Thank you!!

LeConte's sparrow popping out from some grass

LeConte's sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii) – This gorgeous bird was found in West Michigan last week, and I was fortunate to see it. As I watched it forage, it almost looked more like a mouse than a bird!

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Awesome!

Thank you!

Peregrine falcon in an enclosure

Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) – Last week my family & I visited a local center where they care for permanently injured or disabled birds of prey. This gorgeous falcon was one of the birds we saw.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Young New Zealand bellbird perched on a branch

Korimako / New Zealand bellbird (Anthornis melanura) – From the Instagram archive… A young nectar-feeder from my first visit to Tiritiri Matangi in January 2020.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Turkey vulture soaring against a blue sky

Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) – These birds are back in full force in West Michigan. Their scientific name speaks to their vital role as scavengers, meaning "golden purifier" or "cleansing breeze".

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Black-throated green warbler on a branch

Black-throated green warbler (Setophaga virens) – From the Instagram archive… I’ve got warbler fever, and the only cure is spring migration.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Thank you, Alan!

Canada warbler perched on a branch

Canada warbler (Cardellina canadensis) – For #WarblerWednesday, here's one of my favorites that I don't lay eyes on very often.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Osprey in flight

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) – From the Instagram archive… Our nearby ospreys are back, and they have opted to shun the new nesting platform in favor of rebuilding their nest on their old utility pole!

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Ruby-crowned kinglet perched on a thin branch with a bit of its namesake crest showing

Ruby-crowned kinglet (Corthylio calendula) – It's always amazing to see these hyperactive birds. I saw my 1st of the year last week but didn't have my camera due to rain. So here's a pic from last spring.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Male American goldfinch perched on a petiole

American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) – From the Instagram archive… Just yesterday I noticed some of the color coming in nicely on the male goldfinches visiting our feeders.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Northern waterthrush perched on a branch amongst many twigs

Northern waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) – Happy #WarblerWednesday! Here's a frame from an amazing photo shoot that I had with this cheeky little bird a couple springs ago.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Palm warbler perched on a branch

Palm warbler (Setophaga palmarum) – From the Instagram archive… The warblers are coming! Someone in West Michigan just reported the first palm warbler of the season, so that's exciting.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Song sparrow singing from the tip of a branch

Song sparrow perched on the tip of a branch

Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) – Putting on the tea kettle with a handsome song sparrow.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Male wood duck swimming on a pond

Male wood duck swimming on a pond

Wood duck (Aix sponsa) – A gorgeous male wood duck from last spring. Its genus and species mean "waterbird in bridal dress."

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Eastern kingbird perched in a tree

Eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) – From the Instagram archive… I'm looking forward to the imminent return of these noisy tyrants!

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

I learned so much from Bill during my years in Ann Arbor, and I consider it a true privilege to call him a mentor and friend!

Northern yellow warbler on a branch with a bunch of grubs in its beak

Northern yellow warbler on a branch with a bunch of grubs in its beak

Northern yellow warbler (Setophaga aestiva) – For #WarblerWednesday, here's a northern yellow warbler from last spring with its beak full of breakfast.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Solitary sandpiper in a flooded turf field with a frog sticking its head out of the water nearby

Solitary sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) – From the Instagram archive… A sandpiper in a flooded turf field plus a bonus amphibian!

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Osprey perched on top of a utility pole

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) – We've recently had several ospreys nesting on utility poles by us, & now there are new nesting platforms nearby. I'm anxious to see what the ospreys will do when they return!

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Thanks!

Thanks, Tom!

Black-throated blue warbler singing in a blossoming crab apple tree

Black-throated blue warbler perched on a vine

Black-throated blue warbler (Setophaga caerulescens) – It's #WarblerWednesday, and spring is nigh. So here's a bluish moth-eater (what its genus and species mean) that I glimpsed last spring.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Bay-breasted warbler in its non-breeding plumage

Bay-breasted warbler (Setophaga castanea) – From the Instagram archive… I captured this photo at my favorite local park at the end of summer, after this bird had moved into its non-breeding plumage.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Red fox running along a snow-covered sand dune

Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) – It's time for a sporadically scheduled #MammalMonday! I was shocked to encounter this red fox cavorting along the channel between Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa when I was in Holland last month.

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#wildlifephotography

Spotted sandpiper perched on a gray rock with a very blue Lake Michigan in the background

Spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularius) – Even though it had lost the namesake spots on its breast after breeding season, this bird was recognizable due to its incessant tail-bobbing behavior.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Northern parula perched on a slender twig

Northern parula (Setophaga americana) – The name parula means "little titmouse," reflecting how this wood-warbler species was once classified in the same family as titmice and chickadees.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography

Male long-tailed duck swimming on Lake Michigan

Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) – These diving sea ducks are among the most striking winter visitors here in West Michigan.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography