F/6.3, 1/1000, ISO 640.
Great Blue Heron
Why did the student wear eye-glasses in math class?
It improved DiVision !
Interesting Fact: In flight the Great Blue Heron folds it neck into an “S” shape and trails its long legs behind, dangling them as it prepares to land or when courting. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 250.
Northern Pintail Duck
What did the salad say to the fridge?
Shut the door, I’m dressing!
Interesting Fact: Seemingly at home on land and water, Northern Pintails waddle through fields and swim gracefully with the tail pointed upwards. They erupt in flight from the water’s surface at a moment’s notice, wheeling and darting through the air on their slender wings. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pintail/lifehistory )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.
Ruddy Duck
Why are Christmas trees so bad at sewing?
They always drop their needles!
Interesting Fact: 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. Courting males also lower their tails and run across the water, making popping sounds with their feet. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/250, ISO 1600.
Ring-Necked Pheasant
How do snowmen get around?
They ride an icicle!
Interesting Fact: Male Ring-necked Pheasants may harass other ground-nesting birds, such as the Gray Partridge and the Greater Prairie-Chicken. Female pheasants sometimes lay their own eggs in these birds’ nests. This may explain why some male pheasants have been seen chasing away male prairie-chickens and courting females—the pheasants may have been raised in prairie-chicken nests and imprinted on the wrong species. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ring-necked_Pheasant# )
F/22.0, 87.0, ISO 125.
Jersey City Downtown
What did the stamp say to the Christmas card?
Stick with me and we’ll go places!
Interesting Fact: The first known electrically illuminated Christmas tree was the creation of Edward H. Johnson, an associate of inventor Thomas Edison. While he was vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, a predecessor of today’s Con Edison electric utility, he had Christmas tree light bulbs especially made for him. He proudly displayed his Christmas tree, which was hand-wired with 80 red, white and blue electric incandescent light bulbs the size of walnuts, on December 22, 1882 at his home on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Local newspapers ignored the story, seeing it as a publicity stunt. However, it was published by a Detroit newspaper reporter, and Johnson has become widely regarded as the Father of Electric Christmas Tree Lights. By 1900, businesses started stringing up Christmas lights behind their windows.[14] Christmas lights were too expensive for the average person; as such, electric Christmas lights did not become the majority replacement for candles until 1930. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_lights#History )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 250.
Bufflehead Duck male
Why was the snowman looking through the carrots?
He was picking his nose!
Interesting Fact: During the winter, look for these tiny, black-and-white ducks in sheltered coves along the Atlantic or Pacific coast, or on inland ponds in southern North America. While foraging they spend half their time underwater, so scan carefully and patiently. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bufflehead/ )
F/6.3, 1/60, ISO 640.
American Black Bear
What do you call a knight who lets people borrow his stuff?
Sir lends a lot
Interesting Facts: When winter arrives, black bears spend the season dormant in their dens, feeding on body fat they have built up by eating ravenously all summer and fall. They make their dens in caves, burrows, brush piles, or other sheltered spots—sometimes even in tree holes high above the ground. Black bears den for various lengths of time governed by the diverse climates in which they live, from Canada to northern Mexico. ( https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/a/american-black-bear/ )
F/5.0, 1/60, ISO 320.
Happy Halloween!
What does a skeleton orders at a restaurant?
Spare ribs!!!
Interesting Fact: Today’s Halloween customs are thought to have been influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries, some of which are believed to have pagan roots.[35][36]Jack Santino, a folklorist, writes that “there was throughout Ireland an uneasy truce existing between customs and beliefs associated with Christianity and those associated with religions that were Irish before Christianity arrived”.[37] Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while “some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain, which comes from the Old Irish for “summer’s end”. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween#History )
F/5,6, 1/400, ISO 125.
Tree Swallow
How do you make a water bed more bouncy?
Use spring water.
Interesting Fact: The Tree Swallow—which is most often seen in open, treeless areas—gets its name from its habit of nesting in tree cavities. They also take readily to nest boxes. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/tree_swallow/lifehistory )
F/5.6, 1/500, ISO 250.
Shark Week
American Coot
Spiny Dogfish Shark
Why do sharks make terrible lawyers?
They’re too nice!
Interesting Fact: Although it swims like a duck, the American Coot does not have webbed feet like a duck. Instead, each one of the coot’s long toes has broad lobes of skin that help it kick through the water. The broad lobes fold back each time the bird lifts its foot, so it doesn’t impede walking on dry land, though it supports the bird’s weight on mucky ground. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Coot )
Through Open Lens 