Nature

Peek A Boo!

February 3, 2016 — 30 Comments

White-breasted Nuthatch 1

F/ 6.3, 1/160, ISO 320.

White-breasted Nuthatch

What do you call a crazy chicken ?

A cuckoo cluck !

Interesting Fact: In winter, White-breasted Nuthatches join foraging flocks led by chickadees or titmice, perhaps partly because it makes food easier to find and partly because more birds can keep an eye out for predators. One study found that when titmice were removed from a flock, nuthatches were more wary and less willing to visit exposed bird feeders. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/lifehistory )

Catching Some Rays

February 2, 2016 — 15 Comments

Carolina Wren 1

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 320.

Carolina Wren

Why did the bird join he air force?

He wanted to be a parrot trooper!

Interesting Fact: A pair bond may form between a male and a female at any time of the year, and the pair will stay together for life. Members of a pair stay together on their territory year-round, and forage and move around the territory together. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Carolina_Wren/lifehistory )

Branch Out To Something New

February 1, 2016 — 19 Comments

Tufted Titmouse 1

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 320.

Tufted Titmouse

Why does a chicken coop have two doors ?

Because if had four doors it would be a chicken sedan!

Interesting Fact: Unlike many chickadees, Tufted Titmouse pairs do not gather into larger flocks outside the breeding season. Instead, most remain on the territory as a pair. Frequently one of their young from that year remains with them, and occasionally other juveniles from other places will join them. Rarely a young titmouse remains with its parents into the breeding season and will help them raise the next year’s brood. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tufted_Titmouse/lifehistory )

I’d Climb The Highest Mountain

January 31, 2016 — 24 Comments

Dark-eyed Junco 1

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 320.

Dark-eyed Junco 

How long do chickens work?

Around the cluck!

Interesting Fact: The Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most common birds in North America and can be found across the continent, from Alaska to Mexico, from California to New York. A recent estimate set the junco’s total population at approximately 630 million individuals.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dark-eyed_Junco/lifehistory )

Fly High And Touch The Sky

January 30, 2016 — 19 Comments

Cooper’s Hawk

F/8.0, 1/1000, ISO 200.

Cooper’s Hawk

Why did the rooster run away?

He was chicken!

Interesting Fact: Once thought averse to towns and cities, Cooper’s Hawks are now fairly common urban and suburban birds. Some studies show their numbers are actually higher in towns than in their natural habitat, forests. Cities provide plenty of Rock Pigeon and Mourning Dove prey. Though one study in Arizona found a downside to the high-dove diet: Cooper’s Hawk nestlings suffered from a parasitic disease they acquired from eating dove meat. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/lifehistory )

Don’t Watch The Clock; Do What It Does. Keep Going!

January 29, 2016 — 7 Comments

Zone Tailed Hawk

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 )

 

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

January 28, 2016 — 19 Comments

Mallard

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 )

Hang Out With Me!

January 27, 2016 — 27 Comments

Black-Capped Chickadee

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 )

Ice Ice Baby!

January 25, 2016 — 25 Comments

Northern Pintail Duck

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 )

Im Quite Fawned Of You My Deer

January 24, 2016 — 37 Comments

deer

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/ )