F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 500.
Ruddy Duck
What did the calculator say to the cashier?
You can count on me.
Interesting Fact: Most males pair up with one female each for the duration of the breeding season, but some take multiple mates. Their eggs are proportionally the largest of all waterfowl. The ducklings hatch well-developed and active, receiving minimal care from the mother and none from the father. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )
F/8.0,1/250, ISO 400.
Northern Cardinal Male
Why did Scrooge keep a pet lamb?
Because it would say, “Baaaaahh humbug!”
Interesting Fact: Look for Northern Cardinals in dense shrubby areas such as forest edges, overgrown fields, hedgerows, backyards, marshy thickets, mesquite, regrowing forest, and ornamental landscaping. Cardinals nest in dense foliage and look for conspicuous, fairly high perches for singing. Growth of towns and suburbs across eastern North America has helped the cardinal expand its range northward. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/lifehistory )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 200.
Snowy Egret
Why do mummies make excellent spies?
They’re good at keeping things under wraps.
Interesting Fact: Male Snowy Egrets fight for breeding territories, choose nest sites, and perform noisy courtship displays to attract mates. A ring of other egrets often gathers around a displaying male as he pumps his body up and down, points his bill skyward, and calls. He also performs aerial displays, including one that ends with him dropping toward the ground while tumbling around and around. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Egret/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.
Red breasted Merganser
What did E.T.’s mother say to him when he got home?
Where on Earth have you been?
Interesting Fact: The female creates a depression on the ground that she covers with dead grasses, forming a shallow bowl. She plucks down feathers from her breast to help insulate the nest. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Merganser/lifehistory )
F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 200.
Red-breasted Merganser
Two men meet on opposite sides of a river.
One shouts to the other, “I need you to help me get to the other side!”
The other guy replies, “You’re on the other side!”
Interesting Fact: Red-breasted Mergansers are among the fastest flying ducks, clocking speeds of up to 81 miles per hour. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Merganser/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/125, ISO 250.
Northern Cardinal
What do you call two birds in love?
Tweethearts !
Interesting Fact: Only a few female North American songbirds sing, but the female Northern Cardinal does, and often while sitting on the nest. This may give the male information about when to bring food to the nest. A mated pair shares song phrases, but the female may sing a longer and slightly more complex song than the male. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/125, ISO 250.
Red-tailed Hawk
How did the tree feel in the spring?
Releaved.
Interesting Fact: Red-tailed Hawks typically put their nests in the crowns of tall trees where they have a commanding view of the landscape. They may also nest on a cliff ledge or on artificial structures such as window ledges and billboard platforms. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/640, ISO 250.
Belted Kingfisher
What did the salad say to the fridge?
Shut the door, I’m dressing!
Interesting Fact: Pleistocene fossils of Belted Kingfishers (to 600,000 years old) have been unearthed in Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, and Texas. The oldest known fossil in the kingfisher genus is 2 million years old, found in Alachua County, Florida. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Belted_Kingfisher )
F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 250.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Why did the boy take a ladder to school?
It was a high school.
Interesting Fact: Ruby-Crowned Kinglets make their nests in trees, occasionally as high up as 100 feet. Females choose a nest site near the tree trunk or suspended from small twigs and branchlets. Because of the nest site’s height and often remote location, not much is known about kinglet nesting habits. Their nest sites, chosen by the females, are protected and often hidden by overhanging foliage. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-crowned_Kinglet/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.
Ruddy Duck
Why didn’t my girlfriend believe I was a ghost?
She could see right through me.
Interesting Fact: The nest is usually made of dead, dry plant materials, though some are built entirely with green vegetation. It starts as a platform and becomes more bowl-like throughout the construction process, with an inner cup measuring 4–12 inches across and 0.5–5 inches deep. Ruddy Ducks usually weave a canopy of vegetation over their nests. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 