F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 100.
California Sea Lion
What do you call a seal in the desert?
Lost.
Interesting Fact: The California sea lion is a sleek animal, faster than any other sea lion or seal. These eared seals top out at speeds of some 25 miles (40 kilometers) an hour. ( http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/california-sea-lion/ )
F/6.3, 1/640, ISO 800.
Merlin
Why did the man fall down the well?
He couldn’t see that well.
Interesting Fact: Medieval European noblewomen—including Catherine the Great and Mary Queen of Scots—used Merlins for sport to hunt Skylarks. European and North American falconers continue to work with Merlins, hunting quarry that ranges from sparrow-sized to dove-sized. ( Merlin Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 400.
American Goldfinch
An angry wife was complaining about her husband spending all his free time in a bar, so one night he took her along with him. “What’ll you have?” he asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. The same as you I suppose,” she replied.
So, the husband ordered a couple of Jack Daniel’s and threw his down in one shot. His wife watched him, then took a sip from her glass and immediately spat it out.
“Yuck, that’s TERRIBLE!” she spluttered. “I don’t know how you can drink this stuff!”
“Well, there you go,” cried the husband. “And you think I’m out enjoying myself every night!”
Interesting Fact: American Goldfinches are the only finch that molts its body feathers twice a year, once in late winter and again in late summer. The brightening yellow of male goldfinches each spring is one welcome mark of approaching warm months. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/125, ISO 200.
Red-Eared Slider Turtle
What did one elevator say to the other?
I think I’m coming down with something!
Interesting Fact: Red-eared sliders are almost entirely aquatic, but as they are cold-blooded, they leave the water to sunbathe to regulate their temperature. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-eared_slider )
F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 320.
Yellow Warbler Immature (Northern)
How do you make an egg laugh?
Tell it a yolk.
Interesting Fact: In addition to the migratory form of the Yellow Warbler that breeds in North America, several other resident forms can be found in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Males in these populations can have chestnut caps or even chestnut covering the entire head. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow_Warbler/overview )
F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 320.
Red-Eared Slider Turtles
Why did the nurse go to art school?
To learn how to draw blood!
Interesting Fact: Red-eared sliders are almost entirely aquatic, but as they are cold-blooded, they leave the water to sunbathe to regulate their temperature. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-eared_slider )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 160.
Red-Eared Slider Turtles
What do turtles use to communicate?
A shellphone!
Interesting Fact: During brumation, T. s. elegans can survive anaerobically for weeks, producing ATP from glycolysis. The turtle’s metabolic rate drops dramatically, with heart rate and cardiac output dropping by 80% to minimise energy requirements.[25][26] The lactic acid produced is buffered by minerals in the shell, preventing acidosis.[27] Red-eared sliders kept captive indoors should not brumate. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-eared_slider )
F/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320.
Common Grackle
Tom is sitting on the ice all day fishing with no luck, not even a nibble. Cold and tired he is about to leave, when a guy walks up cuts a hole in the ice beside him, and starts pulling out fish as fast a he can drop his hook in the water. Tom cant believe it, he yells over ” whats your secret?” “woogatkakeptewrwm” he answers back. “what did you say?” replies Tom. The man spits a large ball of worms on the ice and says to Tom, ” you have to keep your worms warm”.
Interesting Fact: Those raggedy figures out in cornfields may be called scare-crows, but grackles are the #1 threat to corn. They eat ripening corn as well as corn sprouts, and their habit of foraging in big flocks means they have a multimillion dollar impact. Some people have tried to reduce their effects by spraying a foul-tasting chemical on corn sprouts or by culling grackles at their roosts. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Grackle/lifehistory )
F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 320.
Red-Eared Slider Turtle
What did the Sewage Worker say to his apprentice?
Urine for a surprise.
Interesting Fact: Red-eared sliders do not hibernate, but actually brumate; while they become less active, they do occasionally rise to the surface for food or air. Brumation can occur to varying degrees. In the wild, red-eared sliders brumate over the winter at the bottoms of ponds or shallow lakes. They generally become inactive in October, when temperatures fall below 10 °C (50 °F).[9] During this time, the turtles enter a state of sopor, during which they do not eat or defecate, they remain nearly motionless, and the frequency of their breathing falls. Individuals usually brumate underwater, but they have also been found under banks and rocks, and in hollow stumps. In warmer winter climates, they can become active and come to the surface for basking. When the temperature begins to drop again, however, they quickly return to a brumation state. Sliders generally come up for food in early March to as late as the end of April. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-eared_slider )
F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 800.
Merlin
What do you get if you cross LSD with birth control?
A trip without the kids!
Interesting Fact: The name “Merlin” comes from esmerillon, the old French name for the species. Merlins used to be called “pigeon hawks” because in flight they look somewhat pigeon-like. Their species name, columbarius, is also a reference to pigeons. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Merlin )
Through Open Lens 