f/6.3

The Mighty Duck!

February 12, 2016 — 23 Comments

Hooded Merganser

F/6.3, 1/200, ISO 1600.

Hooded Merganser

What did the duck carry his schoolbooks in?

His Quackpack!

Interesting Fact: Hooded Merganser ducklings leave their nest cavity within 24 hours of hatching. First, their mother checks the area around the nest and calls to the nestlings from ground level. From inside the nest, the little fluffballs scramble up to the entrance hole and then flutter to the ground, which may be 50 feet or more below them. In some cases they have to walk half a mile or more with their mother to the nearest body of water. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/lifehistory )

 

Spot Me If You Can!

February 10, 2016 — 18 Comments

Brown Creeper

F/6.3, 1/200, ISO 1600.

Brown Creeper

What do you call a bunch of chickens playing hide-and-seek?

Fowl play!

Interesting Fact: Brown Creepers burn an estimated 4–10 calories (technically, kilocalories) per day, a tiny fraction of a human’s daily intake of about 2,000 kilocalories. By eating a single spider, a creeper gains enough energy to climb nearly 200 feet vertically. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Creeper/lifehistory )

Peek A Boo!

February 3, 2016 — 30 Comments

White-breasted Nuthatch 1

F/ 6.3, 1/160, ISO 320.

White-breasted Nuthatch

What do you call a crazy chicken ?

A cuckoo cluck !

Interesting Fact: In winter, White-breasted Nuthatches join foraging flocks led by chickadees or titmice, perhaps partly because it makes food easier to find and partly because more birds can keep an eye out for predators. One study found that when titmice were removed from a flock, nuthatches were more wary and less willing to visit exposed bird feeders. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/lifehistory )

Don’t Watch The Clock; Do What It Does. Keep Going!

January 29, 2016 — 7 Comments

Zone Tailed Hawk

F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 160.

Rough Legged Hawk ( Dark  )

What do you call a crazy chicken ?

A cuckoo cluck !

Interesting Fact: The Rough-legged Hawk’s cliffside nest, a bulky mass of sticks, sometimes contains caribou bones. Nesting pairs need a lot of space: usually only a single pair will nest on a quarter-mile-long cliff. However, the pair may nest within 100 feet of Gyrfalcons, Peregrine Falcons, or Common Ravens. ( http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/522/overview/Zone-tailed_Hawk.aspx )

 

Hang Out With Me!

January 27, 2016 — 27 Comments

Black-Capped Chickadee

F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 400.

Black-Capped Chickadee

What did one chicken say to the other after they walked through poison ivy ?

“You scratch my beak and I’ll scratch yours !”

Interesting Fact: The Black-Capped Chickadee hides seeds and other food items to eat later. Each item is placed in a different spot and the chickadee can remember thousands of hiding places. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/lifehistory )

Ice Ice Baby!

January 25, 2016 — 25 Comments

Northern Pintail Duck

F/ 6.3, 1/500, ISO 280.

Northern Pintail Duck

Why did the bride refuse to get married in an igloo?

She got cold feet.

Interesting Fact:  The Northern Pintail is among the earliest nesting ducks in North America, beginning shortly after ice-out in many northern areas.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pintail/lifehistory )

Im Quite Fawned Of You My Deer

January 24, 2016 — 37 Comments

deer

F/6.3, 1/640, ISO 200.

Deer

Two hunters were dragging their dead deer back to their car. Another hunter approached pulling his along too.
“Hey, I don’t want to tell you how to do something … but I can tell you that it’s much easier if you drag the deer in the other direction. Then the antlers won’t dig into the ground.”
After the third hunter left, the two decided to try it.
A little while later one hunter said to the other, “You know, that guy was right. This is a lot easier!”
“Yeah, but we’re getting farther from the truck,” the other added.

Interesting Fact:  “White-tailed” refers to the white underside of the deer’s tail, which it displays and wags when it senses danger. ( http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/white-tailed-deer/ )

 

 

Just Pecking Away!

January 17, 2016 — 38 Comments

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

 

F/ 6.3, 1/125, ISO 800.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

I went to the zoo today and asked if they had any talking parrots.

The zookeeper said they didn’t, but they had a woodpecker that knew morse code.

Interesting Fact: You may occasionally see a Red-bellied Woodpecker flying quickly and erratically through the forest, abruptly changing direction, alighting for an instant and immediately taking off again, keeping up a quick chatter of calls. Scientists categorize this odd behavior as a type of play that probably helps young birds practice the evasive action they may one day need. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-bellied_Woodpecker/lifehistory )

What Is Good For The Goose Is Good For Gander

January 12, 2016 — 12 Comments

Brant

F/ 6.3, 1/500, ISO 200.

Brants Geese

The devout cowboy lost his favorite Bible while he was mending fences out on the range.
Three weeks later, a goose walked up to him carrying the Bible in its mouth.
The cowboy couldn’t believe his eyes.
He took the precious book out of the goose’s mouth, raised his eyes heavenward and exclaimed, “It’s a miracle!”
“Not really,” said the goose. “Your name is written inside the cover.”

Interesting Fact: They possess a highly developed salt gland that allows them to drink salt water. ( http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/290/overview/Brant.aspx )

And They’re Off!

January 8, 2016 — 16 Comments

Hooded Mergansers

F/ 6.3, 1/400, ISO 1600.

Hooded Mergansers

Duck Week Continues!

A circus owner walked into a bar to see everyone crowded about a table watching a little show. On the table was an upside down pot and a duck tap dancing on it. The circus owner was so impressed that he offered to buy the duck from its owner. After some wheeling and dealing, they settled for $10,000 for the duck and the pot. Three days later the circus owner runs back to the bar in anger, “Your duck is a ripoff! I put him on the pot before a whole audience, and he didn’t dance a single step!” “So?” asked the ducks former owner, “did you remember to light the candle under the pot?”

Interesting Fact: Along with Wood Ducks and other cavity-nesting ducks, Hooded Mergansers often lay their eggs in other females’ nests. This is called “brood parasitism” and is similar to the practice of Brown-headed Cowbirds, except that the ducks only lay eggs in nests of their own species. Female Hooded Mergansers can lay up to about 13 eggs in a clutch, but nests have been found with up to 44 eggs in them. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/lifehistory )