F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 400.
Cedar Waxwing
What do you call a cow that eats your grass?
A lawn moo-er.
Interesting Fact: The name “waxwing” comes from the waxy red secretions found on the tips of the secondaries of some birds. The exact function of these tips is not known, but they may help attract mates. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar_Waxwing/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.
Carolina Wren
How do you drown a Hipster?
In the mainstream.
Interesting Fact: They are known to build multiple nests to confuse predators. ( http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/677/overview/Carolina_Wren.aspx )
F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 640.
Double-crested Cormorant
What do you call a bear with no socks on?
Bare-foot.
Interesting Fact: Large pebbles are occasionally found in cormorant nests, and the cormorants treat them as eggs. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant )
F/5.6, 1/125, ISO 320.
Mute Swan
Why did the teacher jump into the water?
She wanted to test the water!
Interesting Fact: The black knob at the base of the male Mute Swan’s bill swells during the breeding season and becomes noticeably larger than the female’s. The rest of the year the difference between the sexes is not obvious. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mute_Swan/lifehistory )
F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 160.
Common Gallinule
Why didn’t the skeleton go to the dance?
Because he had no-body to go with
Interesting Fact: Common Gallinules build nests to raise their young, but they also build platforms of matted vegetation to display for potential mates. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Gallinule )
F/6.3, 1/80, ISO 500.
Brown-headed Cowbird
I’ve just opened a new restaurant called Karma.
There’s no menu, we just give you what you deserve.
Interesting Fact: The Brown-headed Cowbird is North America’s most common “brood parasite.” A female cowbird makes no nest of her own, but instead lays her eggs in the nests of other bird species, who then raise the young cowbirds. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 500.
Canvasback
Did you hear about the duck with a drug problem?
He was a quackhead.
Interesting Fact: Canvasbacks are social outside of the breeding season; they gather in large rafts by the thousands to tens of thousands. Only when winter food is scarce or clumped do they defend foraging areas against other Canvasbacks. During spring and early in the breeding season, they act more aggressively. Threat displays include putting the bill in the water or on the chest, jabbing, pumping the head, or chasing. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canvasback/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/250, ISO 640.
Common Loon ( Nonbreeding adult )
Where do snowmen keep their money?
In snow banks.
Interesting Fact: Loons are like airplanes in that they need a runway for takeoff. In the case of loons, they need from 30 yards up to a quarter-mile (depending on the wind) for flapping their wings and running across the top of the water in order to gain enough speed for lift-off. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Loon )
F/8.0, 1/125, ISO 400.
Carolina Wren
What did one autumn leaf say to the other?
I’m falling for you.
Interesting Fact: They climb up vines, trunks, and branches, poking into squirrel nests and probing nooks and crannies in search of insects. Carolina Wrens use their curved bills to turn over decaying vegetation and to hammer and shake apart large bugs. They roost in bird boxes, abandoned hornet nests, hanging plants, garages, barns, old nests, and other shelters. A weak flyer, this wren makes brief, quick aerial forays over short distances. Pairs stay bonded year-round, with no vacation from singing or defending territory. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Carolina_Wren/lifehistory )
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERONE!!!
F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 400.
Wild Turkey Female
What did the turkey say to the computer?
Google, Google, Google
Interesting Fact: The female scratches a shallow depression in the soil, about 1 inch deep, 8–11 inches wide, and 9–13 inches long. Wild Turkeys use only the dead leaves or other plant materials already present at the nest site. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 