Nikonusa

By Invitation Only!

September 10, 2023 — 7 Comments

F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 200.

Mallard Female

Why do barbers make good drivers?

They know all the shortcuts.

Interesting Fact: During egg-laying phase, she lines the nest with grasses, leaves, and twigs from nearby. She also pulls tall vegetation over to conceal herself and her nest. After incubation begins, she plucks down feathers from her breast to line the nest and cover her eggs. The finished nest is about a foot across, with a bowl for the eggs that is 1–6 inches deep and 6–9 inches across. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard/lifehistory )

I Am Happy To See You!

September 9, 2023 — 4 Comments

F11.0, 1/500, ISO 400.

Ruddy Ducks

What do you call a bee that lives in America?

A USB

Interesting Fact: Ruddy Ducks are very aggressive toward each other and toward other species, especially during the breeding season. Unlike most ducks, they form pairs only after arriving on the breeding grounds each year. Males perform unusual courtship displays in which they stick their tails straight up while striking their bills against their inflated necks, creating bubbles in the water as air is forced from their feathers. They punctuate the end of the display with a belch-like call. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )

 

Once You Stop Chasing The Wrong Things, The Right Ones Catch You.

September 8, 2023 — 2 Comments

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 160.

Wood Duck

How does a man show he’s planning for the future?

He buys two cases of Beer instead of one.

Interesting Fact: Wood ducks cavities are typically places where a branch has broken off and the tree’s heartwood has subsequently rotted. Woodpecker cavities are used less frequently. Wood Ducks cannot make their own cavities. The nest tree is normally situated near to or over water, though Wood Ducks will use cavities up to 1.2 miles from water. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/lifehistory )

 

 

Never Bend Your Head. Always Hold It High. Look The World Straight In The Eye.

September 1, 2023 — 15 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 320.

Curve-billed Thrasher

A wife says, “Hey! Look at that funny guy whose been drinking a lot.”

The husband responds, “Who is he?”

The wife answers, “Well, five years ago, he was my boyfriend and I denied him for marriage.”

The husband says, “Oh my God! He’s still celebrating his freedom!”

Interesting Fact: The Curve-billed Thrasher that lives in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and northwestern Mexico looks different than the form that lives in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and central Mexico, and they may be separate species. The Texas and eastern bird has a lighter breast, more contrasting spots, pale wingbars, and white tail corners. The more western form has a grayer breast with less obvious spots, inconspicuous wingbars, and smaller, more grayish tail corners. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Curve-billed_Thrasher/lifehistory )

TAIL Me What You Think?

August 31, 2023 — 20 Comments

F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 200.

Great-tailed Grackle

Why did Frosty the snowman want a divorce?

Because he thought his wife was a flake

Interesting Fact: In winter, enormous flocks of both male and female Great-tailed Grackles gather in “roost trees.” These winter roosts can contain thousands of individuals, with flocks of up to half a million occurring in sugarcane fields in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley. (  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great-tailed_Grackle/overview  )

Caution Chicks At Play! 

August 28, 2023 — 14 Comments

F/5.6, 1/1000, ISO 200.

Wild Turkeys Chicks

What did the mama turkey say to her naughty son?

If your papa could see you now, he’d turn over in his gravy!

Interesting Fact: Male Wild Turkeys provide no parental care. Newly hatched chicks follow the female, who feeds them for a few days until they learn to find food on their own. As the chicks grow, they band into groups composed of several hens and their broods. Winter groups sometimes exceed 200 turkeys. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/lifehistory )

You Can’t Control Everything Your Hair Was Put On Your Head To Remind You Of That!

August 26, 2023 — 18 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 200.

Snowy Egret

Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon?

They’ve got great food, but no atmosphere.

Interesting Fact: The Snowy Egret eats mostly aquatic animals, including fish, frogs, worms, crustaceans, and insects. It often uses its bright yellow feet to paddle in the water or probe in the mud, rounding up prey before striking with its bill.  ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Egret/lifehistory )

 

I Don’t Have A Short Attention Span, I Just… Oh, Look A Butterfly!

August 24, 2023 — 1 Comment

F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.

Butterfly

Why was the broom late?

It over swept!

Interesting Fact: Butterflies in their adult stage can live from a week to nearly a year depending on the species. Many species have long larval life stages while others can remain dormant in their pupal or egg stages and thereby survive winters.[30] The Melissa Arctic (Oeneis melissa) overwinters twice as a caterpillar.[31] Butterflies may have one or more broods per year. The number of generations per year varies from temperate to tropical regions with tropical regions showing a trend towards multivoltinism. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly )

 

The Awkward Moment When You’re In Deep Thought, Then Realize You’re Staring Directly at Someone…

August 21, 2023 — 12 Comments

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 400.

Ring-billed Gull 

Two guys are talking:

Guy 1: I’m on a .

Guy 2: Really.

Guy 1: I’ve lost three days already.

Interesting Fact: Some Ring-billed Gull nests at study sites in California and Oregon contained pebbles the size and shape of gull eggs. The parents apparently pulled the pebbles into their nests from the surrounding ground, mistaking them for eggs gone astray. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-billed_Gull/lifehistory )

 

 

I Have Chills All Over My Body.

August 20, 2023 — 10 Comments

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 320.

Red-winged Blackbird

Which runs faster, hot or cold?

Hot. Everyone can catch cold.

One California subspecies of the Red-winged Blackbird lacks the yellow borders to the red shoulders (epaulets) and has been dubbed the “bicolored blackbird.” Some scientists think this plumage difference may help Red-winged Blackbirds recognize each other where their range overlaps with the similar Tricolored Blackbird. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/lifehistory )