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 )
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 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 )
F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 100.
What do Snowmen call their offspring?
Chill-dren.
Interesting Fact: Documentation of the first snowman is unclear. However, Bob Eckstein, author of The History of the Snowman documented snowmen from medieval times, by researching artistic depictions in European museums, art galleries, and libraries. The earliest documentation he found was a marginal illustration from a work titled Book of Hours from 1380, found in Koninklijke Bibliotheek, in The Hague. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowman#History )
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, 1/640, 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/ )
F/5.3, 1/160, ISO 800.
Common Merganser
What did the parrot say when he saw a duck?
Polly want a quacker!
Interesting Fact: Common Mergansers are sometimes called sawbills, fish ducks, or goosanders. The word “merganser” comes from the Latin and roughly translates to “plunging goose”—a good name for this very large and often submerged duck. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Merganser/lifehistory )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 400.
Cedar Waxwing
Why didn’t the chicken skeleton cross the road?
Because he didn’t have enough guts
Interesting Fact: The Cedar Waxwing is one of the few North American birds that specializes in eating fruit. It can survive on fruit alone for several months. Brown-headed Cowbirds that are raised in Cedar Waxwing nests typically don’t survive, in part because the cowbird chicks can’t develop on such a high-fruit diet. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar_Waxwing/lifehistory )
F/ 10.0, 1/400, ISO 800.
Common Loon ( Juvenile )
Did you hear about the crab that went to the seafood disco?
He pulled a muscle
Interesting Fact: The Common Loon swims underwater to catch fish, propelling itself with its feet. It swallows most of its prey underwater. The loon has sharp, rearward-pointing projections on the roof of its mouth and tongue that help it keep a firm hold on slippery fish. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Loon/lifehistory )
F/ 5.6, 1/125, ISO 1600.
Snow Goose
What grows down, when it grows up?
A goose.
Interesting Fact: Snow Goose hunting in the eastern United States was stopped in 1916 because of low population levels. Hunting was allowed again in 1975 after populations had recovered. Since then, their populations have continued to grow, to the point that some areas of tundra nesting habitat are starting to suffer. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snow_Goose/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 