Wendy

A dark butterfly with iridescent blue on its lower wings and small orange spots, resting with its wings partially open on a green leaf.

Fun fact: This Red-spotted Purple butterfly is a master of disguise! 🦋 It evolved to mimic the poisonous Pipevine Swallowtail so predators will leave it alone. A beautiful and brilliant survival strategy spotted right here in the Hudson Valley! ✨

#Butterfly #RedSpottedPurple #HudsonValley #Wildlife

Two adult white Mute Swans and three gray cygnets swimming together in a green, marshy pond.

We made it to March! 🎉 This snowy winter has felt absolutely endless, but warmer days and scenes like this Mute Swan family paddling through a green marsh are right around the corner. Hang in there, spring is officially in sight! 🦢🌱

#MuteSwan #SpringIsComing #HudsonValley #Birding

A Song Sparrow on a branch, head tucked into its side to meticulously preen its wing feathers.

"I'd love to, but I really gotta get my feathers in order." 🛁 Just taking a quick timeout for maintenance! With everything going on, this Song Sparrow reminds us it's totally okay to hit pause for a minute to reset. 🌿

#Birds #SongSparrow #SelfCare #HudsonValley #BirdPhotography

If you pretend hard enough to be a leaf on a vine all is fine, right?

🤯 Amazing!

Yeah, me too before I cropped the photo 🤣

A grayish-olive Willow Flycatcher resting peacefully on a thin, bare branch, looking completely relaxed.

Birders: Frantically flipping through field guides trying to ID a flycatcher based on a single millimeter of wing length. 📖

This Willow Flycatcher: Experiencing total Zen. Unbothered. Flourishing on a twig. 🧘‍♂️🌿 We could all learn something from this bird!

#WillowFlycatcher #Birds #BirdWatching #Zen

A small Wood Duck standing on a muddy mound in a marsh, positioned right next to the long legs of a much taller Great Blue Heron.

Heading into the weekend with top-tier security. 🛡️ This little Wood Duck figured out the safest spot in the marsh is right under the watchful eye of a towering Great Blue Heron. Work smart, not hard! Happy Friday!

#Birds #WoodDuck #GreatBlueHeron #Birding #HudsonValley #WildlifePhotography

A male Blue Dasher dragonfly with a powdery blue body and massive eyes resting on the tip of a green and yellow leaf.

With eyes made of up to 30,000 lenses, this male Blue Dasher has nearly 360-degree vision. 👁️ That means he can spot and hunt down mosquitoes mid-air with absolute precision. He is officially the summer hero we need! 🦸‍♂️🚁

#BlueDasher #Dragonfly #MacroPhotography #HudsonValley #NotAllHeroesWearCapes

Very long. Wildlife is unpredictable so when I go out in the field I have some target who I was hoping to get a photo of, but appreciate anyone who will pose for me 😆 Last spring I went out in search of American Woodcocks came home with photos of lots of other birds. Maybe this year I'll find them!

Yess! I'm so glad we have apps to help us!

😂

A vibrant yellow American Goldfinch resting on a thin branch surrounded by green leaves against a soft green background.

Fun fact: American Goldfinches are one of the only finches that molt twice a year! In the winter, they sport drab olive feathers, and molt into these blindingly bright yellow beacons for breeding season. This guy is a beautiful preview of summer! ✨

#Birds #Goldfinch #BirdFacts #BirdPhotography

A side profile of a vivid green and black Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly perched on a piece of light gray wood.

Yesterday's snowstorm has me desperately craving some color. 🌨️ Enter: the Eastern Pondhawk! Fun fact: while mature males are powdery blue, the females and young males are this stunning, vivid green. A little reminder that spring will come! ☀️💚

#WildlifePhotography #Dragonflies #EasternPondhawk

A Chipping Sparrow perched high on an evergreen, beak wide open, singing loudly.

Current Monday status: Climbing to the top of an evergreen to scream into the void. 🌲🗣️ This Chipping Sparrow is handling the start of the week exactly how the rest of us want to. Honestly, it's a solid strategy.

#birds #chippingsparrow #nature #wildlife #photography #birding

A dark, backlit male Indigo Bunting singing from a bare branch against a bright sky, showing very little blue color due to the lighting.

