Nikon nature

Happiness Is Enjoying The Little Things In Life

April 17, 2020 — 6 Comments

F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 250.

American Goldfinch 

How do cows do mathematics?

They use a cow-culator.

Interesting Fact: American Goldfinches are active, acrobatic finches that balance on the seedheads of thistles, dandelions, and other plants to pluck seeds. They have a bouncy flight during which they frequently make their po-ta-to-chip calls. Although males sing exuberantly during spring, pairs do not nest until mid-summer, when thistles and other weeds have gone to seed. Goldfinches do not join other songbirds mobbing predators. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/lifehistory )

 

 

Danger Mouth Operates Faster Than Brain!

April 16, 2020 — 6 Comments

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 )

 

 

 

And It Was All Yellow!

April 15, 2020 — 18 Comments

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 )

 

 

OH SH*T!

April 14, 2020 — 20 Comments

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 )

Down The Rabbit Hole!

April 13, 2020 — 18 Comments

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 )

 

If You See Rabbit Laying Little Brown Eggs, Don’t Eat Them, IT’S NOT CHOCOLATE!

April 12, 2020 — 18 Comments

Happy Easter Everyone! 

F/5.6, 1/125, ISO 900.

Cottontail Rabbit

What happened to the Easter Bunny when he misbehaved at school?

He was eggspelled!

Interesting Fact: The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the “Easter Hare” originally played the role of a judge, evaluating whether children were good or disobedient in behaviour at the start of the season of Eastertide.[1] The Easter Bunny is sometimes depicted with clothes. In legend, the creature carries colored eggs in his basket, candy, and sometimes also toys to the homes of children, and as such shows similarities to Santa Claus or the Christkind, as they both bring gifts to children on the night before their respective holidays. The custom was first[2][unreliable source?] mentioned in Georg Franck von Franckenau‘s De ovis paschalibus[3] (‘About Easter Eggs’) in 1682, referring to a German tradition of an Easter Hare bringing Easter eggs for the children. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Bunny )

Roses Are Red And I Am Blue

April 11, 2020 — 12 Comments

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 )

Welcome To The Duck Side. We Have Quackers.

April 10, 2020 — 11 Comments

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 )

Finding A Needle In The Haystack

April 9, 2020 — 8 Comments

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 )

 

 

Bad Hair Day: Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!

April 8, 2020 — 12 Comments

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 )