Female

Take Off And See Whats Out There!

January 31, 2023 — 5 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 400.

Common Merganser ( Female )

Why was the baby strawberry crying?

Because her mom and dad were in a jam.

Interesting Fact: The female chooses the nest site, which is usually in a natural cavity or woodpecker hole in a live or dead tree, up to 100 feet off the ground and within a mile of water. Common Mergansers nest less frequently in rock crevices, old sheds, chimneys, lighthouses, holes in banks, holes in the ground, hollow logs, and burrows. They readily nest in boxes, including those designed for the much smaller Common Goldeneye. Sometimes they nest on the ground. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Merganser/lifehistory )

Look, I Found Your Business…. It Was All Up In Mine Again!

January 30, 2023 — 10 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

Northern Cardinal ( Female )

How do you make a lemon drop?

Just let it fall.

Interesting Fact: Northern Cardinals eat mainly seeds and fruit, supplementing these with insects (and feeding nestlings mostly insects). Common fruits and seeds include dogwood, wild grape, buckwheat, grasses, sedges, mulberry, hackberry, blackberry, sumac, tulip-tree, and corn. Cardinals eat many kinds of birdseed, particularly black oil sunflower seed. They also eat beetles, crickets, katydids, leafhoppers, cicadas, flies, centipedes, spiders, butterflies, and moths. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/lifehistory )

REMEMBER! You Are What You Eat!

November 24, 2022 — 20 Comments

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERONE!!!

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 400.

Wild Turkey Female

What did the turkey say to the computer?

Google, Google, Google

Interesting Fact: The female scratches a shallow depression in the soil, about 1 inch deep, 8–11 inches wide, and 9–13 inches long. Wild Turkeys use only the dead leaves or other plant materials already present at the nest site. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/lifehistory )

 

Yes, I’m On Quack And No, I Don’t Give A Duck!

March 31, 2022 — 19 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 250.

Bufflehead Duck ( Female )

Why are trees very forgiving?

Because in the Fall they “Let It Go” and in the Spring they “turn over a new leaf”.

Interesting Fact:  Unlike most ducks, the Bufflehead is mostly monogamous, often remaining with the same mate for several years. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bufflehead/lifehistory )

I Can Freeze Time! What’s Your Superpower?

March 30, 2022 — 33 Comments

F/5.6, 1/800, ISO 320.

Anna’s Hummingbird ( Female )

Two pickles fell out of a jar onto the floor.

What did one say to the other?

Dill with it.

Interesting Fact: Hummingbirds have tiny legs and can neither hop nor walk, though they can sort of scoot sideways while perched.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Annas_Hummingbird )

Duck You!

March 12, 2022 — 15 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 800.

Harlequin Duck Female

At what time does a duck wake up?

At the quack of dawn.

Interesting Fact:  More than half of eastern North American population of Harlequin Ducks winters in coastal Maine, particularly outer reaches of Penobscot and Jericho bays. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Harlequin_Duck/lifehistory )

It’s Your Hair Do Whatever You Want!

March 3, 2022 — 10 Comments

F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 200.

Hooded Merganser ( Female )

How do ducks talk?

They don’t You Quack.

Interesting Fact: The female chooses the nest site, and may start scouting for next year’s tree cavity at the end of each breeding season. Nest cavities can be in live or dead trees and are usually close to water. Cavities are typically 10–50 feet off the ground, up to about 90 feet. Hooded Mergansers nest readily in boxes, preferring those with wood shavings or nest material from previous uses. They prefer cavities with 3–5 inch openings. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/lifehistory ) 

Something’s Stuck In My Butt Quack…

February 10, 2022 — 13 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 160.

Common Eider ( Females ) 

What do you call a duck that steals?

A robber ducky.

Interesting Fact: Mother Common Eiders lead their young to water, and often are accompanied by nonbreeding hens that participate in chick protection. Broods often come together to form “crèches” of a few to over 150 ducklings. Attacks by predators may cause several broods to cluster together into a crèche. Once formed, a crèche tends to stay together throughout the brood rearing period, although some of the different females attending it may leave.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Eider/ )

Quack Addict

January 19, 2022 — 27 Comments

hooded-mergansers-female

F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 220.

Hooded Merganser ( Female )

What did the duck carry his schoolbooks in?

His Quackpack

Interesting Fact: The Hooded Merganser is the second-smallest of the six living species of mergansers (only the Smew of Eurasia is smaller) and is the only one restricted to North America. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/lifehistory )

 

 

I Wish Exerciseing Was As Easy As Eating!

July 23, 2021 — 36 Comments

F/5.6, 1/2000, ISO 320.

Anna’s Hummingbird ( Female )

What do you call a crocodile that likes to bowl?

An Alley-Gator

Interesting Fact:  On rare occasions, bees and wasps may become impaled on the bill of an Anna’s Hummingbird, causing the bird to starve to death. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Annas_Hummingbird )