F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 200.
Killdeer
What do you call a belt with a watch on it?
A waist of time.
Interesting Fact: Killdeer nests are simple scrapes often placed on slight rises in their open habitats. Killdeer may make several scrapes not far away from each other before choosing one to lay in. The duplication may help to confuse predators. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.
American Coot
“Babe is it in?”
“Yea.” “Does it hurt?”
“Uh huh.”
“Let me put it in slowly.”
“It still hurts.”
“Okay, let’s try another shoe size.”
Interesting Fact: A slow and meticulous forager, the American Coot plucks at plants while walking, swimming, dabbling with its head just underwater, or in full dives. In flight coots are clumsy and labored (though less so than Common Moorhens). To get airborne, coots typically have to beat their wings while running across the water for many yards. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Coot/lifehistory# )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.
Ruddy Ducks
Where do sheep go to get haircuts?
To the Baa Baa shop!
Interesting Fact: Ruddy Ducks spend the vast majority of their time on the water. They are fast fliers but have little maneuverability in the air, and they tend to swim and dive rather than fly to escape predators—which include Red-tailed Hawks, Great Horned Owls, mink, raccoons, and red foxes. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 320.
Bufflehead Duck
Why are hairdressers never late for work?
Because they know all the short cuts!
Interesting Fact: Bufflehead nest only in cavities, using holes dug by Northern Flickers and sometimes Pileated Woodpeckers (as well as artificial nest boxes). In the summer, females that are too young to breed, or whose nests have failed, fly around in noisy groups and scope out the available nest holes for the following breeding season. Just before laying, females make more secretive flights to prospective holes, either alone or with their mates. They usually choose cavities in poplar or aspen trees, except in California where they often use pine trees. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bufflehead/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/125, ISO 640.
White-Tailed Deer
I give a dead battery away today…
Free of charge!
Interesting Fact: Males regrow their antlers every year. About one in 10,000 females also has antlers, although this is usually associated with freemartinism. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer )
F/6.3, 1/80, ISO 320.
Common Yellowthroat
Why is Peter Pan always flying?
Because he neverlands.
Interesting Fact: Each male normally has only one mate in his territory during a breeding season. However, a female’s mating calls often attract other males, and she may mate with them behind her mate’s back. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Yellowthroat/ )
F/5.6, 1/160, ISO 320.
California Scrub-Jay
Why did Papa Smurf send Smurfette to see a doctor???
She was always feeling blue…
Interesting Fact: Look closely, and you’ll see an intriguing difference between the California Scrub-Jay and its close relative, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay. The bill of a California Scrub-Jay is stout and hooked, giving it extra power and grip as the birds hammer open acorns in their oak woodland habitats. By comparison, Woodhouse’s have thinner, more pointed bills that nimbly reach deep into pinyon pine cones to pull out the pine nuts inside. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/California_Scrub-Jay )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 200.
Polish chicken
What do you get when a chicken lays an egg on top of a barn?
An eggroll!
Interesting Fact:
The Polish or Poland is a European breed of crested chickens known for its remarkable crest of feathers. The oldest accounts of these birds come from The Netherlands; their exact origins are unknown, however.[1] In addition to combs, they are adorned with large crests that nearly cover the entirety of the head. This crest limits their vision, and as a result can affect their temperament. Thus, though normally tame, they may be timid and easily frightened. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_chicken )
F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 400.
Pied-Billed Grebe
Breaking news!
Energizer Bunny arrested – charged with battery!
Interesting Fact: Pied-billed Grebes are fairly poor fliers and typically stay on the water—although rare individuals have managed to fly as far as the Hawaiian Islands, Europe, the Azores, and the Canary Islands. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pied-billed_Grebe/ )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
A police officer caught two kids playing with a firework and a car battery.
He charged one and let the other one off.
Interesting Fact: A Red-bellied Woodpecker can stick out its tongue nearly 2 inches past the end of its beak. The tip is barbed and the bird’s spit is sticky, making it easier to snatch prey from deep crevices. Males have longer, wider-tipped tongues than females, possibly allowing a breeding pair to forage in slightly different places on their territory and maximize their use of available food. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-bellied_Woodpecker/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 