Sometimes I’m just a bird watcher

I really just started out taking pictures of nature, but birds are such charismatic subjects! Their facial expressions! Their feathers! Their feet! Flight! I took a lagoon walk the other day and the birds were on display in a major way, so I hope you find them as delightful as I did.

A male Anna’s hummingbird is perched on the tip of a branch that has a maple key hanging below.

I’ve seen a male Anna’s hummingbird sitting on this very branch several times now, so I wonder if it’s his particular perch? Or maybe several different fellas like it? It was very convenient for me as a photographer because of that perfect little maple key hanging from his branch. And I’d like you to appreciate just how perfectly round he is from this angle.

Closeup of a greet blue heron hunched as it perches on a tree branch. You can just see one eye peeking out behind dramatic grey and white feathers.

I had another quite amazing heron encounter today, with at least nine herons perched in trees nearby to one another. They were much closer to me than I could get the last time I saw so many congregated and they were really showing off their Muppet-like qualities! Just look at those feathers!

A reedy pool with lots of different ducks floating together, including hooded mergansers, American wigeon, and a green wing teal.

This little sheltered spot in the lagoon was a real treat, with some of our most common ducks all hanging out together! The photo above includes two American wigeons (a male and female), three hooded mergansers (two males and one female), and a male green wing teal in the corner. What a fancy crew!

Vivid green cedar branches in the dark woods.

I was particularly excited to get a nice view of a green wing teal because when they’re alone, they’re pretty skittish. Just look at their fancy colours! They also have bright green stripes tucked under their wings.

A great blue heron is surrounding by boughs of an evergreen tree. They look perturbed and their feathers are fluffing out a bit.

Herons in trees are always very cool to see, but I think this one was annoyed by a dog being walked nearby. A few herons took off out of the trees at that point, but most of them just fluffed themselves up and stayed put.

Two double crested cormorants are perched, one in front of the other, on lichen green and ochre wooden posts, wrapped in rusted chains with deformed metal tops.

A double crested cormorant is reaching their neck out long from their perch on a wooden and metal post.

Double crested cormorants seem to love perching on these cool, textured posts. Thanks for the excellent lichen and rusted chain accessory for my pictures!

Male and female buffleheads floating together in shallow water.

A flotilla of buffleheads! I love how this picture shows the size difference between the males and females and just how adorable they all are. I love when water birds take off because it always looks so chaotic, with splashes and patterned wings everywhere!

Buffleheads taking off with big splashes from the water.

And I had one last little moment of joy just after the buffleheads took off — this little brown bird, a song sparrow hopping around the driftwood. I think their feet deserve special notice.

What’s the last bird you spotted? Have you accidentally become a bird watcher too?

An All-Birds Post

Sometimes I’m just a bird watcher

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