F/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 640.
Great Blue Heron
Why did the student wear eye-glasses in math class?
It improved DiVision !
Interesting Fact: In flight the Great Blue Heron folds it neck into an “S” shape and trails its long legs behind, dangling them as it prepares to land or when courting. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 250.
Northern Pintail Duck
What did the salad say to the fridge?
Shut the door, I’m dressing!
Interesting Fact: Seemingly at home on land and water, Northern Pintails waddle through fields and swim gracefully with the tail pointed upwards. They erupt in flight from the water’s surface at a moment’s notice, wheeling and darting through the air on their slender wings. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pintail/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/1250, ISO 800.
Black-Crowned Night-Heron
What do you get if you cross a parrot with a shark?
A bird that will talk you ear off!
Interesting Fact: A breeding Black-crowned Night-Heron will brood any chick that is placed in its nest. The herons apparently don’t distinguish between their own offspring and nestlings from other parents. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/lifehistory )
F/ 6.0, 1/500, ISO 200.
Mallard
What is a duck’s favorite TV show ?
The feather forecast !
Interesting Fact: Mallard pairs are generally monogamous, but paired males pursue females other than their mates. So-called “extra-pair copulations” are common among birds and in many species are consensual, but male Mallards often force these copulations, with several males chasing a single female and then mating with her. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/lifehistory )
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 )
F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 250.
Hooded Merganser ( Female )
Duck Week Continues!
What do ducks like to eat?
Quackers!
Interesting Fact: Hooded Mergansers find their prey underwater by sight. They can actually change the refractive properties of their eyes to improve their underwater vision. In addition, they have an extra eyelid, called a “nictitating membrane,” which is transparent and helps protect the eye during swimming, like a pair of goggles. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/lifehistory )
Happy New Year Everyone!
Welcome 2016!
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 400.
New Years Resolutions List
Interesting Fact: There are two ways to make ice sculpture: You can carve into a block of ice or make a mold. Blocks of ice are obtained from frozen rivers and lakes. Typically water that freezes slowly makes clear ice and is preferred by artists to make ice sculptures. In some places, artificial blocks of ice are made for this purpose. ( http://www.ehow.com/about_5393158_history-ice-sculptures.html )
F/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 560.
Common Merganser
Day 73 / 365
She suspects him of cheating, so she decided to follow him today. She is literally on his tail. 🙂
Interesting Fact: Common Mergansers usually nest in natural tree cavities or holes carved out by large woodpeckers. Sometimes mergansers take up residence in next boxes, provided the entrance hole is large enough. On occasion they use rock crevices, holes in the ground, hollow logs, old buildings, and chimneys. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Merganser/lifehistory )
F/5.3, 1/60, ISO 100.
Day 49 / 365
You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain
Too much love drives a man insane
You broke my will, oh what a thrill
Goodness gracious great balls of “ICE” ?
Interesting Fact: Presently, 10 percent of land area on Earth is covered with glacial ice, including glaciers, ice caps, and the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica. Glacierized areas cover over 15 million square kilometers (5.8 million square miles). ( http://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glaciers/quickfacts.html )
F/5.6, 1/250, ISO 450.
Day 34 / 365
You don’t have to be crazy to play hockey but it does help. 🙂
Interesting Fact: The first player to accumulate more than 300 penalty minutes in one season was Philadelphia Flyer Dave “The Hammer” Schultz, who had 348 in 1974. The next year, he had 472 penalty minutes, still the most ever. ( http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0771579.html )
Through Open Lens 