Nikon birdwatcher

I See Sky Of Blue!

March 26, 2020 — 20 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 320.

Eastern Bluebird 

Imagine you are in a water tank with a roof. There are no objects in the tank to help you escape. How do you get out?

Stop imagining.

Interesting Fact: Males vying over territories chase each other at high speed, sometimes grappling with their feet, pulling at feathers with their beaks, and hitting with their wings. The boxes and tree cavities where bluebirds nest are a hot commodity among birds that require holes for nesting, and male bluebirds will attack other species they deem a threat, including House Sparrows, European Starlings, Tree Swallows, Great Crested Flycatchers, Carolina Chickadees, and Brown-headed Nuthatches, as well as non-cavity nesters such as robins, Blue Jays, mockingbirds, and cowbirds. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Bluebird/lifehistory )

Make A Splash!

March 25, 2020 — 10 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 200.

Killdeer

How does a man take a bubble bath?

He eats beans for dinner.

Interesting Fact: Often seen in dry, flat landscapes, running and halting on the ground in search of insects and earthworms. Although the Killdeer is common around human habitation it is often shy, at first running away rather than flying. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer/lifehistory )

Drink Water Suprise Your Liver!!

March 20, 2020 — 17 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 200.

Wood Duck

Want to hear a pizza joke…. nah, it’s too cheesy.

What about a construction joke? Oh never mind, I’m still working on that one.

Interesting Fact:  Courting males swim before a female with wings and tail elevated, sometimes tilting the head backwards for a few seconds. Males may also perform ritualized drinking, preening, and shaking movements. Both members of a pair may preen each other. (  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/lifehistory  )

Find A Balance In Life

March 19, 2020 — 10 Comments

F/6.3, 1/640, ISO 200.

American Coot

Why did the picture go to jail?

Because it was framed.

Interesting Fact: American Coots in the winter can be found in rafts of mixed waterfowl and in groups numbering up to several thousand individuals.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Coot/lifehistory )

 

 

This Tree Taste Really Weird To Me?!

March 18, 2020 — 18 Comments

F/6.3, 1/160, ISO 320.

Pileated Woodpecker

Why did the belt go to jail?

Because it held up a pair of pants!

Interesting Fact: The Pileated Woodpecker digs characteristically rectangular holes in trees to find ants. These excavations can be so broad and deep that they can cause small trees to break in half. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/lifehistory )

OWL We Need Is Love!

March 16, 2020 — 36 Comments

F/8.0, 1/200, ISO 320.

Great Horned Owlets

 Why did the owl, owl?

Because the woodpecker would peck ‘er!

Interesting Fact: Great Horned Owls typically nest in trees such as cottonwood, juniper, beech, pine, and others. They usually adopt a nest that was built by another species, but they also use cavities in live trees, dead snags, deserted buildings, cliff ledges, and human-made platforms. In the Yukon they nest in white spruces with “witches’ brooms,” which are clumps of dense foliage caused by a fungus. They occasionally nest on the ground. Pairs may roost together near the future nest site for several months before laying eggs.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/lifehistory )

There Is No “We” In Food, So Get Away From Me.

March 15, 2020 — 14 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.

Palm Warbler

What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet?

“SUPPLIES!”

Interesting Fact: Despite its tropical sounding name, the Palm Warbler lives farther north than most other warblers. It breeds far to the north in Canada, and winters primarily in the southern United States and northern Caribbean. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Palm_Warbler/lifehistory )

It’s Much Easier Sitting Down In The Chair..

March 14, 2020 — 8 Comments

F/6.3, 1/60, ISO 1250.

Bald Eagle

What is the difference between a good lawyer and a great lawyer?

A good lawyer knows the law and a great lawyer knows the judge!

Interesting Fact: Bald Eagles are powerful fliers—soaring, gliding, and flapping over long distances. In one of several spectacular courtship displays, a male and female fly high into the sky, lock talons, and cartwheel downward together, breaking off at the last instant to avoid crashing to earth. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/lifehistory )

Don’t Forget To Duck!

March 13, 2020 — 4 Comments

F/14.0, 1/800, ISO 640.

Northern Shoveler 

To whom do fish go to borrow money?

The loan shark!

Interesting Fact: They are fairly social ducks, occurring in groups with shovelers and other dabbling ducks, especially during the winter. During the breeding season, they are less tolerant of other shovelers encroaching on their territory. Defensive males often chase intruders on the water and in the air. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Shoveler/lifehistory )

 

 

DON’T PANIC!

March 10, 2020 — 28 Comments

F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 360.

Canada Goose 

A man goes to his doctor because he’s been feeling very ill for days. The doctor gives him several sets of pills.

The doctor instructs; “Take the green pill with two big glasses of water when you get up. An hour later, take the white pill with another glass of water. Take the blue pill with a big glass of water after lunch. Mid afternoon, take the orange pill with plenty of water, and repeat that at dinner. Then, just before going to bed, take the red pill with several big glasses of water.”

The man is alarmed at huge volume of medicine he has been given to take, and nervously asks, “What’s the diagnosis? What’s wrong with me?”

The doctor says, “You’re dehydrated.”

Interesting Fact: The “giant” Canada Goose, Branta canadensis maxima, bred from central Manitoba to Kentucky but was nearly driven extinct in the early 1900s. Programs to reestablish the subspecies to its original range were in many places so successful that the geese have become a nuisance in many urban and suburban areas.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/lifehistory )