How many BOTD time-outs do I need to earn a badge or a hearty handshake or such?

four chunky birds with black0barred bellies and streaky brown backs, in flight over a snowy field

Today’s Alt #BirdOfTheDay theme is #WhatTheFlock — any capture of three or more of the same bird.

Greater Prairie-Chicken, Kansas 2023

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Grouse #Prairie #FlyoverCountry

Mostly yellow bird with black wings, black crown, and yellow-orange bill, perched on yellow flowers (Jerusalem Artichoke)

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Petals&Perches — any bird with flowers in capture.

American Goldfinch, Kansas 2018

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Finches #Flowers #FlyoverCountry

The cardinals in my neighborhood are early risers AND also the last ones to hit the feeders before sundown. Overachievers.

Balloon Juice - On The Road - Albatrossity - Warblers! We have all singles this week!  But now I’ve used up all our singles, and I need a few more! There are three series coming up from BigJimSlade, Winter Wren, and Elma.  Time to submit something to OTR ...

My regular Monday contribution at Balloon Juice.

balloon-juice.com/2026/04/20/o...

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #FlyoverCountry

white-bellied bird with rufous wings and cap, dark face, and short sharp bill, perched on some small yellow flowers

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Turdidae — any of the bird species in this group.

Rusty-capped Nightingale Thrush, Costa Rica 2024

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography ##Thrush #CostaRica #PuraVida

gray-necked black-crowned bird with long sharp beak, in the process of eating a small fish

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #ComeEatWithMe — birds who have food in their beaks.

Great Blue Heron, Kansas 2019

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Herons #FlyoverCountry

brown-backed bird with short sharp bill and streaked brown-and-white underside, fluffed up and perched on a bare branch

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Finches, any Finch will do.

Pine Siskin, Kansas 2021

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Siskin #FlyoverCountry

Duck with rufous body, white head, and dark bill, resting on green grass

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #DucksOutOfWater — any Duck that is out of the water but NOT FLYING.

Paradise Shelduck, New Zealand 2014

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Aotearoa

It would be mansplaining, except that Pope Bob is more manly than JD(ivan) Vance...

shore bird with dark legs and bill, streaky brown head and back, and finely-streaked chest and flanks, perched near the water's edge

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Waders.

White-rumped Sandpiper, Kansas 2020

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Sandpipers #Migration #FlyoverCountry

bird with black-and-white barred back and tail, red crown and nape, and dark sharp bill. perched on a dead limb

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #FeederFriends — birds you might see at your feeder. They do not have to be on a feeder.

Red-bellied Woodpecker, Kansas 2025

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Woodpeckers #FlyoverCountry

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #HeadShots — any head shot will do. Here's one I shot this morning

Northern Cardinal, Kansas 2026

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #FlyoverCountry

two flying gray, white and black birds, each with a small fish in its beak, against a rocky backdrop

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Gulls.

Immature Bonaparte's Gull and adult Franklin's Gull, Kansas, yesterday

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Fishing #FlyoverCountry

Portrait of a bird with rusty neck, gray crown, black-and-white striped face, and long straight black bill, with blue water in the background

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #HeadShots — any head shot will do.

Wilson's Phalarope, Kansas 2017

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Shorebirds #Phalaropes #FlyoverCountry

Two large brown and white birds, perched atop a utility pole prior to copulation

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme today is ##CourtshiporConflict — birds courting or squabbling.

Rd-tailed Hawk, Kansas 2022

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Raptors #FlyoverCountry

Orange-red bird with dark tail, black head, and pointed beak, perched amongst newly-emerged leaves

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #LeafandLight — any bird captured in sunlight with leaves in frame.

Orchard Oriole, Kansas 2023

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Orioles #Icterids #FlyoverCountry

Red-bellied gray-backed bird perched on a branch and eating small orangish berries

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Robins — any Robin will do.

American Robin, Colorado 2022

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Thrushes #Colorado

white bellied brown-backed bird with longish dark bill striding through shallow water

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Reflections — any bird reflection.

Least Sandpiper, Kansas 2018

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Herons #Shorebirds #FlyoverCountry

Balloon Juice - On The Road - Albatrossity - Vireos! Who knows what awaits us this week, but at least we get to start off on a good note! Albatrossity Migration has begun here in Flyover Country, and probably where you live, except perhaps for Florida, ...

My regular Monday contribution at Balloon Juice.

balloon-juice.com/2026/04/13/o...

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #FlyoverCountry

Thanks! I'm glad folks appreciate them; they hlep keep me sane as well.

pair of birds with rufous backs, blue crowns, rufous and black-barred tails, and dark stripes on the head, perched on a utility wire

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Urban — birds in an urban environment.

American Kestrel, Kansas 2026

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #FlyoverCountry #Raptors

dark rufous bird with white face and neck, blue crown, long dark legs and long toes

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #JKLMNOP — any bird that has any of these letters at the beginning of their first or second names.

Let's start with the first one, J. African Jacana, Tanzania 2018

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Herons #LilyTrotter #Africa #Tanzania

White gull with black primary tips, dark bill and eye, and a dark smudge behind the eye, flying over water

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Gulls, any Gull will do.

Bonaparte's Gull, Kansas 2026

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #FlyoverCountry

gray-bodied bird with rufous and white neck, yellow eye, and long black bill, perched and waiting in the rain forest

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #LongNecks — birds with long necks.

Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Brazil 2010

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Herons #Amazonas #Brazil

Two birds perched on the ground, one brown and white with a dark mustache stripe, the other speckled brown

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Juveniles, any young bird capture.

Horned Lark, parent and juvenile, Kansas 2025

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Larks #TallgrassPrairie #FlyoverCountry

Side view of a bird with white underside, black wings, and crimson head, perched vertically on a tree trunk

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Woodland — birds you might find in Woodlands.

Red-headed Woodpecker, Kansas 2015

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Woodpeckers #FlyoverCountry

Yes, they all have an attitude, for sure. A friend of mine once commented that it chickadees were the size of collies, we would all be too terrified to go outside!

small streaky brown bird with upraised tail, perched astraddle two grass stems and scolding the photographer

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #Grass, any bird standing on Grass.

Sedge Wren, Kansas 2022

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Wrens #TallgrassPrairie #FlyoverCountry

Pale blue bird with darker blue head, short tail, and long black bill, perched facing away from the camera

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BirdButt — birds showing off the rear end to the photographer.

Pinyon Jay, Nevada 2024

#Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #BirdPhotography #Corvids #GreatBasin