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birdingjohn.bsky.social
John
@birdingjohn.bsky.social
570 followers 460 following 690 posts
Keeping calm, maintaining perspective, and posting photos of birds.
All photos are my own; quality may vary drastically.
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birdingjohn.bsky.social
For #BirdoftheDay theme #swans, here's a mute swan taking off - somehow simultaneously majestic and comical.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #swan
Side view of a mute swan taking off, with neck outstretched, wings curled in a downward flap, and feet pounding the water's surface.
January 24, 2026 at 1:57 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
#BirdOfTheDay themes are #Winterlight and #birdsyoulove, so here's a fav visitor to our bird feeder in Brooklyn, the downy woodpecker. They're tiny balls of energy and character and their call sounds like a squeaky dog toy.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography
Side view of a male downy woodpecker clinging onto the edge of a hanging bird feeder. It has a seed in its beak.
January 19, 2026 at 3:09 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
For #BirdoftheDay, a trio who are #short in beak but big in character - tufted titmouse, white-throated sparrow, and Northern cardinal - grabbing snacks on a cold day in Prospect Park.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #FeatheredFriday #Flyday #birb #nyc #brooklyn
A tufted titmouse, white-throated sparrow, and Northern cardinal on a stone plinth where seed mix has been scattered. The tufted titmouse and Northern cardinal have just landed to the left and right of the , white-throated sparrow, which already has a seed in its beak.
January 16, 2026 at 1:50 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #raptor, so here's a juvenile Cooper's hawk who very generously posed for me on a recent trip to Jamaica Bay, NYC. Definitely one of my fav birding moments to date - full story in Alt text.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #raptors #hawks
I took this photo last week on a trip to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, NYC. They have a couple of hides/blinds there, one of which overlooks a pond. After weeks of cold weather, the pond was frozen and there were no birds to be seen. But, like a good British birder, I'd brought tea and sandwiches with me, so settled down on a bench to eat and drink. I was about to leave when this young Cooper's hawk swooped down out of nowhere and landed on a branch overhanging the pond. This photo shows the hawk perched on a long branch overhanging a stretch of frozen water. There are a few cracks in the ice where the water is reflecting the pale winter sunlight. We are looking at the hawk face-on. Its head turned to the left and its breast feathers are fluffed out. On a recent trip to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, NYC, I saw this young Cooper's hawk fly down to a branch overhanging a frozen pond. After surveying its surroundings for a few minutes, it hopped down onto the surface of the pond and, finding a gap in the ice, began to bathe. It clearly wasn't enjoying the experience and spent a few minutes between each dip staring down into the water as if steeling itself for the plunge. This photo shows the hawk in that pose, standing on the frozen pond surface, looking down uncertainly into a gap in the ice, which is reflecting pale winter sunlight. Its feathers are already damp and a little straggly from a previous dip.
January 15, 2026 at 3:00 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
#BirdoftheDay today is #birdsinflight, so here's a flypast by a noisy gaggle of Canada geese. You can almost hear the honks 😁
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #BlueskyMonday
View from below of Canada geese flying overhead in a ragged V formation against a blue sky, with the bare branches of a tree in the lower foreground.
January 12, 2026 at 2:22 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
#BirdOfTheDay themes today are birds in their #natural habitat and birds in a #city. I'm combining both with these Canada geese in marshland on the edge of #nyc.
(I skillfully kept the buildings in focus while the geese are blurry 😂)
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography
View from the side and from a distance of 10 Canada geese flying in V formation over marshland at Jamaica Bay, a wildlife refuge on the edge of New York City. The skyscrapers of NYC, including the Freedom Tower and the Brooklyn Tower, are in the background.
January 11, 2026 at 2:25 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Today's #BirdoftheDay is #MoodyFaces, so here's a mockingbird glaring at me from a patch of #vibrant red fallen leaves that seem to match the bird's mood. 🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #BlueskyArtShow
Side view of a Northern mockingbird standing alert amid red-orange fallen leaves and bare plant stalks. Its head is up and turned slightly to fix us with a look. Its wingtips are pointed down.
January 10, 2026 at 1:08 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Today's #BirdoftheDay gives me a chance to share another photo from #snowy Prospect Park. This time it's a female cardinal and a white-throated sparrow sharing a snowy branch.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #outdoors #photography #birdphotography #snow #winter #newyear #nyc #Brooklyn
Front view of a female cardinal and a white-throated sparrow perched on a branch amid snow-laden twigs. The cardinal has her head turned to the side to fix us with one eye. The sparrow partially hidden by a snowy twig, is looking down.
January 4, 2026 at 2:58 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
For #BirdOfTheDay and #Bluskyartshow, here are a pair of sanderlings #caughtinmotion as they stride purposefully into the #newyear - hope your year is going well so far!
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #outdoors #photography #birdphotography
Side/rear view of a pair of sanderlings running on wet sand parallel to an advancing tide of gently frothing surf. Their reflections and shadows are running alongside them in the sand.
January 3, 2026 at 2:55 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
#HappyNewYear to all!
Today's #BirdOfTheDay themes are #b&w and #sparrows, so here's a fluffy white-throated sparrow sitting on a snowy branch.
#birds #birding #nature #wildlife #snow #outdoors #photography #birdphotography #winter #nyd #holidays #classicmono #blackandwhite
Black and white image of a white-throated sparrow sitting on a snow-covered branch; blurred snow in the background.
January 1, 2026 at 2:52 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #serenity and the alt is #favourite. Here's a serene scene and also one of my fav photos from this year: a cormorant perched above a lake reflecting autumn foliage.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #outdoors #scape #photography #birdphotography #stunday
Side view of a double crested cormorant perched, motionless on a log overhanging the gently rippling surface of a lake in which green, yellow, and orange foliage is reflected.
