florida have wandered north as far as Michigan, and birds from California have reached Alaska. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/bald_eagle/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 320.
Day 53 / 365
“Did you hear something”? “I say lets bail out of here”!!!
Interesting Fact: Hooded Mergansers are extremely agile swimmers and divers but clumsy when moving on land because their legs are set far back on the body. ( http://www.withmephotographyblog.com/10-interesting-facts-about-the-hooded-merganser )
F/8.0, 1/320, ISO 100.
Song Sparrow
Day 51 / 365
“Got any food? ”
Interesting Fact: They recognizes enemies by both instinctual and learned patterns, and adjusts future behavior based on both its own experiences in encounters, and from watching other birds interact with enemies. ( http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/146/_/Song_Sparrow.aspx )
F/8.0, 1/125, ISO 100.
Merlin
Day 47 / 365
“I see you, and after you take that photo I am out of here ”
Interesting Fact: Merlin pairs have been seen teaming up to hunt large flocks of waxwings: one Merlin flushes the flock by attacking from below; the other comes in moments later to take advantage of the confusion. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/merlin/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/320, ISO 1600.
Gadwall Duck
Day 45 / 365
Even on a frozen ocean you can find love today.
Interesting Fact: Gadwall sometimes steal food from American Coots and from other ducks.
( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/gadwall/lifehistory )
Bonus Valentine Facts: 2. Valentine’s Day may have a rather gory history. As one variation of a popular myth goes, Claudius II, the Emperor of Rome, forbade young men from marrying because he wanted them as soldiers in his army instead. St. Valentine defied him and married people in secret, so he was executed on Feb. 14 in the year AD 269 – or so the story goes. ( http://m.ibtimes.com/valentines-day-facts-history-fun-ideas-free-burritos-singles-awareness-other-things-1813226 )
F/6.3, 1/125, ISO 1600.
Peregrine Falcon
Day 39 / 365
Don’t Mind The Mess I Was Just Having A Snack!
Interesting Fact: Falcons are the swiftest birds of prey and are very muscular. In level flight the travel about 50 kilometers (31 miles) an hour. In a dive, called a “stoop” they reach speeds over 300 kilometers (186.33 miles) an hour! ( http://www.powayusd.com/teachers/lharvey/falcon2006/facts.htm )
F/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 400.
Bufflehead Duck
Day 25 / 365
Freezing my bum off for an hour in one spot today paid off. 🙂
Interesting Fact: Buffleheads are highly active and will undertake dives almost continuously. One duck will serve as a sentry, watching for predators as the others in the group dive in search of food. ( http://www.withmephotographyblog.com/10-interesting-facts-about-the-bufflehead )
F/6.3, 1/125, ISO 400.
Day 24 /365
“I have very nice feathers and I like to show them off, so stop bothering me”.
Interesting Fact: American kestrels do not need to drink free-standing water. They get all the water they need from the moisture of their prey. ( http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2723&q=470372 )
F/6.3, 1/320, ISO 400.
Day 17 / 365
I feel bad for this heron, the lake is frozen. Imagine your refrigerator is empty and all the stores are closed. 😦
Interesting Fact: Great blue herons have been known to choke to death by attempting to swallow fish too large for their long, S-shaped necks. ( http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/great-blue-heron/ )
F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 250.
Northern Pintail Duck
Day 11 / 365
Sometimes I just want to fly away, but it is not that easy and the airports are too crowded. 🙂
Interesting Fact: The male Pintail ‘s call is a soft proop-proop whistle, similar to that of the Common Teal, whereas the female has a Mallard-like descending quack, and a low croak when flushed. ( http://www.withmephotographyblog.com/11-interesting-facts-about-the-northern-pintail )
Through Open Lens 