Nikon nature

Be Like A Duck And QUACK!

March 4, 2023 — 6 Comments

F/6.3, 1/400, ISO 400.

Green-Winged Teal

How do you make a tissue dance?

Put a little boogie in it.

Interesting Fact: The Aleutian Islands of Alaska support their own race of Green-winged Teal, Anas crecca nimia. Unlike other Green-winged Teal populations, this race doesn’t migrate. In winter the birds move from summering sites on ponds and lakes to the islands’ beaches, where they forage in tide pools and on shallow-water reefs. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green-winged_Teal/lifehistory )

I Quack You Quack We Quack Together

March 3, 2023 — 6 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 320.

Ring-necked Ducks

Why did the old woman put roller skates on her rocking chair?

Because she wanted to rock and roll.

Interesting Fact: This bird’s common name (and its scientific name “collaris,” too) refer to the Ring-necked Duck’s hard-to-see chestnut collar on its black neck. It’s not a good field mark to use for identifying the bird, but it jumped out to the nineteenth century biologists that described the species using dead specimens.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-necked_Duck/lifehistory )

 

 

 

Your Worries Will Float Away

March 2, 2023 — 3 Comments

gadwall

F/6.3,1/250, ISO 400.

Gadwall

Why are bad school grades like a shipwreck in the Arctic Ocean?

They’re both below C level!

Interesting Fact: Gadwall have increased in numbers since the 1980s, partly because of conservation of wetlands and adjacent uplands in their breeding habitat through the Conservation Reserve Program and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Their habit of nesting on islands within marshes gives them some protection from predators. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gadwall/lifehistory )

Is Yellow Really The Color For Me?!

March 1, 2023 — 6 Comments

savannah-sparrow

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 500.

Savannah Sparrow   

What can you catch but not in your hands?

A cold!

Interesting Fact: In many parts of the species’ range, especially in coastal areas and islands, Savannah Sparrows tend very strongly to return each year to the area where they hatched. This tendency, called natal philopatry, is the driving force for differentiation of numerous Savannah Sparrow subspecies. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/lifehistory )

Well…, I Don’t Believe You!

February 23, 2023 — 4 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

Tufted Titmouse

A tourist was being led through the swamps of Florida.

“Is it true,” he asked, “that an alligator won’t attack you if you carry a flashlight?”

“That depends,” replied the guide, “on how fast you carry the flashlight.”

Interesting Fact: The oldest known wild Tufted Titmouse was at least 13 years, 3 months old. It was banded in Virginia in 1962, and found in the same state in 1974. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tufted_Titmouse/lifehistory )

I Don’t Stalk. I Investigate!

February 22, 2023 — 2 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

Black-and-white Warbler 

What do you call a guy who never farts in public?

A private tutor.

Interesting Fact: The Black-and-white Warbler is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. The genus name means “moss-plucking,” a reference to its habit of probing bark and moss for insects.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-and-white_Warbler )

You Are My Sunshine

February 20, 2023 — 15 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.

Palm Warbler

Why didn’t the sailors play cards?

Because the captain was on the deck.

Interesting Fact: Canada’s boreal forests stretch for miles and miles. The great boreal forest, often called “North America’s bird nursery,” is the summer home to billions of migratory birds and an estimated 98% of all Palm Warblers. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Palm_Warbler )

It Takes Nothing To Join The Crowd. It Takes Everything To Stand Alone.

February 19, 2023 — 10 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 200.

Killdeer

What’s the difference between a guitar and a fish?

You can tune a guitar, but you can’t tuna fish.

Interesting Fact: Gravel rooftops attract Killdeer for nesting, but can be dangerous places to raise a brood. Chicks may be unable to leave a roof because of high parapets and screened drain openings. Adults eventually lure chicks off the roof, which can be dangerous – although one set of chicks survived a leap from a seven-story building. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer )

Haven’t You Heard That The Bird Is The Word ?!

February 18, 2023 — 2 Comments

F/5.6, 1/125, ISO 125.

Anna’s Hummingbird

What did the summer say to the spring?

Help! I’m going to fall.

Interesting Fact: Hummingbirds are very smart and they can remember every flower they have been to, and how long it will take a flower to refill. ( http://www.worldofhummingbirds.com/facts.php )

You Big Silly Goose!

February 16, 2023 — Leave a comment

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 320.

Brant Goose

How do baseball players stay cool?

They sit next to their fans.

Interesting Fact: An abundant small goose of the ocean shores, the Brant breeds in the high Arctic tundra and winters along both coasts. The Brant along the Atlantic have light gray bellies, while those off the Pacific Coast have black bellies and were at one time considered a separate species.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brant/lifehistory )