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armadillosoft
@armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
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armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 12/3/20 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more) Lincoln's sparrow in my backyard

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/51106276959/in/album-72157718948888680
In general, unless it wears a crown, I never know what kind of sparrow I am looking at. Sometimes, though, I recognize that I am seeing a sparrow that I do not recognize. Such as this one, which inaturalist.org tells me is a Lincoln's sparrow. I defer to this advice, but as I said, I cannot be sure about most sparrows.
December 3, 2025 at 8:03 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 12/2/20 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Kestrel unashamedly munching on a yummy yellow bug

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54957096012/in/album-72177720330648520/
In the long ago when I used to see a kestrel at just about eye-level just about daily on every walk, this one at least was comfortable enough to let me and my dog watch while it savored this large yellowish insect. Perhaps the insect was a Jerusalem beetle. We have lots of them around here.
December 2, 2025 at 8:02 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 12/01/18 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more) The juncos we usually see around here don't look like this one.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/46010051544/in/album-72157705777503744
The junco in the bottom right of this photo wears a black cowl over its head that stretches all the way down its back to its tail, down its neck, and halfway down its breast. Most of the other juncos we see around here are more colorful, but not more lovely.
December 1, 2025 at 8:02 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/30/18 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more) Harrier hunting at dusk

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/32831312348/in/album-72157702341510282/
In this photo, taken in low light from far away, we see a harrier, both of its claws outstretched, angling in to capture its prey. We can see a flash of the white stripe at the base of its tail, the white mask around its eye and its beak, and its reddish-brown pantaloons on its outstretched legs, and the bold beige-and-black stripes of its tail. The bird's right wing is raised, its other wing is pushing the air downward. This harrier is banking hard left.
November 30, 2025 at 7:30 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/29/23 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more) We saw many merlins at Merced

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/53402795054/in/album-72177720313427556/
Here's one of the merlins we saw. It's perched nearly at the top of a bare branch, head angled slightly toward the right, perhaps so it can see us better. Behind the bird is a cloudless pale blue sky.
November 29, 2025 at 7:30 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/28/24 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Cooper's hawk in the neighborhood

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54172903904/in/album-72177720322244766/
We don't see all that many Cooper's hawks around here, but when we do, they make an impression. This one, which takes up about half the space of this photo, was posed on a wire just a few feet up and away from us. It was entirely undisturbed by our presence. A tough-looking fellow, this one. The fringe-y feathers on the top of its head make it look like it's had a crew cut. Its black beak curves down; it looks to be deadly sharp, as do its many claws curled around the wire it sits on. This hawk's yellow eye face more toward the front than other birds, I think, and they are focused away from me. The bird's speckled white-and-brown breast faces toward the left of the frame.
November 28, 2025 at 7:32 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/27/15 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more) Coot close-up and personal at Neary Lagoon Park

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/22757586764/in/album-72157661622921842
Goth-colored coot, with delighted expression on its face. Its white beak is open, as if in surprise, its red eye is bright, and the water droplets spattered all over its black head and body do not seem to bother it in the least. The photo shows just the right side of the bird's head and a little of its back. Missing from view are its stunning green feet.
November 27, 2025 at 7:41 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/26/20 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more) Kestrel on the prairie

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/50957478878/in/album-72157718348774142/
There was a time, not too long ago, when every time we walked out on the prairie, we'd see a kestrel on the same no-too-tall pine tree, surveying its domain. This went on for more than a decade, I think. I have been told by persons much more knowledgeable than I that it could not possibly have been the same kestrel for all that time. Be that as it may, I do now only see a kestrel in this place. They seem to have been replaced by red-shouldered hawks. In this photo, the kestrel is on the left-most of two upright pine branches, its beak angled toward the right so it can glance at me sideways from its right eye. The colors of its back are vibrant - rufous and greys and blacks. It's black-dotted breast faces toward the left and the bottom of its tail is somewhat hidden behind the pine branch to the bird's left side.
November 26, 2025 at 7:26 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/25/17 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more) Kite, seated (which means, it's probably eating) at Wavecrest

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/38604780086/in/album-72157690124117515
In this photo, a relatively plump-looking kite is standing on its two legs near the top of a fairly insubstantial-looking stem. Greenery hangs down the length of the stem, which seems to be waving under the weight of the bird. The bird's eyes are yellow, so I think it's a juvenile.
November 25, 2025 at 7:27 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/24/21 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Carolina wren

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/51704238300/in/album-72157720175279099/
This plump Carolina wren is perched on a bare branch, with another bare branch next to it. Its red-brown wing is folded down. Its tail is sticking straight out to the right of the photograph.
November 24, 2025 at 7:25 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/24/15 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Scrubjay in my backyard

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/22723123494/in/album-72157661676839746/
The scrubjay in the photograph is poised, facing left, on the rim of a black pot. In the pot, in which nothing is apparently growing, is a marker inaccurately labeled "BASIL". Next to the scrubjay is another green pot in which a jade plant is growing.
November 24, 2025 at 7:25 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/23/20 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Two pine siskins in my backyard

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/50658866401/in/album-72157717088448837
In the photo, there's a yellow globe of bird food and on its outer edge two pine siskins are noshing. Both of their tails are pointing straight up and their bodies are upside down.
November 23, 2025 at 7:24 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/22/20 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Red-tailed hawk over the prairie

