Male House Finch

I was taking photos of a female House Finch when the male landed in this lovely light on this open branch. He gave me a couple of quick glances before turning his attention to his mate and then moving along.

Immature Female Hooded Warbler

I could use some help with this beautiful bird. I don't know how to describe the color. It's not precisely yellow or tan. Would you call it gold? As close as I can come to identification is an immature female Hooded Warbler. I'm hoping a more experienced birder can help.

Carolina Chickadee

I loved the light on this Carolina Chickadee for the way it revealed his bold markings and fine feather detail. He was friendly and very curious, always seeming to select a perch where I could watch him, or more importantly, where he could watch me.

Male Red-winged Blackbird

This male Red-winged Blackbird landed and fluffed his wings a bit just after sunrise. Other males were calling, but he was surprisingly silent. He changed positions a few times, glancing at me occasionally, but seemed content to hold his ground as the sun rose higher.

Male Eastern Bluebird

The Eastern Bluebird can brighten even the dullest day. There was a pair in the area, and I was hoping this male would come out on a clear branch, but he was apparently comfortable where he was. Fortunately, there was just enough light on him to get this shot.

Male American Goldfinch

I had been watching this male American Goldfinch fly around the area, usually hiding in a tangle of small branches. He moved often and even more quickly when I raised my camera, but I was ready when he landed on this more open branch.

White-breasted Nuthatch

I've never thought of birds as being "snooty," until I saw this White-breasted Nuthatch. Not only wouldn't he give me a profile shot or show any of his back colors, but he also lifted his nose as if thumbing it at me, deciding this would be all I got, and then he was gone.

Cooper's Hawk

This Cooper's Hawk in sunset light and surrounded by feathers is a classic "Circle of Life" photo. I had to cross a ditch and hide behind bushes as I weaved my way to her. The last hurdle was getting close enough to get a shot without scaring her off.

Eastern Phoebe

This beautiful bird is almost certainly an Eastern Phoebe, but it has a warm colored belly. It was obscured by a tangle of branches, and there was no way to get a clear shot. Then he flew to this open branch, pausing long enough for me to get this.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Capturing this male Ruby-throated Hummingbird in flight was a challenge that took many attempts. Depending on the light and angle of view, his throat can appear various shades of red or even black, so I was happy to catch him in this light.

Male Indigo Bunting

Initially, this male Indigo Bunting flew away every time I pointed the camera at him but didn't go far. He eventually stayed put long enough to give me this over the shoulder glance just before taking off again.

White-crowned Sparrow

I love sparrows and still remember how taken I was on first seeing the White-crowned. This one seemed to be staring me down, but not showing any of his warm brown feathers until another bird landed nearby. The sun helped me get lots of details down to his tiny little fingernails.

Male Northern Cardinal

Sometimes I "think" a bird is watching me, but in this case, I was sure of it. This male Northern Cardinal landed behind one tree and then another, occasionally peeking out at me. It was brief, so at first, I wasn't prepared, but I was ready the third time and captured this shot.

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

This male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was part of a pair. I had been watching them interact when the female landed nearby, but in the dense brush where I couldn't get a photo. Then the male followed her, but landed in the clear, allowing me to get this shot.

Female Northern Cardinal

I noticed a few birds in a grassy area between trees. I decided to get low and see if I could get a good shot. After a while, this beautiful female Northern Cardinal hopped along into camera range. She was the only one that came my way, but I was thrilled she did.

Pine Siskin

I watched this Pine Siskin alternate between gleaning through the foliage and visiting a busy feeder 20 feet away. Her quick movement made it difficult to follow her with my camera, and I sensed that approaching her wouldn't work, so I waited until she landed on this open branch.

Male American Kestrel

This male American Kestrel had disappointed me many times, taking off when I tried to get an even distant shot. I decided to try again, approaching ever so slowly. He quivered and flapped his wings twice, but this time stayed put, allowing me to get this shot.

Eastern Meadowlark

I never got very close to this Eastern Meadowlark. Approaching birds in an open field is as hard as it gets, resulting in small, halting steps as the bird zips along, and usually away from me. Then he turned and ran a short distance in parallel, and I quickly snapped this shot.

Hermit Thrush

I love the warm colors and bold markings of the Hermit Thrush, but this shy bird has been my nemesis, peaking out only to quickly retreat. This time I sat still for about 30 minutes waiting for him to come out of the dense brush far enough to get this photo.

Great Egret

I was walking down a back road when I saw this Great Egret some distance away striding through the water. He was slowing down as they do when they are approaching prey. As he became still, I got this photo, but he came up empty and looked elsewhere for lunch.

Yellow-rumped Warbker

I watched this Yellow-rumped Warbler, aka Butter Butt, feeding on insects as she flew between trees. Each time she seemed to pause and check on me, but was rarely within camera range. Eventually she landed in a closer tree and allowed me to get this shot.

Northern Mockingbird in berries

There is so much I would like to say in a holiday tweet, but nothing more than "Thank You!" I'm grateful for your kind comments, follows, likes, and especially retweets. You help share my work and good can come from it if just one person has a brighter day from one of my photos.

Brown Thasher

I was surprised to see this Brown Thrasher slowly emerge from the dense brush. They are very tentative for such large birds. I knew she was headed for the ground litter to scare up insects and patiently waited until she was in the clear.

