F/10.0, 1/640, ISO 250.
Belted Kingfisher
What did the salad say to the fridge?
Shut the door, I’m dressing!
Interesting Fact: Pleistocene fossils of Belted Kingfishers (to 600,000 years old) have been unearthed in Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, and Texas. The oldest known fossil in the kingfisher genus is 2 million years old, found in Alachua County, Florida. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Belted_Kingfisher )
F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 250.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Why did the boy take a ladder to school?
It was a high school.
Interesting Fact: Ruby-Crowned Kinglets make their nests in trees, occasionally as high up as 100 feet. Females choose a nest site near the tree trunk or suspended from small twigs and branchlets. Because of the nest site’s height and often remote location, not much is known about kinglet nesting habits. Their nest sites, chosen by the females, are protected and often hidden by overhanging foliage. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-crowned_Kinglet/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.
Tree Swallow
Why do ghosts ride in elevators?
It keeps their spirits up.
Interesting Fact: They bathe by flying low over the water and skimming their bodies against the surface, then rising quickly while shaking off droplets. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tree_Swallow/lifehistory )
F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 250.
Desert Cottontail Rabbit
What is a tree’s favorite drink?
Root beer!
Interesting Fact: The lifespan of a cottontail that reaches adulthood averages less than two years, depending on the location.[6] Unfortunately for the cottontail, almost every local carnivore larger or faster than the lagomorph is its predator. Some predators, like snakes for example, are familiar with the area inhabited by the cottontails, and can catch and eat the young at will; the mother is unable to defend the litter. Although cottontails are highly active sexually, and mated pairs have multiple litters throughout the year, few young survive to adulthood. Those that survive grow quickly and are full grown at three months. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_cottontail )
F/6.3, 1/60, ISO 250.
Blue Jay
Why did the girl bring lipstick and eye shadow to school?
She had a make-up exam!
Interesting Fact: The pigment in Blue Jay feathers is melanin, which is brown. The blue color is caused by scattering light through modified cells on the surface of the feather barbs. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blue_Jay/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.
Ruddy Duck
Why didn’t my girlfriend believe I was a ghost?
She could see right through me.
Interesting Fact: The nest is usually made of dead, dry plant materials, though some are built entirely with green vegetation. It starts as a platform and becomes more bowl-like throughout the construction process, with an inner cup measuring 4–12 inches across and 0.5–5 inches deep. Ruddy Ducks usually weave a canopy of vegetation over their nests. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )
F/11.0 , 1/500, ISO 320.
Northern Harrier
Why are the middle ages sometimes called the Dark Ages?
Because they had so many knights.
Interesting Fact: Northern Harriers usually fly slowly and low over the ground, their wings held in a V-shape as they glide. Most males have either one mate or two mates at a time, but some have up to five mates when food is abundant. Each male courts females and advertises his territory by performing sky-dancing displays: undulating, rollercoaster-like flights up to 1,000 feet off the ground, sometimes covering more than half a mile. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Harrier/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 200.
Red-breasted Mergansers
Can February March?
No, but April May.
Interesting Fact:Red-breasted Mergansers nest along forested riverbanks, marsh edges, lakeshores, coastal islands, and sandy shores with vegetation. They are never far from water. Female Red-breasted Mergansers select a spot on the ground under dense cover from low tree branches, fallen logs, or boulders. They nest alone or in colonies often with gulls and terns. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Merganser/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.
Double-crested Cormorant
What did one toilet say to the other toilet?
You look a bit flushed.
Interesting Fact: Double-crested Cormorant nests often are exposed to direct sun. Adults shade the chicks and also bring them water, pouring it from their mouths into those of the chicks. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Double-crested_Cormorant )
F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.
American Flamingo
Why did the baseball player bring a rope to the game?
He wanted to tie the score
Interesting Fact: American flamingos are saltwater birds that ingest food with a high salt content and mostly drink salt water (with an osmolarity of usually 1000), hyperosmotic to the bodies cells . Also, though not commonly, they can drink fresh water at near-boiling temperatures from geysers. From their high-salt diet, they would lose more water and have a greater salt uptake. One way in which they osmoregulate is through the use of a salt gland, which is found in their beaks.[17] This salt gland helps excrete excess salt from the body through the nasal openings in the flamingo’s beaks. When these birds consume salt, the osmolarity increases in the blood plasma through the gut. This causes water to move out of the cells, increasing extracellular fluids. Both these changes, in turn, activate the salt glands of the bird,[18] but before any activity occurs in the salt glands, the kidney has to reabsorb the ingested sodium from the small intestine. As seen in other saltwater birds, the fluid that is excreted has been seen to have an osmolarity greater than that of the salt water, but this varies with salt consumption and body size. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_flamingo )
Through Open Lens 