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birdingjohn.bsky.social
John
@birdingjohn.bsky.social
590 followers 470 following 710 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
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BirdButts, so here's a white-throated sparrow giving us a front and rear view.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography
A white-throated sparrow perched on a wire with its back to us A white-throated sparrow perched on a wire, facing us
February 15, 2026 at 9:33 AM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #DivingForFood, birds that dive under water for food. Here's a ruddy duck, caught in a rare peaceful moment between dives.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #FeatheredFriday #Flyday
Side view of a ruddy duck, its image reflected in the rippling surface of a lake.
February 13, 2026 at 2:34 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #WaterBirds, but after weeks of freezing temperatures there's not much flowing water around here, so here are two mallards and a Canada goose on a frozen lake 🥶
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography
A pair of mallards walk on the surface of a frozen lake. In the foreground and slightly blurred, a Canada goose stands on the lake shore, delving into snow with its beak.
February 11, 2026 at 12:38 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Today's #BirdoftheDay theme is #staredown. This mallard was definitely looking at me when I took this photo, although it's more of a shy sideways glance than a stare.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #BlueskyMonday #MallardMonday
Face-on view of a male mallard, his head turned to the right so he can fix us with one eye. He's standing in snow in front of a pond in which several other mallards are swimming.
February 9, 2026 at 1:22 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
#BirdOfTheDay themes today are #birds&berries and #backlitbeauty. I'm going with backlit (ok, maybe more sidelit): this cardinal casts an epic shadow against the snow.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #FeatheredFriday #Flyday #shadow
View from above of a female Northern cardinal standing on snow, and casting a long shadow
February 6, 2026 at 1:34 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
#BirdOfTheDay is #openbeak so here's a red-bellied woodpecker with its beak open as it pounces on a seed in the park.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography
Side view of a red-bellied woodpecker standing at the top of a stone plinth where bird seed has been sprinkled. Its head is slightly blurred as it lunges forward to grab a seed between its beak.
February 2, 2026 at 1:38 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
Today's #BirdoftheDay theme is #favouriteofthemonth, which for me is this young Cooper's hawk which perched on a branch above a frozen pond.
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography
A juvenile Cooper's 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 right and its breast feathers are fluffed out.
January 30, 2026 at 1:28 PM
birdingjohn.bsky.social
#BirdOfTheDay themes today are #EyeContact and #gardenbirds so here's a mourning dove with a pale blue eye ring that is only really noticeable on a close-up. Thanks for the themes, @alan678.bsky.social - get well soon!
🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography
Close-up side view of a mourning dove, showing the pale blue ring around its eye.
January 29, 2026 at 2:41 PM
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