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/50658750721/in/album-72157717083884451/
The tail of the hawk in the photo is a bit tattered, and there are some gaps between the wing feathers. But the bird's eyes are bright and it's mostly in focus. Also, the sky is blue and the clouds are fluffy. All's right with the world.
November 22, 2025 at 7:22 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/21/12 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more) BirdID at Mavericks

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/8213182360/in/album-72157632086422022/
I have no idea what kind of black duck this is. It is huddled into a tight circle, its head tucked into its tail. It is floating in the middle of the photo, surrounded on all sides by the bright blue Pacific. Looking at it, you are again reminded that birds (and we) are tiny creatures, easily dwarfed by the environment around us. I took this fairly good photo at Mavericks, from a long distance, with my very limited capacity lens.
November 21, 2025 at 7:21 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/20/25 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Beautiful California towhee

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54936639058/in/album-72177720330450737
I have photos on my hard drive going back to the beginning of the 20th century. Until this morning, far as I can tell, I had not one photo of a bird taken on the 20th of any November in all that time. How could this be???? Well, I did rectify the problem this morning. But it was very foggy. There was a beautiful red-shouldered hawk high up in the fog https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54936734895/in/album-72177720330465793 . There were a number of bluebirds perched high in short trees shrouded in fog https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54936636763/in/album-72177720330447726/ . But then there was this stunning California towhee. Near us, near the ground. Not much fog. So anyway, here's a photo taken today of a CA towhee with tail splayed out, on a bare branch, surrounded by other bare branches, looking at me with its orange left eye while its beak is facing to the right.
November 20, 2025 at 7:20 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/19/19 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Laughing gull flying over Pompano Beach

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/49172016292/in/album-72157712068623778/
While we visited Florida that year, we stayed at a Vebo in Pompano Beach. The beach across the street was lovely at all times of the day. Haven't seen a laughing gull (that I recognized) since. This one is flying alone in a clear, deep blue sky.
November 19, 2025 at 7:19 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/18/18 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Kestrel on a wire

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/44310214590/in/album-72157676234706878
We used to have many kestrels in the neighborhood. I'd see them every morning when I walked my dog from mid-October through January or February. Lately they have been lacking nearby. They seem to have moved down south a ways. In any case, here's one all alone on a telephone wire with a blue-grey sky behind it. Very cute.
November 18, 2025 at 7:19 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/17/19 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Bluejay at Green Cay

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/49115938342/in/album-72157711923292388/
We visited Green Cay on the day before it was planned to be closed for renovations for several years. It was a sad time for us and we needed to plan a funeral. But also we needed a break. Met some lovely people there, not to mention many interesting birds. I'd seen bluejays on the east coast before, but never gotten a good photograph of one. And here are two bluejays in the same bare tree. Not the best photograph, but proof of life. The jay on the top left is hard to make out. But the one on the bottom right. You can at least see that it's a bluejay.
November 17, 2025 at 7:18 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/16/24 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Western? grebe in pink light

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54145819836/in/album-72177720321984060/
The difference between grebe species (to the human eye) is just the height of its black mask. I think this one - with its eye just inside the mask - is a Western grebe. The bird in this photo is serenely gliding toward the left in pink-streaked blue water.
November 16, 2025 at 7:16 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/15/17 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Orange-crowned warbler in my rosemary

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/24575133888/in/album-72157687411063102
Although I've never seen the orange crown of an orange-crowned warbler, I was grateful to see this beautiful one on my deck. Its lovely pale green body, the way it framed itself in the purple blooms of the rosemary, the fact that it proudly pointed the back of its crown-less head right at the camera... all of that endears this bird to me.
November 15, 2025 at 7:16 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/14/20 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Bewick's wren on the path

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/50630569773/in/album-72157716986436121/
We usually hear Bewick's wrens before we see them, and often, despite looking, we don't see them at all. But in this case, the bird was right there in the middle of the sandy path in front of us. In some shade, so not the clearest view of its beak, but still you can see the lovely stippling of its feathers.
November 15, 2025 at 7:14 AM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/13/17 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Junco in my backyard

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/24574051238/in/album-72157666416774979/
The junco in the photo is looking right at me with its bright beady black eyes. Its delicate, long claws are draped over the edge of a pot that contains tall green leaves that fill the background. In our area, we see many juncos all the time, so frequently that we sometimes neglect to notice them. We are lucky enough to see them care for their eggs, feed their babies, try valiantly to keep predators away from their precariously placed nests, and sing their hearts out every morning.
November 13, 2025 at 7:14 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/12/14 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Hutton's vireo (I think) on the prairie

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/15773672351/in/album-72157649253896381
A very sweet little Hutton's vireo nearly fills the frame of this photograph. It is perched on a bare branch. A few other bare branches are captured behind the bird.
November 12, 2025 at 7:12 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/11/21 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more)
Cooper's hawk at Francis Beach

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54913509863/in/album-72177720330238789/
Cooper's hawk on a telephone wire. A wind is ruffling its feathers. The sky behind it is a solid blue wall.
November 11, 2025 at 7:12 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 11/10/14 #abirdaday #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon
Female Anna's hummingbird on the prairie

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54895094031/in/album-72177720330037366
A petite monochrome black, grey, and white hummingbird, its wings furled, sits on the right side of the frame atop a bright grey/green plant, surrounded by more bright green leaves, in front of a blurry green background.
November 10, 2025 at 7:10 PM