F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.
Double-crested Cormorant
What did one toilet say to the other toilet?
You look a bit flushed.
Interesting Fact: Double-crested Cormorant nests often are exposed to direct sun. Adults shade the chicks and also bring them water, pouring it from their mouths into those of the chicks. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant )
F/7.1, 1/800, ISO 200.
Osprey
Why doesn’t Dracula have any friends?
Because he is a pain in the neck.
Interesting Fact: An Osprey may log more than 160,000 migration miles during its 15-to-20-year lifetime. Scientists track Ospreys by strapping lightweight satellite transmitters to the birds’ backs. The devices pinpoint an Osprey’s location to within a few hundred yards and last for 2-3 years. During 13 days in 2008, one Osprey flew 2,700 miles—from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, to French Guiana, South America. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/800, ISO 640.
Double crested Cormorant
What do you call a witch at the beach?
A sand-witch!
Interesting Fact: Cormorants have less preen oil than other birds, so their feathers can get soaked rather than shedding water like a duck’s. Though this sounds like a liability, this is thought to be an adaptation that helps cormorants hunt underwater more effectively. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant/lifehistory )
F/5.6, 1/500, ISO200.
Osprey
What does the man in the moon do when his hair gets too long?
Eclipse it!
Interesting Fact: Ospreys hunt by diving to the water’s surface from some 30 to 100 feet (9 to 30 meters) up. They have gripping pads on their feet to help them pluck fish from the water with their curved claws and carry them for great distances. In flight, ospreys will orient the fish headfirst to ease wind resistance. ( https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/o/osprey/ )
F/6.3, 1/640, ISO 200.
Great Egret
What kind of music should you listen to while fishing?
Something catchy!
Interesting Fact: The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America. Audubon was founded to protect birds from being killed for their feathers. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_egret/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 500.
Osprey
What do you get when a chicken lays an egg on top of a barn?
An eggroll!
Interesting Fact: Ospreys are excellent anglers. Over several studies, Ospreys caught fish on at least 1 in every 4 dives, with success rates sometimes as high as 70 percent. The average time they spent hunting before making a catch was about 12 minutes—something to think about next time you throw your line in the water. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/lifehistory )
F/ 5.0, 1/125, ISO 800.
Great Blue Heron
Why did the chicken cross the road half way?
He wanted to lay it on the line!
Interesting Fact: Despite their impressive size, Great Blue Herons weigh only 5 to 6 pounds thanks in part to their hollow bones—a feature all birds share. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 400.
Belted Kingfisher
Day 339 / 365
A guy calls his boss and says “I can’t come to work today
The boss asks why and the guy says “It’s my eyes.”
“What’s wrong with your eyes?” asks the boss.
“I just can’t see myself coming to work, so I’m going fishing instead….”
Interesting Fact: As nestlings, Belted Kingfishers have acidic stomachs that help them digest bones, fish scales, and arthropod shells. But by the time they leave the nest, their stomach chemistry apparently changes, and they begin regurgitating pellets which accumulate on the ground around fishing and roosting perches. Scientists can dissect these pellets to learn about the kingfisher’s diet without harming or even observing any wild birds. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Belted_Kingfisher/lifehistory )
F/ 6.3, 1/160, ISO 320.
Great Blue Heron
Day 273 / 365
What holiday is observed by all birds?
Feather’s Day!
Interesting Fact: Great Blue Herons aren’t likely to visit a typical backyard. However, they are sometimes unwelcome visitors to yards that include fish ponds. A length of drain pipe placed in the pond can provide fish with a place to hide from feeding herons. Herons, like most of our birds, are legally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_blue_heron/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/1250, ISO 400.
Snowy Egret
Day 164 / 365
Why does the Egret stand on one leg?
Because if it lifts the other leg, it falls.
Interesting Fact: At the end of the nineteenth century, the beautiful plumes of the Snowy Egret were in great demand by market hunters as decorations for women’s hats. In 1886, plumes were valued at $32 per ounce, which was twice the price of gold at the time. They were hunted nearly to extinction before laws were passed to protect them. ( http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/48/_/Snowy_Egret.aspx )
Through Open Lens 