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armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 10/31/20 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more) Cyberpunk Townsend's
warbler

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/50577973461/in/album-72157716794096768/
Townsend's warbler perched on a cylindrical metal bar, giving us the sideeye from its right eye. A crunchy mealworm is clutched in its beak. Behind and to the sides of the bird is a complicated confabulation of slinkys and other metal stuff intended to confound squirrels.
October 31, 2026 at 5:31 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Hey @apps

Been using https://plan.fedilab.app via https://fedilab.app/projects/fediplan/ to schedule daily #abirdaday toots for a while.

Lately, when I go to https://plan.fedilab.app, I don't see any errors, but the page that loads is blank. I have tried with multiple versions of MacOS […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
November 1, 2026 at 12:14 AM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Golden-crowned sparrow on the coyote brush.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/44794854675/in/album-72157673071372697/

#otd 11/01/2018 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
There are soooo many crowned sparrows in the neighborhood. Unless their crowns are really well-defined, I need help telling them apart. The crown this bird is wearing is very ruffled. And its body is very light-colored. Inaturalist.org assures me that it's probably a golden-crowned sparrow. This one is perched on the right edge of a coyote bush. Behind them is the blurry green-and-brown of a stand of trees.
November 1, 2026 at 8:01 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Searching for lunch in Trieste

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/7757975930/in/album-72157631014515810

#otd 11/2/1987 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
n the photo a dad is kneeling down on the pavers of a square behind his daughter who is holding court to many of the feral pigeons of Trieste who are swirling around in front of them. The dad’s arms are spread. The kid’s mouth is open. They seem to be having an enjoyable time. There are buildings and parked cars behind them and a fountain on their right.
November 2, 2026 at 7:03 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Vesper sparrow on a barbed wire fence

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/53329084887/in/album-72177720312648190

#otd 11/4/2023 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
This sparrow is perched on the top wire of two, its beak pointing toward the right. We see its right eye, right side, both of its feet with its cute spindly toes, and its tail pointing downward. There is a tall stand of white/brown grass below the bird and some additional strands of grass on the right. Behind the tableau is an blurred-out orange field. I am thinking this might have been the first time I’d seen a vesper sparrow.
November 4, 2026 at 7:04 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Been using https://plan.fedilab.app via https://fedilab.app/projects/fediplan/ to schedule daily #abirdaday toots for a while.

Lately, when I go to https://plan.fedilab.app, I don't see any errors, but the page that loads is blank. I have tried with multiple versions of MacOS, multiple browsers […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
October 29, 2026 at 7:28 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Phoebe on a bare branch in the neighborhood

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/49558906588/in/album-72157713181463328

#otd 11/3/2019 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
The phoebe in the photo is seated on a rightward-arching branch of a bare pine tree. The bird is facing toward the left. We see the stylish V of its white breast as it abuts the black shawl that hangs over the bird’s head, upper chest, and wings (which are folded down on the bird’s back). The sky behind the phoebe and the tree is a rich, unbroken blue. There are a few other bare pine trees in the background.
November 3, 2026 at 8:03 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Red-shouldered hawk looking down upon us in the neighborhood

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/48991828523/in/album-72157711583744006/

#otd 10/30/2019 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
In the photo, there’s just the bird sitting on the wire, looking straight (down) at us. We see its eyes (slightly crossed, perhaps), its curved beak with a yellow stripe above it, its gorgeous brown-and-white wings folded across its back, its striped tail, its sharp-looking talons wrapped around the wire, a hint of its rufous back, and the blue, blue sky behind it.
October 30, 2026 at 6:42 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Juvenile or female surf scoters at Mavericks

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/45624736571/in/album-72157702970922305/

#otd 10/28/2018 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
IMG_0165
www.flickr.com
October 29, 2026 at 7:26 AM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Golden-crowned sparrow turning its back on a fluttering hummingbird

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54111802232/in/album-72177720321666491

#otd 10/29/2024 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
The sky is blue, the bottlebrush is in bloom, and a golden-crowned sparrow is on the left, looking to the left, its back turned on the hummingbird. The bright green Anna’s hummingbird on the right has lifted off two crossed, leafy bottlebrush branches and turned its back us.
October 29, 2026 at 7:34 PM
ruurdtje.bsky.social
Digiscopen in eigen tuin is ook wel weer leuk. Zeker als de ringmus zich weer eens laat zien🥰 #abirdaday #ringmus #eurasiantreesparrow
October 22, 2026 at 2:33 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Night heron reflected at Mavericks

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/22345006819/in/album-72157660020245498/

