Mary Elizabeth Carey
@maryelizabethcarey.bsky.social
Northern lights, bike trail and cold plunging enthusiast
(All photos by me unless otherwise noted.)
(All photos by me unless otherwise noted.)
I immediately thought of this #cormorant for the #BirdoftheDay theme #TheDivers. "They have less preen oil than other birds, so their feathers can get soaked rather than shedding water like a duck’s," probably making it easier for them to "hunt underwater with agility and speed,"says Cornell Lab.
September 24, 2026 at 4:33 PM
I immediately thought of this #cormorant for the #BirdoftheDay theme #TheDivers. "They have less preen oil than other birds, so their feathers can get soaked rather than shedding water like a duck’s," probably making it easier for them to "hunt underwater with agility and speed,"says Cornell Lab.
September 22, 2026 at 3:25 PM
"I'm afraid if I put this down I'll never find it again with all this clutter." For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #CaptionThatBird
#NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
#NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
September 20, 2026 at 4:48 PM
"I'm afraid if I put this down I'll never find it again with all this clutter." For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #CaptionThatBird
#NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
#NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
And for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #ODG, owl duck geese --- a #Canada goose! Cornell Lab: "As lawns have proliferated, more and more of these grassland-adapted birds are staying put in urban and suburban areas year-round, where some people regard them as pests."
#NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
#NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
September 17, 2026 at 3:04 PM
And for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #ODG, owl duck geese --- a #Canada goose! Cornell Lab: "As lawns have proliferated, more and more of these grassland-adapted birds are staying put in urban and suburban areas year-round, where some people regard them as pests."
#NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
#NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #BirdsWithBerries, a #PineWarbler at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, the gateway to the western #Everglades in #Florida.
September 16, 2026 at 2:05 PM
For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #BirdsWithBerries, a #PineWarbler at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, the gateway to the western #Everglades in #Florida.
This is kind of a weird photo of a #GreatBlueHeron in a tall dead tree. I think it fits today's #BirdoftheDay theme of #Silhouette
September 15, 2026 at 2:28 PM
This is kind of a weird photo of a #GreatBlueHeron in a tall dead tree. I think it fits today's #BirdoftheDay theme of #Silhouette
A male and female Ring-necked Duck for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Mamas&Papas, male & female of the same species in the same photo. Cornell Lab says there "often in small flocks and pairs, diving to feed on mollusks, invertebrates, and submerged aquatic vegetation." #NorwottuckRailTrail
September 14, 2026 at 1:51 PM
A male and female Ring-necked Duck for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Mamas&Papas, male & female of the same species in the same photo. Cornell Lab says there "often in small flocks and pairs, diving to feed on mollusks, invertebrates, and submerged aquatic vegetation." #NorwottuckRailTrail
Beet hummus
September 13, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Beet hummus
This starling looks quite peevish if not angry for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme of #AngryBirds. #AmherstMA
September 13, 2026 at 5:05 PM
This starling looks quite peevish if not angry for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme of #AngryBirds. #AmherstMA
A #GreatBlueHeron getting ready to take off from a branch high on a dead tree for Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme of #BirdsInAbstract from motion blur, obscure angles, or contrasting textures.
September 12, 2026 at 6:29 PM
A #GreatBlueHeron getting ready to take off from a branch high on a dead tree for Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme of #BirdsInAbstract from motion blur, obscure angles, or contrasting textures.
This #grackle with a sunflower seed is nowhere near as dramatic as some of today's #BirdoftheDay submissions on the theme of #Mouthful. How birds can catch and swallow whole bugs and fish among other prey is amazing! #AmherstMA
September 11, 2026 at 2:17 PM
This #grackle with a sunflower seed is nowhere near as dramatic as some of today's #BirdoftheDay submissions on the theme of #Mouthful. How birds can catch and swallow whole bugs and fish among other prey is amazing! #AmherstMA
Why so grumpy? This #EuropeanStarling looks intense. For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Iridescence. "Covered in white spots during winter, they turn dark and glossy in summer. For much of the year, they wheel through the sky and mob lawns in big, noisy flocks," Cornell Lab says. #AmherstMA
September 10, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Why so grumpy? This #EuropeanStarling looks intense. For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Iridescence. "Covered in white spots during winter, they turn dark and glossy in summer. For much of the year, they wheel through the sky and mob lawns in big, noisy flocks," Cornell Lab says. #AmherstMA
Just this morning I saw this pretty #Double-crestedCormorant for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #ABCD. "They look like a combination of a goose and a loon," Cornell Lab says, "but are relatives of frigatebirds and boobies, and are a common sight around fresh and salt water across North America..."
September 9, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Just this morning I saw this pretty #Double-crestedCormorant for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #ABCD. "They look like a combination of a goose and a loon," Cornell Lab says, "but are relatives of frigatebirds and boobies, and are a common sight around fresh and salt water across North America..."
This starling and red-bellied woodpecker don't look all that happy to be sharing a meal, but sometimes you just gotta do the best you can. For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #BirdBuddies
September 8, 2026 at 2:12 PM
This starling and red-bellied woodpecker don't look all that happy to be sharing a meal, but sometimes you just gotta do the best you can. For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #BirdBuddies
A #GreatBlueHeron for today's #BirdoftheDay theme of
#Herons&Egrets" "In the northeastern U.S. and southern Canada (they) have benefited from the recovery of beaver populations, which have created a patchwork of swamps and meadows well-suited to foraging and nesting," Cornell Lab says.
