F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 400.
Blue Jay
Where do cows go for entertainment?
The mooooo-vies!
Interesting Fact: The Blue Jay frequently mimics the calls of hawks, especially the Red-shouldered Hawk. These calls may provide information to other jays that a hawk is around, or may be used to deceive other species into believing a hawk is present. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/lifehistory )
F/8.0, 1/200, ISO 160.
Green Heron
When do zombies go to sleep?
When they are dead tired.
Interesting Fact: Green Herons eat mainly small fish such as minnows, sunfish, catfish, pickerel, carp, perch, gobies, shad, silverside, eels, and goldfish. They also feeds on insects, spiders, crustaceans, snails, amphibians, reptiles, and rodents. They hunt by standing still at the water’s edge, in vegetation, or by walking slowly in shallow water. When a fish approaches, the heron lunges and darts its head, grasping (or sometimes spearing) the fish with its heavy bill. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green_Heron/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/640, ISO 200.
Monk Parakeets
What is a parrot’s favorite game?
Hide and Speak!
Interesting Fact: In their native Argentina, Monk Parakeets sometimes adopt old nests of other species. Some ornithologists have suggested that this behavior may have been the first step, evolutionarily speaking, to transitioning from nesting in tree cavities to constructing stick nests. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Monk_Parakeet/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 400.
Northern Shoveler
A jumper cable walks into a bar.
The bartender says, “I’ll serve you, but don’t start anything.”
Interesting Fact: Northern Shovelers don’t just occur in the Americas, they also breed across Europe and spend the winter throughout Europe, Africa, and India. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Shoveler )
F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 160.
Hispaniolan Woodpecker
What can you serve but never eat?
A volleyball.
Interesting Fact: This bird is endemic to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, its range extending from the coasts, over the deserts to the mountains in the centre of the island. It is mostly a woodland bird, found in both wet and dry, broadleaved and coniferous forests, but also occurs in mosaic forests, plantations, cactus scrub, mangrove areas, swamps, grassland, palm groves, wooded agricultural areas and urban parks. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispaniolan_woodpecker )
F/6.3, 1/160, ISO 160.
Green Heron
Why won’t sharks attack lawyers?
Professional courtesy!
Interesting Fact: Occasionally Green Herons hunt in deeper water by plunging on prey from above. They hunt at all times of the day and night in the shallows of swamps, creeks, marshes, ditches, ponds, and mangroves. They usually forage among thick vegetation in water that is less than 4 inches deep, avoiding the deeper and more open areas frequented by longer-legged herons. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green_Heron/lifehistory )
F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200.
Great Egret
What do you call a man with a rubber toe?
Roberto.
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. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Egret )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 250.
Mute Swans
How do you organize an outer space party?
You planet.
Interesting Fact: The Mute Swan is reported to mate for life. However, changing of mates does occur infrequently, and swans will remate if their partner dies. If a male loses his mate and pairs with a young female, she joins him on his territory. If he mates with an older female, they go to hers. If a female loses her mate, she remates quickly and usually chooses a younger male. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mute_Swan/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/145, ISO640.
Turkey Vulture ( Juvenile )
Why are hairdressers never late for work?
Because they know all the short cuts!
Interesting Fact: Outside of the breeding season, Turkey Vultures form roosts of dozens to a hundred individuals. When Turkey Vultures court, pairs perform a “follow flight” display where one bird leads the other through twisting, turning, and flapping flights for a minute or so, repeated over periods as long as 3 hours. Migrating flocks can number in the thousands. At carcasses, several Turkey Vultures may gather but typically only one feeds at a time, chasing the others off and making them wait their turn. Despite their size, Turkey Vultures are often driven off by smaller Black Vultures, Crested Caracaras, Zone-tailed Hawks, and other species. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 