#otd 10/26/2015 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
In the photo, there stands a bird. It is a night heron standing behind a group of puddles. Its reflection shows in one of the puddles; you wouldn’t necessarily know it’s a night heron if you were only looking at the puddle. Behind the bird are layers upon blue layers of gently rippling ocean.
October 26, 2026 at 6:30 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Red-tailed hawk at Hawk Hill

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/10526236793/in/album-72157637027976564

#otd 10/27/2013 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
Photos in this album were taken at an event hosted by the hawk watchers at Hawk Hill in Marin, CA. I am pretty sure these birds had been banded recently and were released shortly after the event. In the photo is a positively huge-looking red-tailed hawk with wings spread, held by its thighs in the bravely ungloved hand of a person wearing a green sweatshirt. We are looking at the back of the bird - its head, back, tops of both wings and its claws, pointing downward. Although I have been assured by People Who KNOW that this is truly a red-tailed hawk, There is no trace whatsoever of red on this bird's tail. That means that this hawk is, most likely, a juvenile. Behind the bird is a group of people at the event, here to observe awesome birds like this.
October 27, 2026 at 5:01 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Black phoebe on the prairie

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54929295949/in/album-72177720330363396/

#otd 10/24/2025 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
1P4A0924
www.flickr.com
October 24, 2026 at 9:43 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Cooper's hawk turning its back to us at Ensign Peak Park

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/55120613757/in/album-72177720332265547/

#otd 10/25/2022 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
We ended up stuck in Utah for quite a while when we, traveling in our RV on its maiden drive with us, gave up the ghost just outside of Salt Lake City. Much of that time, aside from an absolute nightmare at a Midvale hotel, is a blur. It took me literally years to steel myself to process through just a few of my photographs from that time. (And really, we did find interesting things to do.) So, no real background on what was happening to us when I took this photo. Once we had gotten our Covid shots, we were just looking for things to do while we waited for our RV guys to call with updates on the health of the RV. In any case, obviously one of the things we did was to visit Ensign Peak Park. And we saw the back of this lovely Cooper's hawk, which was sitting on a lamppost in front of a totally blank, white sky. (I think we did experience some snow while we were in that area, so maybe that's why the background, like my memory, is blank.) Anyway, what a lovely back it has. Swirls of brown on white, and then assertively wide grey and black stripes on the top of its tail. And if we look closely at the photo, we can catch just a glimpse of its foot on the post. Did the bird ever turn around even a little. No evidence in the photographic record and my mind is a blank.
October 25, 2026 at 5:25 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Male Anna's hummingbird flashing us from our back deck

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54858563147/in/album-72177720329728053/

#otd 10/22/2021 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
This male Anna's hummingbird showed us its vibrant gorget as it zooms toward a source of nectar. Its beak, head, body and tail are all in good focus. Its wings are moving so quickly that it was almost entirely blurred.
October 22, 2026 at 5:25 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Male kestrel on the prairie

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/45545091291/in/album-72157702793216845

#otd 10/23/2018 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
For many years, starting sometime around early October, and for months afterward, a kestrel would be looking down upon us every time we walked at the neighborhood prairie. I think that this one is a male. It is sitting on atop a not-very-tall pine tree. It is looking at us through its left eye; its beak is pointed to the left. It is a simply lovely bird. It wears a blue-grey helmet on its head, with a black strap along the side of its head and another black stripe under its eye. Its belly is bright white under a spotted breast. Its tail is rufous. Behind the bird is a needle-y pine. In front of the bird is a clear blue sky. The tree upon which this bird is perched died during a drought a few years after I took this photo. Eventually, it was carted away and I haven't regularly seen kestrels in the neighborhood since.
October 23, 2026 at 5:23 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Black-billed magpie at Park City, UT

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/55115775132/in/album-72177720332217092/

#otd 10/20/2022 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
It's not like I think every bird is astonishingly beautiful. In fact, I know that not every bird is beautiful. Magpies look astonishingly beautiful. (Their voices not so much.) The one flying by in this photo is - like a painting. Its head is jet black. There's a bright white slash across its back. Its wings droop down and spread to let the sun shine through them. The wings are white, edged with grey, topped with aqua blue, and with black epaulettes. The colors are watery, as if rendered in watercolor. The bird's tail is long, long, and is blue-ish/grey-ish white.
October 20, 2026 at 5:22 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Audubon's Warbler on the prairie

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54089669675/in/album-72177720321448487

