F/8.0, 1/125, ISO 180.
Red-winged Blackbird
Why can’t you tell an egg a joke?
Because it will crack up
Interesting Fact: Male Red-winged Blackbirds fiercely defend their territories during the breeding season, spending more than a quarter of daylight hours in territory defense. He chases other males out of the territory and attacks nest predators, sometimes going after much larger animals, including horses and people. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 320.
European Starlings
What’s a good snowing tip?
Never catch snowflakes with your tongue until all the birds have gone south for the winter.
Interesting Fact: All the European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York’s Central Park in the early 1890s. The birds were intentionally released by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. It took several tries, but eventually the population took off. Today, more than 200 million European Starlings range from Alaska to Mexico, and many people consider them pests. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/European_Starling/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/800, ISO 640.
Double crested Cormorant
What do you call a witch at the beach?
A sand-witch!
Interesting Fact: Cormorants have less preen oil than other birds, so their feathers can get soaked rather than shedding water like a duck’s. Though this sounds like a liability, this is thought to be an adaptation that helps cormorants hunt underwater more effectively. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 400.
Tufted Titmouse
Why did the storm trooper buy an iphone?
He couldn’t find the Droid he was looking for.
Interesting Fact: Tufted Titmice often line the inner cup of their nest with hair, sometimes plucked directly from living animals. The list of hair types identified from old nests includes raccoons, opossums, mice, woodchucks, squirrels, rabbits, livestock, pets, and even humans. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tufted_Titmouse/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 500.
Great Blue Heron
Why was Frosty told to leave the grocery store?
Because he was caught picking his nose in the produce isle.
Interesting Fact: Despite their impressive size, Great Blue Herons weigh only 5 to 6 pounds thanks in part to their hollow bones—a feature all birds share. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/overview )
F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 250.
Northern Pintail Duck
A man walks into an army surplus store and asks if they have any camouflage jackets.
“Yes, we do,” replies the assistant. “But we can’t find any of them.”
Interesting Fact: The female makes several scrapes in the ground before she starts building the nest, ultimately choosing the last scrape made. She slowly adds grasses and down to the depression while laying eggs to form a shallow bowl approximately 7–10 inches wide and 2–4 inches deep. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pintail/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 400.
Black capped Chickadee
Can your mother predict the future with cards?
Yes! She takes one look at my report card and tells me what will happen when my father gets home.
Interesting Fact: Chickadees are active, acrobatic, curious, social birds that live in flocks, often associating with woodpeckers, nuthatches, warblers, vireos, and other small woodland species. They feed on insects and seeds, but seldom perch within several feet of one another while taking food or eating. Flocks have many calls with specific meanings, and they may contain some of the characteristics of human language. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/250, ISO 1600.
Northern Cardinal
Long ago, when sailing ships ruled the waves, a captain and his crew were in danger of being boarded by a pirate ship. As the crew became frantic, the captain bellowed to his First Mate,” Bring me my red shirt! “The First Mate quickly retrieved the captain’s red shirt, which the captain put on and led the crew to battle the pirate boarding party. Although some casualties occurred among the crew, the pirates were repelled. Later that day, the lookout screamed that there were two pirate vessels sending boarding parties. The crew cowered in fear, but the captain, calm as ever bellowed, ” Bring me my red shirt!” And once again the battle was on. However, the Captain and his crew repelled both boarding parties, though this time more casualties occurred. Weary from the battles, the men sat around on deck that night recounting the day’s occurrences when an ensign looked to the Captain and asked,’ Sir, why did you call for your red shirt before the battle? “The Captain, giving the ensign a look that only a captain can give, exhorted,’ If I am wounded in battle, the red shirt does not show the wound and thus, you men will continue to fight unafraid.’ The men sat in silence marveling at the courage of such a man. As dawn came the next morning, the lookout screamed that there were pirate ships, 10 of them, all with boarding parties on their way. The men became silent and looked to the Captain, their leader, for his usual command. The Captain, calm as ever, bellowed,” Bring me my brown pants!”
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/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.
Mallard
A duck waddles into a card shop, he waddles his way to the front desk asking the clerk, Do you got any tape?
The clerk replies, No. So the duck waddles away. The very next day at the same time the same duck waddles into the Card Shop he waddles right up to that same clerk asking him, Do you have any tape?
The clerk looking irritated replying in a stern voice, No! We are a card shop we sell cards not tape! And if you ask me again I will nail your bill to the counter!
So the duck just waddles away. At the same time the next day the Duck is waddling into that same card shop He waddles right up to that same clerk asking him, do you have any nails? The clerk says, no. Then the duck replied good!! So do you have any tape?
Interesting Fact: Mallard pairs form long before the spring breeding season. Pairing takes place in the fall, but courtship can be seen all winter. Only the female incubates the eggs and takes care of the ducklings. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/lifehistory )
F/10.0, 1/1600, ISO 800.
Common Merganser
What’s the secret to telling a good postman joke?
It’s all in the delivery
Interesting Fact: Males chase each other during communal courtship displays, sometimes bumping or striking each other. Females sometimes lay their eggs in other ducks’ nests, including other Common Mergansers as well as Hooded Mergansers or Common Goldeneyes. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Merganser/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 