Common Grackle

I was returning from a day of birding and had already lost the light at ground level. Along the way, I saw this Common Grackle bathed in the last rays of the setting sun on the highest perch around. This was the last shot of the day.

Male Eastern Towhee

This male Eastern Towhee was scratching up dinner at sunset when he stopped to check on me. He noticed me earlier but didn't run off right away. However, after this pause, he started working his way towards the dense brush and soon he was gone.

Male Vermilion Flycatcher

This is another pose of the male Vermilion Flycatcher I posted last year. The photo is a highly cropped distant shot because he would not let me get near him. When I retreated, he returned to the same spot so it must have been a favorite perch.

Male Golden-fronted Woodpecker

The Golden-fronted Woodpecker occurs primarily in Texas and Mexico. I saw this male in a distant tree and got as close as I could before he gave me that "You're not from around here, are you?" look and then took off.

Female Black-and-White Warbler

I love the dark black and pure white markings of this Black-and-White Warbler, but her intense acrobatics searching for food in every hole and crevice made getting a good photo almost impossible. She finally stopped to check me out, long enough to get this shot.

Male Common Yellowthroat

The Common Yellowthroat is a curious bird, and this male proved the point. I think he found me before I saw him in dense foliage. Satisfied that I was completely boring, he returned his focus to gleaning insects from underneath leaves and along small branches.

Male Ruby-crowned Kinglet

I was trying to photograph this male Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but he was moving at high speed in search of food. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a Mockingbird fly by. The little kinglet noticed him too and stopped briefly before quickly moving on.

Immature Cooper's Hawk

This immature Cooper's Hawk had just missed a sparrow and landed in a tangle of dense branches. I'm amazed at how they can so elegantly land in the tiniest open spot and just as easily take off again. She was soon off to find another sparrow before sunset.

Great Blue Heron

I had spent months trying to photograph my 1st Great Blue Heron. One day I spotted this one and I crawled on my belly through weeds and brush to get this shot. When I tried to get closer he noticed me and immediately took off with a squawk.

Pyrrhuloxia

While the Pyrrhuloxia is related to the Northern Cardinal, it is a different bird of the desert southwest. Note the parrot-like beak. I saw this female after sunrise and only got a couple of shots before I was distracted by a small group of javelinas just feet away.

Florida Red-shouldered Hawk

I approached this Florida Red-Shouldered Hawk from behind but didn't get far before he noticed me. I was able to get quite a bit closer as he scanned for prey. After a few shots, he watched me until he was sure I was leaving the area.

Downy Woodpecker

This little pecker is either a Downy or a Hairy. They can be devilishly tricky to distinguish. It was in the range of both birds, and I can't estimate size. So, is he a Hairy, a Downy, or just plain cute? I'm going with cute. 😊

Savannah Sparrow

This Savannah Sparrow was well-camouflaged in the dry grass. He would be hard to see if he didn't hop around so much looking for food. This songbird is also quick to take off at the slightest movement, so I had to be still to get this shot.

American Robin

It was a cold, clear day and this American Robin was basking in the light of the sun getting lower on the horizon. I think it was a favored perch as he didn't seem inclined to give it up easily and let me approach within about 20 feet to get this shot.

Red-headed Woodpecker

I saw a pair of Red-Headed Woodpeckers in the distance and worked my way towards them. They had other plans and were always too far ahead of me. I finally took a seat to plan my next move when one of them came within camera range.

Black Vulture

I saw Black Vultures circling high overhead, way too far to get a good shot. Fortunately, I've learned to look for their roost and found it after a rambling walk in the woods. A closeup shows how big and a bit regal these birds can be.

Young Red-shouldered Hawk

After a park ranger directed me to this nest of Florida Red-shouldered Hawks I was able to observe the young over several days. They were so high in the tree it was difficult to see them clearly except at sunset when the warm light poured in from the side.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

I noticed this Red-bellied Woodpecker busy storing acorns in various holes and crevices, completely unbothered by me. I waited until he took a break in front of the few leaves that were left to get this shot.

Great Blue Heron

It was early and cold when I found this Blue Heron in a small pond with thin sheets of ice. The water that wasn't frozen was as smooth as a mirror, and he was as still as a rock. When the sun rose and bathed the scene in warm light, I got this shot.

Canyon Towhee

I was so excited to capture this Canyon Towhee. The sun was setting and cast dark shadows when some thin clouds came by and helped diffuse the light just a little. He gave me this proud regal pose before moving on. It was one of those magic moments.

Male Northern Cardinal

This Male Northern Cardinal was moving between branches when he paused and seem to be studying something on the ground. That gave me a chance to get this shot before he disappeared into denser brush chasing whatever it was he was after.

Cedar Waxwing

Several Cedar Waxwings were feeding on berries, but wouldn't let me move closer. This is a distant photo I almost didn't get because she was bobbing up and down on this thin branch. It didn't keep her from eating the berries though.

Ospry

I hiked to a small lake surrounded by trees and brush to watch the sunset, looked up, and saw this Osprey watching me. He let me get very close, and I got this shot before he took off and banked wide over the lake in search of dinner.

Northern Mockingbird in a common privet

This Northern Mockingbird had been eating the berries of a common privet in the background, but he was in denser foliage where I couldn't get an open shot. Then he hopped onto this branch and gave me a backward glance before taking off.

Fish Crow Calling

I heard this Fish Crow calling. The wind was blowing him back and forth on tiny limbs, making it hard to get a photo, but when he turned slightly towards me, I got this profile shot.