#otd 10/21/2024 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
This bird stood out to me as unusual-looking to me, so I submitted it to inaturalist. The ID came back - definitively - as Audubon's Warbler. Setophaga coronata ssp. auduboni Supposedly this is a subspecies of the yellow-rumped warbler with a particularly yellow throat. However, in none of my photos do I see it with a bright yellow throat. It looked nothing like what I think of yellow-rumped warblers. It's got a very fuzzy grey head. What looked to me as a white throat and chest, and a mottled grey-brown back. So, perhaps this is a juvenile bird?
October 21, 2026 at 5:21 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Reflections of some birds at Antelope Island, UT

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/55118815089/in/album-72177720332237127

#otd 10/20/2022 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
In general, Utah is not the place I'd go to to see birds. There are other cool things there. Petroglyphs, national parks with natural beauty... Our vehicle broke down in Utah so we were there without a plan for quite a few weeks. Long story. Anyway, we went to Antelope Island in search of birds. We found a lot of bison. Not to say there are no birds there. There are some. These had arranged themselves in an interesting tableau in water that was not too depressing. I think the white ones might be avocets. Not sure about the ducks though. All of their reflections make it seem like there are lots more birds in the photo than are actually present. Maybe there are about 15 birds and 15 reflections. Anyway, with a careless glance, the white birds might manifest to you as butterflies flapping their wings.
October 20, 2026 at 5:23 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
California towhee on my morning walk

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/55595088696/in/album-72177720336208728

#otd 10/19/2021 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
When your kid tells you that she must have a dog - repeatedly - you eventually believe her. What you don't think too deeply about is that your daughter, who promises that she will walk the dog, care for the dog, take the dog when she leaves your home, will sooner or later - probably sooner - let you down. Which means that you will be the one caring for the dog, paying for medical care for the dog, and notably - be walking the dog several times a day, or paying someone to do so. In any case, we have loved every dog who has come to live with us and cared for them for many years longer than our daughter ever did. Sometimes, we see wonders while we walk with our dogs. Sometimes we see California towhees. Which are wonders, albeit commonly seen ones. California towhees are, at first glance, plain birds. Their feathers are greyish. Their eyes are amber and are surrounded by wrinkled yellow skin. I love to see the orange spot near the base of their tails that distinguishes their species.
October 19, 2026 at 5:19 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Bluebird making like a blossom atop a pine tree

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54927459031/in/album-72177720330378999

#otd 10/17/2025 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
There are bluebirds that are blue all over. There are many others that are blue and other colors too. The western bluebirds we get to see around here are the most beautiful, with their vibrant rusty chests and striking blue heads and bodies. This male bluebird is sitting at the very top of a pine tree. It looks like a flower blooming. Behind the bird and the bushy tree is the blurred darkness of a forest.
October 17, 2026 at 5:17 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
#otd 10/17/25 #birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #abirdaday (or more) Two bluebirds and a house finch keeping company on the prairie

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/54927669298/in/album-72177720330348070/
There are two bluebirds in this photograph and a single house finch, all three perched atop its own pine branch. The bluebird that is in focus is on the bottom right and is sitting with the finch to its right. The other bluebird is looking down upon the two friends, but is largely unfocused. The sky behind the birds is a solid pale blue.
October 17, 2026 at 5:17 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Townsend's warbler in Larry's garden

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/51609672138/in/album-72157720055208987

#otd 10/18/2021 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
Townsend's warblers often visit the bird feeders I keep on my deck, and they are close enough when they do that I get decent photos of them. But this bird seems so much more at home in the aspen leaves of my friend's autumnal garden that any of them ever look at my house. The striking black mask on the brilliant yellow face of this fellow help it blend in well with the yellow leaves and thin black twigs of the tree upon which the bird perches. Its green, leaf-shaped body help as well. And somehow, I was able to get closer to this bird than I have ever gotten to any Townsend's warbler I've been able to lure to my deck.
October 18, 2026 at 5:18 PM
armadillosoft.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Peregrine falcon above Hawkwatch

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armadillosoft/23953208168/in/album-72157686363525082/

#otd 10/16/2017 #birding #birdsofmastodon #birds #abirdaday (or more)
I am not cut out for Hawkwatch. In general, the hawk watchers are expected to identify the species and perhaps even age and gender of raptors that are flying far away from the hill. My eyesight is not terribly good and I don't have good binoculars. Instead, I have a telephoto, which is not as keen as most binoculars, but it does help me make a record of what I am seeing. Another of my modest talents is that I do pay attention and am bound to notice when a bird of interest is approaching, even if I cannot tell what species it is. I for sure did see these peregrine falcons early on, and perhaps detecting my excitement. it and one other peregrine flew close to us and hung out long enough for me to photograph. (Most birds that we counted on Hawkwatch were too far away to be easily captured on film.)
October 16, 2026 at 5:18 PM