F/ 9.0, 1/320, ISO 500.
Red-tailed Hawk
Day 319 / 365
What birds spend all their time on their knees?
Birds of prey!
Interesting Fact: Birds are amazingly adapted for life in the air. The Red-tailed Hawk is one of the largest birds you’ll see in North America, yet even the biggest females weigh in at only about 3 pounds. A similar-sized small dog might weigh 10 times that. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/800, ISO 800.
American Kestrel
Day 255 / 365
Why did the American Kestrel cross the road, roll in the mud, and cross back?
He was a dirty double-crosser!
Interesting Fact: When nature calls, nestling kestrels back up, raise their tails, and squirt feces onto the walls of the nest cavity. The feces dry on the cavity walls and stay off the nestlings. The nest gets to be a smelly place, with feces on the walls and uneaten parts of small animals on the floor. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Kestrel/lifehistory )
F/ 6.3, 1/1000, ISO 800.
Bumblebee
Day 233 / 365
What did the bee say to the other bee when they landed on the same flower?
Buzz off.
Interesting Fact: Bumblebees live in society that consists of up to 400 individuals. They are divided in three groups: queen, worker bees and drones. Worker bees develop from the eggs during the spring. They collect pollen and feed newly born bees. Drones develop from the eggs during the summer. They die immediately after fertilization. ( http://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/bumblebee_facts/582/ )
F/6.3, 1/1250, ISO 400.
Bonaparte’s Gull
Day 219 / 365
A man and his pet seagull walk into a bar. It’s about 5pm, but they’re ready for a good night of drinking.
They start off slowly, watching TV, drinking beer, eating peanuts. As the night goes on they move to mixed drinks, and then shooters, one after the other.
Finally, the bartender says: “Last call.”
So, the man says, “One more for me… and one more for my seagull.”
The bartender sets them up and they shoot them back. Suddenly, the seagull falls over dead.
The man throws some money on the bar, puts on his coat and starts to leave.
The bartender, yells: “Hey buddy, you can’t just leave that lyin’ there.”
To which the man replies: “That’s not a lion, that’s a seagull.”
Interesting Fact: The smallest gull seen over most of North America, it is also the only gull that regularly nests in trees. ( http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/459/_/Bonapartes_Gull.aspx )
F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 1400.
Great Egret
Day 155 / 365
What kind of bird can carry the most weight?
The crane
Interesting Fact: Though it mainly hunts while wading, the Great Egret occasionally swims to capture prey or hovers (somewhat laboriously) over the water and dips for fish. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Egret/lifehistory )
It has been one year since my first post. What a great year! Thank You everyone for your support.
F/6.3, 1/320, ISO 1600.
Ring-Necked Pheasant
Day 66 / 365 Part 1
“Oh sh*t people, time to run”.
Interesting Fact: Ring-necked Pheasants sometimes cope with extreme cold by simply remaining dormant for days at a time. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ring-necked_pheasant/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/125, ISO 800.
Short Eared Owl
Day 66 / 365 Part 2
“I can see clearly now the snow has stopped”!
Interesting Fact: The Short-eared Owl may compete with the Barn Owl in some areas. Some successful nest box programs to attract Barn Owls have coincided with the decline of the Short-eared Owl in the same area. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/short-eared_owl/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/13.0, 1/60, ISO 100.
Day 28 / 365
Sneaker so light, I had to nail it down or it would fly away. 🙂
Interesting Fact: The Nike swoosh was designed by Portland State University student Carolyn Davidson, for just $35 (just over $200 in today’s currency). At a later stage she was given stock that is now worth more than $640,000. ( http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/savingandinvesting/11-things-hardly-anyone-knows-about-nike/ss-BBelk3W#image=6 )
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 )
F/5.6, 1/8000, ISO 1000.
This Great Egret showed off his crazy moves, and hit the road or I should say the sky. I wanted to learn more by observing this amazing bird, but unfortunately my presence spooked him away and the lesson was over. The way they walk and hunt, it is actually quite interesting. I would highly recommend next time you see one, to stick around for few minutes, and you maybe see something that you haven’t seen before.
Interesting Fact: Great Egrets fly slowly but powerfully: with just two wingbeats per second their cruising speed is around 25 miles an hour. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_egret/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 