A warbler with white undersides, red face, and black cap looking at the viewer.

An inquisitive Red-faced Warbler in New Mexico 🪶

A Mallard looking at the water it is standing in, possibly looking at its own reflection. Photo taken in Southern California.

A bit of self reflection 🪶

Two wading birds that have speckled dark over a lighter plumage and yellow legs. They look very similar, but one is much larger. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

This morning I managed to get both a Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs in the same frame for the first time. 🪶

Two Purple Martins at a bird house, the male looks to be screaming at the female. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

The Purple Martins are back in West Texas. I wonder what this female (right) is thinking in this moment. 🪶

BREAKING: Trump Administration Orders Dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service The headquarters is going to Utah. Every regional office is being shuttered. The research program is being destroyed.

The US Forest Service. This is madness. Illegal, obviously. But madness even if it weren’t. WTAF

morethanjustparks.substack.com/p/breaking-t...

A Black-crested Titmouse in a juniper at Lost Maples State Natural Area. This individual stole some of my cheese off my plate a few minutes earlier.

This thief stole a piece of cheese from my breakfast burrito while I made my coffee. Watch out for them in Hill Country! 🪶

Sparrow perched on a branch. It has a prominent black throat and white stripes on the side of its face. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

A Black-throated Sparrow, uncommon for our area in west Texas 🪶

feeding

A brown creeper hanging from a tree branch. The top of its head is pointed toward the viewer and you can see its undersides.

Not the usual view you get of a Brown Creeper 🪶

Duck with iridescent head, yellow eye, and large bill in water. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

This time of year the Northern Shovelers are some of the most common ducks here in West Texas, giving plenty of photo opportunities. 🪶

A rodent with large teeth and long claws eating some plant material. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

Watched this pocket gopher for a bit today moving in and out of its hole to grab and chew on plant material. They seem to be mostly nocturnal, so it is always nice getting a good view of one.

A pale raptor with ferruginous wings and leg feathers. It is eating a small mammal. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

A pale raptor with ferruginous wings and leg feathers. It is eating a small mammal. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

A Ferruginous Hawk with its lunch. A Red-Tailed Hawk later stole the remaining food from it. 🪶

Blue, rufous-orange, and white kingfisher perched on a branch. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

And a nice picture of the kingfisher 🪶

A blue and white and rufous kingfisher perched on a branch. It is projectile #2ing. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

A Belted Kingfisher telling me what it thinks about me hiking near its fishing spot 🪶

Large dark eagle with white head. Its wings and legs are outstretched as it is about to land on ice. Photo taken at Lake Perry, KS.

Saw a bunch of eagles this morning, including this one landing on a frozen lake in Kansas 🪶

A red Northern Cardinal hanging upside down on a branch to eat a berry at the tip of the branch. Photo taken in Lawrence, KS.

An acrobatic Northern Cardinal 🪶

A medium-sized duck with orange legs, a green head, yellow eye, white breast, rufous belly, and long, shovel-like bill walking on ice. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

Northern Shoveler on West Texas ice 🪶

A Great Blue Heron looking at the viewer. Its throat feathers are splayed out very fabulously. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

A very fabulous looking Great Blue Heron, with a snowy backdrop 🪶

A small streaky sparrow with buffy colors under streak perched on a branch in the snow. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

Lincoln's Sparrow in the snow 🪶

Wilson's Snipe feeding alongside stream in the snow. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

Wilson's Snipe feeding alongside stream in the snow. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

What is takes to be a snipe during a snowstorm 🪶

Thrush with spotted breast perched on snowy branch with snow flakes blurred in background. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

Hermit Thrush during this afternoon's snow in West Texas 🪶

Finch with red on face and breast perched on a branch. There are small streaks of snow blurred in the photo. Taken in Lubbock, TX.

House finch floofed up in the snow. You can see a few snow flakes streaking by in the photo. 🪶

Six thrushes with dark backs and reddish-orange undersides drinking from shoreline covered in snow. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX

Robins in West Texas snow 🪶

A colorful warbler with gray head, light undersides with yellow flanks, and dark upperparts. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

Not a common winter visitor here, a January American Redstart 🪶

A large woodpecker with a red mustache, slight red on nape, spotted undersides and barred back. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

A hybrid or admixed red-shafted x yellow shafted Northern Flicker 🪶

Neck and head of a Great Blue Heron in front of an orangish-brown background. It has orange, grayish-blue, and white feathers. Its eyes have bright yellow irises. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

This Great Blue Heron was fishing and didn't mind me so I waited to get a nice headshot. 🪶

A medium-sized duck with a green head, brown and white body, and orange feet flying over a wetland in Lubbock, TX.

Northern Shoveler in flight 🪶

Photo of head and neck of a Great Blue Heron, looking somewhat toward the viewer. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

Great Blue Heron keeping an eye on me while fishing 🪶

Large heron standing in shallow water surrounded by a geometric pattern of concrete in a dam spillway. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

Large heron standing in shallow water surrounded by concrete in a dam spillway. Photo taken in Lubbock, TX.

Two different angles of a Great Blue Heron in a spillway🪶

A blackbird with a red and yellow patch on its wing, perched on a small branch in front of a brownish background. Photo taken in January 2026 in Lubbock, TX.

Red-Winged Blackbird in the typical pose 🪶