F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.
Common Grackle
Why do golfers wear two pairs of pants?
In case they get a hole in one!
Interesting Fact: Grackles have a hard keel on the inside of the upper mandible that they use for sawing open acorns. Typically they score the outside of the narrow end, then bite the acorn open. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Grackle/lifehistory )
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 )
F/6.3, 1/400, ISO 400.
Green-Winged Teal
How do you make a tissue dance?
Put a little boogie in it.
Interesting Fact: The Aleutian Islands of Alaska support their own race of Green-winged Teal, Anas crecca nimia. Unlike other Green-winged Teal populations, this race doesn’t migrate. In winter the birds move from summering sites on ponds and lakes to the islands’ beaches, where they forage in tide pools and on shallow-water reefs. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green-winged_Teal/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 320.
Ring-necked Ducks
Why did the old woman put roller skates on her rocking chair?
Because she wanted to rock and roll.
Interesting Fact: This bird’s common name (and its scientific name “collaris,” too) refer to the Ring-necked Duck’s hard-to-see chestnut collar on its black neck. It’s not a good field mark to use for identifying the bird, but it jumped out to the nineteenth century biologists that described the species using dead specimens. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-necked_Duck/lifehistory )
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 )
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 )
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 )
F/9.0, 1/200, ISO 160.
Hairy Woodpecker
What did the blanket say to the bed?
Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!
Interesting Fact: Hairy Woodpeckers sometimes drink sap leaking from wells in the bark made by sapsuckers. They’ve also been seen pecking into sugar cane to drink the sugary juice. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hairy_Woodpecker/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/160, ISO 250.
Snowy Egret
What does a pig put on its paper cut?
Oinkment!
Interesting Fact: The Snowy Egret eats mostly aquatic animals, including fish, frogs, worms, crustaceans, and insects. It often uses its bright yellow feet to paddle in the water or probe in the mud, rounding up prey before striking with its bill. Snowy Egrets feed while standing, walking, running, or hopping, and they may vibrate their bills, sway their heads, or flick their wings as part of prey gathering. They even forage while hovering. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Egret/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 