i saw an interesting gull today. i'm guessing Ring-billed, but i wish short billed was realistic.
#birds

the unique Swan Goose (which is well named, i think) offered close-up views in dreary weather back in June. i remember this being the first time i felt really excited about my photos. that green compliments them so well!
#birds #photography

note the visible "sail frathers"! these are likely not native to your area, but not sure. good find, they're very beautiful.

mandarin duck!

i think the sogginess and the lighting mess it up. identifying is hard. catbirds are the only full body gray birds of this bill shape in your area, note the darker "cap" as well!

maybe a catbird? what a beautiful photo, i love moments like this!

more of the northern pintail. my favorite duck photos i take have water dripping off the beak 💧
#birds #photography

looking back on comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. what a magical sight #photography #astrophotography

gonna go with black-crowned night heron. the eye on the young yellow-crowned is usually a much brighter red but they otherwise look very similar! range this time of year seems more likely for the black crowned as well :)

night heron juvenile! i'm not sure if it's yellow or black crowned, i don't do Texas birds haha

a medium sized bird with a long blue tail, blue head and wings. its body is a fluffy gray, ruffled by the wind, and it perches forward on the edge of a tan roof. it has white feather "eyebrows" just above its eyes and some white on its chest too.

Mount princeton colorado in a slight golden hue. a blanket of clouds are drifting over the peak of it and only a bit of sun is showing through them.

lifer Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay from October. fun fact, this is the roof of a campsite bathroom 😅 very photogenic! this also happened just after a failed sunrise watch (full cloud cover). he cured the disappointment, but i still wish i saw the pink mountains.
#birds

happy sunrise from Colorado. new day and i feel much better!

i'll be back to posts tomorrow, i've been really sick with some kind of bug 🙁 hopefully i'll perk back up here soon

a female bullock's oriole- one of my first "notable" lifers as i was learning to ID the birds myself back in may. can't wait to have these little yellow birds back in the spring.
#birds

my lifer brown-headed nuthatch at the alabama wildlife center last July. such sweet little squeaky birds. i look forward to trying to visit again next summer!
#birds

i was struggling to find it, can i see the full photo for your banner/profile header? what a beautiful hummer!

domestic type muscovy, maybe still a hybrid but they have a very wide range of looks

i think i'll do a lifer a day for december. i wish you could schedule here.

a slightly scruffy, medium sized woodpecker with a yellow patch on the front of his crown. he is perched on a branch and looking at the camera curiously

the same woodpecker has switched branches, now crouched and looking ready to fly away.

one of my most memorable life-list additions came in the form of this american three-toed woodpecker. on a 6 mile hike, i heard a woodpecker many times and only saw one on the way back. it stayed just feet from me for a while, once even too close for the telephoto to focus. just amazing.
#birds

despite it being july i only saw 8 species that day. 4 lifers though, at that time. golden eagle, steller's jay (which i've seen before, but not since starting birding intentionally), american dipper, western flycatcher!

oh? it definitely is, about 2 hours. I'll have to find an occasion to visit!

thank you! they are incredible to watch

it was so interesting! i think i may stay nearby next spring and try to see a few more.

good luck on seeing one with the camera soon! i'm chasing a number of photo lifers myself haha

true! i had to drive 4 hours to see this one. chalk creek, CO

same bird as in the original post, but zoomed out. he is on a single rock in the middle of the creek.

same bird again, this time swimming

thank you very much! my favorite is this zoomed out one. although my camera struggles with the water reflections i also like the one of him taking a swim!

a smallish, pear shaped gray bird on a shining wet rock, looking out to the right. before him is a creek and more rocks, maybe with a meal he can find

my lifer american dipper from july 🪶 we had a delightful encounter that lasted nearly a half hour. he bobbed and swam and i just watched.
#birds #photography

A black and white Common Goldeneye swims in a lake. His eye is strikingly golden!

Saw my first Common Goldeneye today. No doubt about why they’re called that! #birds 🪶

for Black #Birds of #BlackFriday Here's 2 Rusty Blackbirds from this year, first is spring, the other fall. Theyre pretty infrequent here, I love their fall plumage and really want to get a good pic of it but they seem love shadowy secluded spaces. #Photography

i'm sure that was an unforgettable encounter! can't wait to see one for myself next spring.