#Herons&Egrets" "In the northeastern U.S. and southern Canada (they) have benefited from the recovery of beaver populations, which have created a patchwork of swamps and meadows well-suited to foraging and nesting," Cornell Lab says.
September 7, 2026 at 1:51 PM
A #GreatBlueHeron for today's #BirdoftheDay theme of
#Herons&Egrets" "In the northeastern U.S. and southern Canada (they) have benefited from the recovery of beaver populations, which have created a patchwork of swamps and meadows well-suited to foraging and nesting," Cornell Lab says.
#Herons&Egrets" "In the northeastern U.S. and southern Canada (they) have benefited from the recovery of beaver populations, which have created a patchwork of swamps and meadows well-suited to foraging and nesting," Cornell Lab says.
Just a little #pied-billedgrebe for today's alternate #BirdoftheDay theme of #SittingOnWater "Far less sociable than most grebes, almost never in flocks, sometimes found singly on small marshy ponds. When disturbed or suspicious, it may sink slowly until only head is above water," says Audubon.
September 6, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Just a little #pied-billedgrebe for today's alternate #BirdoftheDay theme of #SittingOnWater "Far less sociable than most grebes, almost never in flocks, sometimes found singly on small marshy ponds. When disturbed or suspicious, it may sink slowly until only head is above water," says Audubon.
A waterlogged gosling for today’s alternate #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Grounded. Their feathers don't become naturally water resistant until they're about 5-6 weeks old. #NorwottuckRailTrail
September 5, 2026 at 2:51 PM
A waterlogged gosling for today’s alternate #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Grounded. Their feathers don't become naturally water resistant until they're about 5-6 weeks old. #NorwottuckRailTrail
A yellow-crowned night heron napping in the sun in Naples, #Florida for today's fun #BirdOfTheDay them of #BirdNaps
September 4, 2026 at 2:50 PM
A yellow-crowned night heron napping in the sun in Naples, #Florida for today's fun #BirdOfTheDay them of #BirdNaps
This #GreatBlueHeron looked pensive standing one-legged on a dead branch overlooking the beaver pond. For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme #Contrast; light birds against dark backgrounds or vice versa. #NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
September 3, 2026 at 3:29 PM
This #GreatBlueHeron looked pensive standing one-legged on a dead branch overlooking the beaver pond. For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme #Contrast; light birds against dark backgrounds or vice versa. #NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
"The reclusive Wood Thrush hops through leaf litter on the forest floor, probing for insects, bobbing upright between spurts of digging and leaf-turning," Cornell Lab says. Here's one bobbing among forsythia blossoms after an #April snowstorm. For the #BirdOfTheDay theme of #FlowerPower. #AmherstMA
September 1, 2026 at 1:47 PM
"The reclusive Wood Thrush hops through leaf litter on the forest floor, probing for insects, bobbing upright between spurts of digging and leaf-turning," Cornell Lab says. Here's one bobbing among forsythia blossoms after an #April snowstorm. For the #BirdOfTheDay theme of #FlowerPower. #AmherstMA
A luminous #peacock at #MayfieldPark in #Austin, #Texas for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #BirdsUpClose.
August 31, 2026 at 4:37 PM
A luminous #peacock at #MayfieldPark in #Austin, #Texas for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #BirdsUpClose.
Back to the geese and goslings for today's #BirdoftheDay theme of #parenting. The geese always disappear from the beaver pond when the goslings get this big. I hope they just go somewhere they like better. #NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
August 30, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Back to the geese and goslings for today's #BirdoftheDay theme of #parenting. The geese always disappear from the beaver pond when the goslings get this big. I hope they just go somewhere they like better. #NorwottuckRailTrail #AmherstMA
I thought the #GreatBlueHeron I always see on the bike trail had died, when I saw this one lying on the side of the trail. Someone had placed a flower on it. Then, a few days later, I saw this heron -- which may have been its mate? For today's #BirdOfTheDay of #BestOfTheMonth. #NorwottuckRailTrail
August 29, 2026 at 1:43 PM
I thought the #GreatBlueHeron I always see on the bike trail had died, when I saw this one lying on the side of the trail. Someone had placed a flower on it. Then, a few days later, I saw this heron -- which may have been its mate? For today's #BirdOfTheDay of #BestOfTheMonth. #NorwottuckRailTrail
We saw these #WhiteIbises on #SouthPadreIsland, #Texas, Christmas Eve 2025. For today's #BirdoftheDay theme of #Coastal&Rivers. "They usually forage in shallow areas with less than 8 inches of water, but they also use lawns and parks especially in southern Florida," Cornell Lab says.
August 28, 2026 at 2:02 PM
We saw these #WhiteIbises on #SouthPadreIsland, #Texas, Christmas Eve 2025. For today's #BirdoftheDay theme of #Coastal&Rivers. "They usually forage in shallow areas with less than 8 inches of water, but they also use lawns and parks especially in southern Florida," Cornell Lab says.
There's no middleman between this #goldfinch and some #sunflower seeds for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #NaturalSeeds. #AmherstMA
August 27, 2026 at 3:15 PM
There's no middleman between this #goldfinch and some #sunflower seeds for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #NaturalSeeds. #AmherstMA