wet

Freezing Wipeout!

January 15, 2016 — 5 Comments

surfing wipeouts

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 800.

Two surfers are at getting ready to paddle out: Surfer one: “Hey, guess what! I got a new longboard for my wife!” Surfer two: “Great trade!”

Interesting Fact: For centuries, surfing was a central part of ancient Polynesian culture. Surfing may have first been observed by Europeans at Tahiti in 1767 by Samuel Wallis and the crew members of the Dolphin who were the first Europeans to visit the island in June of that year. Another candidate is the botanist Joseph Banks[2] being part of the first voyage of James Cook on the HMS Endeavour, who arrived on Tahiti on 10 April 1769. Lieutenant James King was the first person to write about the art of surfing on Hawaii when he was completing the journals of Captain James Cook upon Cook’s death in 1779. ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfing )

What Is Good For The Goose Is Good For Gander

January 12, 2016 — 12 Comments

Brant

F/ 6.3, 1/500, ISO 200.

Brants Geese

The devout cowboy lost his favorite Bible while he was mending fences out on the range.
Three weeks later, a goose walked up to him carrying the Bible in its mouth.
The cowboy couldn’t believe his eyes.
He took the precious book out of the goose’s mouth, raised his eyes heavenward and exclaimed, “It’s a miracle!”
“Not really,” said the goose. “Your name is written inside the cover.”

Interesting Fact: They possess a highly developed salt gland that allows them to drink salt water. ( http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/290/overview/Brant.aspx )

We Are Always Landing On Our Feet

January 10, 2016 — 18 Comments

Common Merganser

F/8.0, 1/2000, ISO 800.

Common Merganser

Duck Week Last Day

A duck walks into a bar and says to the bar tender “I’ll have a beer”.

The bartender says “Hey! where did you come from?”

The duck says “I’m working the construction site across the street”.

And the bartender says, “Well why are you working construction when you could be making millions in the circus?”

And the duck said “What would the circus want with a brick laying duck?”

 

Interesting Fact: You may see gulls trailing flocks of foraging Common Mergansers. They wait for the ducks to come to the surface and then try to steal their prey rather than fishing on their own. Occasionally even a Bald Eagle will try to steal a fish from a merganser. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Merganser/lifehistory )

I Hear You Loud And Clear!

January 7, 2016 — 24 Comments

Ruddy Duck

F/ 9.0, 1/320, ISO 250.

Ruddy Duck

Duck Week Continues!

A duck walks into a bar, sits down at the barstool, and waits for the bartender. The bartender walks up, hands the duck a menu, waits a while, and comes back to take his order. “What’ll it be?” the bartender says.

The duck says, “I think I’ll have the grapes.”

“Well, I’m sorry sir, but this is a bar, we don’t serve grapes here. Now, I’ll let you look a bit longer and wave when you know what you want.”

The duck looks at the menu, then waves the bartender down.

“Ok, you got your order?” The duck nods, saying, “I’ll think I’ll have the grapes.”

The bartender, kind of peeved from the duck, says, “Look Mac, we don’t have any grapes here. This is a bar. We don’t serve grapes, so what will you have?!”

The duck looks at him in the eyes and says, “I’ll have the grapes.”

The bartender, enraged, shouts, “If you ask for the grapes one more time I’m going to nail your feathered a** to the barstool!!” The bartender cools off a bit. “Now what will you get?!”

“Got any nails?”

“OF COURSE WE DON’T HAVE ANY NAILS! WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS? A HARDWARE STORE?”

“Good, got any grapes?”

Interesting Fact: Ruddy Ducks get harassed by Horned Grebes, Pied-billed Grebes, and American Coots during the breeding season. The grebes sometimes attack Ruddy Ducks from below the water, a behavior known as “submarining.” ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )

It’s About To Get Real!

January 6, 2016 — 36 Comments

common merganser female and swan

F/ 7.1, 1/1600, ISO 400.

Common Merganser ( Female )

Mute Swan 

Duck Week Continues!

What do baby swans dance to?

Cygnet-ure-tunes!

Interesting Fact: Young Common Mergansers leave their nest hole within a day or so of hatching. The flightless chicks leap from the nest entrance and tumble to the forest floor. The mother protects the chicks, but they catch all of their own food. They start by diving for aquatic insects and switch over to fish at about 12 days old. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Merganser/lifehistory )

Duck Punk!

January 5, 2016 — 43 Comments

hooded merganser female

F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 250.

Hooded Merganser ( Female )

Duck Week Continues!

What do ducks like to eat?

Quackers!

Interesting Fact: Hooded Mergansers find their prey underwater by sight. They can actually change the refractive properties of their eyes to improve their underwater vision. In addition, they have an extra eyelid, called a “nictitating membrane,” which is transparent and helps protect the eye during swimming, like a pair of goggles. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/lifehistory )

That’s Quacktastic !

January 4, 2016 — 26 Comments

Wood Duck

F/ 6.3, 1/40, ISO 1600.

Wood Duck

Duck Week Continues!

What do you get when you cross a duck with a computer?

A quackintosh.

Interesting Fact: Wood Ducks pair up in January, and most birds arriving at the breeding grounds in the spring are already paired. The Wood Duck is the only North American duck that regularly produces two broods in one year. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/lifehistory )

Swimming With Purpose!

January 3, 2016 — 12 Comments

Harlequin Duck

F/ 10.0, 1/400, ISO 400.

Harlequin Duck

Duck Week!

What time does a duck wake up?

At the quack of dawn!

Interesting Fact: When engaged in behavioral interactions, the Harlequin Duck gives distinctly unducklike squeaks, the source of one of its local names: sea mouse. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Harlequin_Duck/lifehistory )

My New Years Resolution Is 1080p

January 1, 2016 — 46 Comments

2016

Happy New Year Everyone!

Welcome 2016!

F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 400.

New Years Resolutions List

  1. Lose weight by inventing an anti-gravity machine
  2. Stop repeating myself again, and again, and again.
  3. I will read the manual… just as soon as I can find it.
  4. I will stop making lists…..

Interesting Fact: There are two ways to make ice sculpture: You can carve into a block of ice or make a mold. Blocks of ice are obtained from frozen rivers and lakes. Typically water that freezes slowly makes clear ice and is preferred by artists to make ice sculptures. In some places, artificial blocks of ice are made for this purpose. ( http://www.ehow.com/about_5393158_history-ice-sculptures.html )

 

 

Last Day!!!

December 31, 2015 — 50 Comments

Beavertail Lighthouse

F/11.0, 1/500, ISO 400.

Day 365 / 365

What did the ocean say to the lighthouse?

Nothing; it just waved.

Interesting Fact: Prior to the establishment of a lighthouse at Beavertail, local Native Americans would keep pitch fires burning, to warn sailors away from the rocky coastline. The earliest records of the town of Jamestown making reference to construction of a beacon date to 1712, and mention a watch house in 1705.[2] In 1749, a wooden tower was built, and the light (which was then known as “Newport Light”) became the third lighthouse established in the colonies, preceded only by Boston Light in Boston Harbor, and Brant Point Light, Nantucket. A fire was lit at the top of the tower, as was common for the time. Four years later it burned down and was replaced by a stone tower. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beavertail_Lighthouse#History )