December 28, 2025 at 1:11 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Hard to find a #HolidayRobin in these parts but this American robin is doing his best to be a round, bouncing borb. Merry Christmas and a Happy Yuletide if you're celebrating.
🪶 #BirdOfTheDay #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #snow #winter #holidays #Christmas #Yule🎄
Front/above view of a male American robin standing with his feet sunk into fresh white snow.
December 25, 2025 at 2:06 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
The #BirdOfTheDay themes today are #contrast and #faceoff, so I have no choice but to post another photo of a cardinal in the snow - no one stands out against his background like this guy.😎
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #outdoors #photography #birdphotography #snow #winter #holidays #Christmas
Front view of a male Northern cardinal perched on a snow-covered branch, with a blurred snowy background.
December 24, 2025 at 3:05 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
#BirdOfTheDay themes today are #SideProfiles and #BlackBirds. Here's a profile of a Northern cardinal in the snow. He does have a little black patch around his beak, but it's the bright red that really stands out at this time of year.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography
Side view of a male Northern cardinal perched on a thin snow-covered branch, with blurred snow in the background.
December 23, 2025 at 3:21 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Grounded (birds on the ground).
Here's one of my fav winter visitors to NYC: a dark-eyed junco, hopping around looking for snacks under a tree in Prospect Park.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #naturephotography #nyc #Brooklyn
View from front/above of a dark-eyed junco pausing mid-hop to look up at the camera as it forages for good on a patch of bare earth dotted with small twigs and leaf litter.
December 22, 2025 at 1:45 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
POV: You're eating fish and chips on the beach in the UK.😂
I'm combining both #BirdOfTheDay themes in this video of some young herring gulls begging for food as I try to eat my dinner.
🪶 #AboutTheKids #Gulls #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #SuperSeabirdSunday
December 21, 2025 at 4:00 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
For #BirdOfTheDay, here's a tufted titmouse enjoying #Quietmoments on a snowy branch. I'm a fan of tufties- they're chirpy and inquisitive and always look like they're about to make a dress for a Disney princess.
🪶 #SmallBirdSaturday #birds #birb #birding #nature #wildlife #snow #photography #winter
A tufted titmouse sits on a thin, snow-covered branch, its breast feathers fluffed. In the background are the blurred shapes of other branches against the snow.
December 20, 2025 at 2:35 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Going with the #BirdOfTheDay alternative theme of #BirdsOnFeeders today, after my feeder was visited by this rampaging band of grackles. Enjoy the chaos!😂
🪶 #grackattack #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #winter #photography #birdphotography #naturephotography #nyc #Brooklyn #FeatheredFriday #Flyday
December 19, 2025 at 2:33 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Enjoying the #BirdOfTheDay theme today: #QuietObservers. Here's a cardinal quietly observing a landscape covered in a blanket of snow. He also might just have spotted me taking this photo.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #snow #winter #photography #birdphotography #naturephotography
Side view of a male Northern cardinal sitting among snow-covered branches. His head is turned to face the camera.
December 18, 2025 at 2:08 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
#BirdOfTheDay is #Groups and the alt theme is #Pigeons. Here are some mourning doves and sparrows hanging out in the park with a little snowman who brought them snacks.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #outdoors #scape #photography #birdphotography #winter #snow #holidays #christmas #hanukkah
A group of three mourning doves and two house sparrows peck at seeds in the snow next to a small snowman.
December 17, 2025 at 11:36 AM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Very happy that Alan’s #BirdOfTheDay themes are #NaturesPantry and #WinterBirds. We had a snowstorm a couple of days ago so I went to Prospect Park and saw this cardinal, who'd found some seeds to chomp on.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #snow #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #nyc #Brooklyn
Close up side view of the head and upper body of a female northern cardinal, against a snowy background. Her crest is raised, and she has pieces of black seeds in her beak.
December 16, 2025 at 2:30 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Absolutely delighted that Rob's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #DucksOnOneLeg so I can share this Northern shoveler looking awkward with foot up and wing askew, and an expression that says "please don't take a photo of this."
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #outdoors #duck #photography #birdphotography
Side view of a male Northern shoveler in an awkward pose while standing on a log next to a lake. His right leg is lifted up and to the side, and we can see his orange foot poking out underneath his wing, which is slightly outstretched.
December 13, 2025 at 12:50 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
For #BirdoftheDay, here are two starlings bathing at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, while an American robin tries to avoid the #splashes. Bath time is a messy business for these little t-rexes.
#featheredfriday #flyday #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photo #photography #birdphotography #NYC #Brooklyn
Two starlings vigorously splashing water over themselves as they bathe in a small, rocky stream, bordered by green plants. An American robin is perched on a rock in the background, seemingly trying to avoid getting splashed.
December 12, 2025 at 3:21 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Glad that today's #BirdoftheDay is #CootsandMoorhens so I can share this American coot wrestling with some pond weed. Coots are interesting little weirdos and definitely have a dinosaur vibe.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #dinosaurs 🦕
An American coot swimming in rippling lake water. It has a long strand of bright green pond weed in its beak. An American coot swimming in rippling lake water. Its head is turned slightly towards us; we can see one red eye and the red-brown upper shield at the top of its white beak.
December 11, 2025 at 1:09 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
For #BirdOfTheDay, here's a #SideView of a Canada goose, with another #TurningAway in the background.
🪶 #SideViews #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #outdoors #scape #photography #birdphotography #naturephotography #Twosday
Side view of a Canada goose swimming across a reflective lake dotted with fallen orange leaves. In the background, another goose is swimming toward the far shore, which is lined with feathery reeds, and deciduous trees with red and gold leaves.
December 9, 2025 at 2:03 PM