F/8.0, 1/250, ISO 400.
Killdeer
Day 279 / 365
Why do birds fly south for the winter?
It’s quicker than driving.
Interesting Fact: They are ground-nesting birds that are famous for hiding their nests right out in the open. They really use no nesting materials and rely on distraction displays to protect their offspring. ( http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/101/overview/Killdeer.aspx )
F/9.0, 1/320, ISO 320.
Snowy Egrets
Day 278 / 365
Why did the Snowy Egret fly away when they get scared?
Because it didn’t want to run away like a chicken.
Interesting Fact: There is evidence that a pair of Snowy Egrets cannot recognize each other except at the nest. Even there, a bird arriving to relieve its mate must perform an elaborate greeting ceremony in order to avoid being attacked as an intruder. ( http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/48/_/Snowy_Egret.aspx )
F/ 6.3, 1/160, ISO 320.
Great Blue Heron
Day 273 / 365
What holiday is observed by all birds?
Feather’s Day!
Interesting Fact: Great Blue Herons aren’t likely to visit a typical backyard. However, they are sometimes unwelcome visitors to yards that include fish ponds. A length of drain pipe placed in the pond can provide fish with a place to hide from feeding herons. Herons, like most of our birds, are legally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_blue_heron/lifehistory )
F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 160.
Day 271 / 365
Why does the mermaid wear seashells?
Because she grew out of her B-shells.
Interesting Fact: The turn of a snail’s shell is called a whorl. In 99 percent of all snail species, that whorl goes in a clockwise direction. ( http://www.ehow.com/facts_5233555_seashell-kids.html )
F/6.3, 1/250, ISO 500, Photoshop CS6.
Day 270 / 365
How does a man on a moon get his haircut?
Eclipse it.
Interesting Fact: There is a total eclipse of the moon on the night of September 27-28, 2015. It happens to be the closest supermoon of 2015. It’s the Northern Hemisphere’s Harvest Moon, or full moon nearest the September equinox. It’s the Southern Hemisphere’s first full moon of spring. This September full moon is also called a Blood Moon, because it presents the fourth and final eclipse of a lunar tetrad: four straight total eclipses of the moon, spaced at six lunar months (full moons) apart. Phew! ( http://earthsky.org/tonight/total-lunar-eclipse-blood-moon-hunters-moon-september-27-28-2015 )
F/6.3, 1/2500, ISO 500, Photoshop CS6.
Day 266 / 365
When is the moon not hungry?
When it is full!
Interesting Fact: When a month has two full moons, the second full moon is called a blue moon. Another definition of a blue moon is the third full moon in any season (quarter of year) containing 4 total full moons. ( http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_facts.phtml )
F/11.0, 1/400, ISO 400.
House Sparrows
Day 263 / 365
Two small time thieves had been sent by the Big Boss to steal a van load of goods from a bathroom suppliers. One stayed in the van as look out and the other went into the storeroom. Fifteen minutes went by, then half an hour, then an hour, and no sign of him. The look out finally grew impatient and went to look for his partner. Inside the store the two came face to face. “Where have you been?” demanded the worried look out “The boss told me to take a bath, but I couldn’t find the soap and a towel.”
Interesting Fact: House Sparrows in flocks have a pecking order much the way chickens in a farmyard do. You can begin to decipher the standings by paying attention to the black throats of the males. Males with larger patches of black tend to be older and dominant over males with less black. By wearing this information on their feathers, sparrows can avoid some fights and thereby save energy. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Sparrow/lifehistory )
F/7.1, 1/160, ISO 100.
Greater Yellowlegs
Day 262 / 365
A man met a gorgeous woman and knew immediately that he wanted to marry her. “But, we don’t know anything about each other,” she said.
“That doesn’t matter,” he replied. “We’ll learn about each other as we go along.”
So, she agreed. They married and went to a beautiful resort for their honeymoon.
One morning, as they were laying by the pool, he got up off of his towel, climbed up to the diving board, and did a two and a half tuck gainer. This was followed by three rotations in a jackknife position, where he straightened out and cut the water like a knife. After a few more demonstrations, he came back and lay down on the towel.
“Wow,” she said, “That was incredible!”
“I used to be an Olympic diving champion,” he explained. “See, I told you we’d learn more about each other as we went along.”
With that, she got up, jumped into the pool, and started swimming laps. After about thirty laps, she climbed back out and lay down on her towel, barely out of breath.
“That was amazing!” he exclaimed. “Were you an Olympic endurance swimmer?”
“No,” she replied, “”I was a hooker in Venice and worked both sides of the canal!”
Interesting Fact: Although the Greater Yellowlegs is common and widespread, its low densities and tendency to breed in inhospitable, mosquito-ridden muskegs make it one of the least-studied shorebirds on the continent. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Greater_Yellowlegs/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/1250, ISO 400, Photoshop CS6.
American Kestrel
Day 260 / 365
Teacher: “What is the difference between a bird and fly?”
Student: “Well…a bird can fly…..but a fly can’t bird.”
Interesting Fact: Unlike humans, birds can see ultraviolet light. This enables kestrels to make out the trails of urine that voles, a common prey mammal, leave as they run along the ground. Like neon diner signs, these bright paths may highlight the way to a meal—as has been observed in the Eurasian Kestrel, a close relative. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Kestrel/lifehistory )
F/ 6.3, 1/60, ISO 1600.
American Robin
Day 259 / 365
What did the cat say after eating two robins lying in the sun?
I just love baskin’ robins.
Interesting Fact: Robins eat different types of food depending on the time of day: more earthworms in the morning and more fruit later in the day. Because the robin forages largely on lawns, it is vulnerable to pesticide poisoning and can be an important indicator of chemical pollution. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Robin/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 