F/ 9.0, 1/320, ISO 500.
Red-tailed Hawk
Day 319 / 365
What birds spend all their time on their knees?
Birds of prey!
Interesting Fact: Birds are amazingly adapted for life in the air. The Red-tailed Hawk is one of the largest birds you’ll see in North America, yet even the biggest females weigh in at only about 3 pounds. A similar-sized small dog might weigh 10 times that. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/lifehistory )
F/ 11.0, 1/400, ISO 320.
Gadwall Ducks
Ring Billed Gulls
Day 218 / 365
A duck goes into a bar and says, ‘I would like a drink. I am old enough.’
The bartender replies, ‘You need to be able to prove who you are.’
The duck pulls out a mirror. He looks in it, nods his head, and says, ‘Yep, that’s me.’
.
Interesting Fact: Female Gadwall produce an egg a day while they are laying their 7–12-egg clutches. To meet their demand for protein during this stressful time, female Gadwall eat more invertebrates than males during this period—in addition to using reserves of nutrients they’ve stored in their bodies during the winter. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gadwall/lifehistory )
F/ 10.0, 1/400, ISO 250.
Ruddy Duck
Day 312 / 365
What did the duck say when he dropped the dishes?
I hope I didn’t quack any!”
Interesting Fact: Though Ruddy Ducks are native to the Americas, one population became established in England after captive ducks escaped in 1952. This population grew to about 3,500 individuals by 1992, and now appears to be expanding into the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and Spain. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory ).
F/ 13.0, 1/640, ISO 800.
Ruddy Duck
Day 298 / 365
A man and a duck are walking down the street together. Suddenly the man notices a low-flying airplane coming right for them. The man yells “DUCK!!!!” and the duck looks back at the man with an angry face and yells “MAN!!!!”
Interesting Fact: Ruddy Ducks are very aggressive toward each other and toward other species, especially during the breeding season. They are even known to chase rabbits feeding on the shore. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruddy_Duck/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/160, ISO 500.
Green-Winged Teal
Day 292 / 365
A duck, a skunk and a deer went out for dinner at a restaurant one night.
When it came time to pay,
the skunk didn’t have a scent,
the deer didn’t have a buck,
so they put the meal on the duck’s bill.
Interesting Fact: Green-winged Teal, more than any other species of duck, prefer to seek food on mud flats. Where mud flats are lacking, they prefer shallow marshes or temporarily flooded agricultural lands. They usually eat vegetative matter consisting of seeds, stems, and leaves of aquatic and emergent vegetation. ( http://www.withmephotographyblog.com/8-interesting-facts-about-the-green-winged-teal )
F/10.0, 1/400, ISO 250.
Peregrine Falcon
Day 291 / 365
What birds spend all their time on their knees?
Birds of prey!
Interesting Fact: The name “peregrine” means wanderer, and the Peregrine Falcon has one of the longest migrations of any North American bird. Tundra-nesting falcons winter in South America, and may move 25,000 km (15,500 mi) in a year. Maps of the migration of individual falcons determined by satellite telemetry can be seen at Environment Canada. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Peregrine_Falcon/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/500, ISO 800.
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Day 289 / 365
When is the best time to buy birds?
When they’re going cheap!
Interesting Fact: The tiny Golden-crowned Kinglet is hardier than it looks, routinely wintering in areas where nighttime temperatures can fall below –40° Fahrenheit. ( https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden-crowned_Kinglet/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/80, ISO 1000.
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Day 288 / 365
I was in a park earlier and I saw a “keep off the grass” sign.
I couldn’t help but think… how did it get there?
Interesting Fact: Yellow-rumped Warblers are perhaps the most versatile foragers of all warblers. They’re the warbler you’re most likely to see fluttering out from a tree to catch a flying insect, and they’re also quick to switch over to eating berries in fall. Other places Yellow-rumped Warblers have been spotted foraging include picking at insects on washed-up seaweed at the beach, skimming insects from the surface of rivers and the ocean, picking them out of spiderwebs, and grabbing them off piles of manure. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-rumped_Warbler/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/640, ISO 5600.
American Tree Sparrow
Day 287 / 365
Older couple were walking through the park when a sparrow flew overhead. The bird poop landed right on old man’s head.
Seeing the mess, old woman said, “I wish we had some toilet tissue.”
The Old man replied, “What good would it do. He’s probably a half a mile away by now.”
Interesting Fact: American Tree Sparrows need to take in about 30 percent of their body weight in food and a similar percentage in water each day. A full day’s fasting is usually a death sentence. Their body temperature drops and they lose nearly a fifth of their weight in that short time. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Tree_Sparrow/lifehistory )
F/6.3, 1/640, ISO 6400.
Pied-Billed Grebe ( Juvenile )
Day 286 / 365
What robs you while you’re in the bathtub?
A robber ducky.
Interesting Fact: Pied-billed Grebes can trap water in their feathers, giving them great control over their buoyancy. They can sink deeply or stay just at or below the surface, exposing as much or as little of the body as they wish. The water-trapping ability may also aid in the pursuit of prey by reducing drag in turbulent water. ( http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pied-billed_Grebe/lifehistory )
Through Open Lens 