Author | Lightnews

George @luceelente.bsky.social · 11d

Golden-hour surprise at Lake St. Clair Metropark: a #VirginiaRail slipped out of the cattails and tiptoed the mud—my first ever. Secretive, coppery, tail flicking; more often heard than seen. A special end to the day!

#birds
#nature
#wildlife
#photography

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · 19d

#Yellow-rumpedWarbler in fall dress: soft grays and olives, faint streaks—yet the lemon rump still flashes. Drifting south in chatty flocks, many winter far north by living on bayberry and wax myrtle—a small, restless lesson in resilience.

#birds
#nature
#wildlife
#migration
#autumn
#photography

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · Sep 5

#Anna’sHummingbird —another lifer from my last trip to Arizona’s #RamseyCanyon in the #HuachucaMountains. I lingered by the creek as flashes of emerald and rose blurred past, and this little jewel finally settled just long enough for a portrait.

#birds
#wildlife
#nature
#photography
#travel

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · Aug 27

I pulled over just before the road climbs into the hills at #EagleNest, #NewMexico. As I paused to take in the lake, there was a flurry of wings—and a #MountainBluebird settled nearby, posing perfectly for a portrait.

#birds
#nature
#wildlife
#photography

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · Aug 19

#Black-chinned #Hummingbird

#Birds
#ramseycanyon
#arizona
#wildlife
#photography
#nature

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · Aug 11

#Rufous #Hummingbird

#birds
#wildlife
#nature
#photography

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · Aug 8

Another lifer! #Broad-billedHummingbirds darted around the feeders at the #RamseyCanyon Visitor Center, and I managed to photograph a few as they paused on nearby branches.

#birds
#wildlife
#nature
#travel
#photography
#arizona

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · Aug 3

Back in Arizona, I spent a day exploring Ramsey Canyon and revisited Madera Canyon. The highlight was capturing a few shots of the #Berylline #Hummingbird —a lifer for me!

#birds
#wildlife
#nature
#travel
#photography

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · Jul 1

Thank you!

George @luceelente.bsky.social · Jul 1

Thank you!

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · Jul 1

On my local park trail, I watched a #NorthernFlicker indulge in a #dustbath —fluffing its feathers, digging a shallow pit, and rolling in dry soil to shake off parasites, then kicking up clouds of dust in the process.

#birds
#nature
#wildlife
#photography
#michigan

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · Jun 7

#EasternKingbirds —true to their “tyrant” name—relentlessly defend nests from larger predators like hawks, crows, squirrels, and even Blue Jays, unleashing fearless attacks that belies their small size.

#birds
#wildlife
#nature
#photography

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 26

Male #Swainson’sThrushes defend their territories through dramatic singing duels—escalating in volume and pitch and occasionally shifting into a descending cadence. These vocal contests often spill over into chases and even physical attacks along territory borders

#birds
#nature
#photography

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 24

Thanks, and you too!

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 24

I certainly think we can do better.

1

George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 24

Couldn't agree more about the primacy of nature and of her inherent beauty. Ancient peoples worshipped nature not from true understanding but as a pragmatic concession—an attempt to placate forces they had no real knowledge to comprehend.

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 24

#BlackpollWarblers hold the #songbird record for longest over-water flight: these half-ounce migrants—western #birds boasting longer wings than their eastern cousins—fly nonstop up to three days across the Atlantic each fall to winter in #PuertoRico, the #LesserAntilles, and northern #SouthAmerica.

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 23

Here is one I saw at Magee marsh late last evening. I think it what you have is an Alder - but they are hard to ID.

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 23

Eastern #Screech-Owls are common throughout the eastern US, nesting in tree cavities—or even backyard boxes. Their camouflaged plumage lets them vanish into bark crevices by day, a true stealthy #raptor. This is a #whitemorph I saw at #MageeMarsh, #Ohio.

#birds
#nature
#wildlife
#photography

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 21

#Bay-breastedWarblers nest about 16 ft up in northern Canada’s spruce, their chestnut plumage flickering among the needles. Their numbers boom with #spruce #budworm outbreaks—and crash or even vanish once the #caterpillar pulses fade.

#birds
#nature
#migration
#photography

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 19

Often dubbed the #necklaced-warbler for its striking black chestband, the #CanadaWarbler is a vibrant, energetic songbird of #northern #woodlands. It’s the last warbler to arrive on breeding grounds, and the first to depart for #SouthAmerica to escape the winter.

#birds
#photography
#nature
#spring

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 17

Thank you for the view and comment. All warblers are cute, but these are especially so.

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 16

Alexander Wilson’s first specimen of this striking songbird came from a #magnolia tree—he dubbed it the #Black-and-yellow Warbler, and its scientific name, #Setophaga_magnolia, still reflects that origin. #MageeMarsh

#birds
#photography
#wildlife
#nature

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 15

#Spring #migration is my favorite time to go birding, and #MageeMarsh on #LakeErie’s shores is arguably the best place on Earth to see waves of #warblers passing through. #Blackburnian, #blackthroatedgreen, #chestnutsided #blackthroatedblue

#birds
#wildlife
#nature
#photography

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George @luceelente.bsky.social · May 11

#KirtlandsWarbler —one of North America’s rarest #songbirds—breeds almost exclusively in young jack-pine stands of #Michigan, #Wisconsin, and #Ontario. Yesterday at #MageeMarsh #Ohio, I finally had the chance to see one.

#birds
#nature
#wildlife
#springmigration
#photography

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