Fun fact: Indigo Buntings don't have actual blue pigment! Their feathers just refract light. Because this singing male is backlit by the sun, the light isn't reflecting back at the camera, making him look dark instead of glowing blue. 🔬

#birds #indigobunting #nature #wildlifephotography

A side-by-side photo of a grayish-olive Willow Flycatcher showing both its front profile and the back of its wings.

Photography lets me take the birding puzzle home to overanalyze! 🧩 In the field, I thought Eastern Wood-Pewee. But studying the closeups? The longer secondaries and super faint eye-ring point right to a Willow Flycatcher. But I'll keep second guessing.

What do you think?👇

#birds #willowflycatcher

Its always great when the subject poses for a few minutes while I can get a few shots lined up :D

A reddish-brown Brown Thrasher perched clearly visible on a branch, looking out.

A rare out-of-the-brush appearance! 🌿

Brown Thrashers usually stay completely hidden in the thickets, but this one was ready for its close-up.

Fun fact: with a repertoire of over 1,000 different songs, they completely outclass their Catbird and Mockingbird cousins.

#birds #brownthrasher

A parent Tree Swallow feeding a fledgling while several other fledglings look on with open mouths.

The Hangry Diaries: Series Finale. 🎬

One fledgling gets fed. The rest of the union is devastated.

Thank you for tuning into this season of The Hangry Diaries! I hope you enjoyed the screaming as much as I did.

#birds #treeswallow #fledglings #nature #wildlifephotography

A group of begging Tree Swallows perched on a branch while another juvenile swallow flies toward them.

The Hangry Diaries: The Seminar.

A juvenile has figured out how to hunt. The Fledgling Union is thrilled - until they realize it isn't sharing.

Flying Bird: "If I can do it, you can too!"
Union: "WE HATE YOU. FEED US."

Leading by example is dangerous with starving students.

#birds #treeswallows

😅

A Barn Swallow perched on a wire mesh fence against a blue river background.

A brief intermission from the screaming. ⏸️

The "Hangry Diaries" will continue soon, but for today: Here is a Barn Swallow enjoying a quiet break on the Hudson River.

No open beaks. No drama. Just vibes.

#birds #barnswallow #nature #wildlife #photography

An adult Tree Swallow looking at the viewer while a fledgling begs next to it.

The Hangry Diaries: Dissociation. 🫠

Fledgling: "MORE!"
Parent: Stares poignantly into the camera lens, wondering if it's too late to change their name and move to a different nest.

#birds #treeswallow #parenting #nature #wildlifephotography

An adult Tree Swallow hovering to feed a fledgling who is perched on a branch.

The Hangry Diaries: The Payoff. 🏆

It turns out, geometry matters.

By pivoting to the side, the fledgling created the perfect landing strip. The result? A successful high-speed delivery right into the gullet. Finally, silence (for at least 30 seconds).

#brids #treeswallow #cute #babyanimals

A fledgling Tree Swallow in profile with its beak wide open, begging for food on a branch.

The Hangry Diaries: The Side Angle. 📐

We are trying a new tactic today: The Profile Pose.

This fledgling has pivoted to give the adults a clear flight path right into the "landing zone." It’s a bold play to be seen during a high-speed fly-by. Will it work? Stay tuned.

#birds #treeswallow #cute

This is great! Do you have cameras in the boxes?

Two juvenile Tree Swallows sitting side-by-side on a thin branch.

The Hangry Diaries: Part 3. 👯

Strategy update: Unionize.

These two are sharing a very thin perch to double their visibility. They are convinced that "two mouths are louder than one."

#birds #treeswallow #babyanimals #cute #wildlifephotography

A fledgling Tree Swallow perched on a branch, looking straight at the camera with a sad, disappointed expression.

The Hangry Diaries, Part 2: The Betrayal. 💔

We have moved past the screaming phase. We are in the "silent judgment" phase.

This is the look of a fledgling who just watched the delivery truck fly right past the branch. It isn't mad, just... disappointed. (Okay, it's also mad).

#birds #treeswallow

A fledgling Tree Swallow screaming with its mouth wide open and wings spread.

Welcome to Part 1 of "The Hangry Diaries." 📖

This fledgling Tree Swallow is starring in my new mini-series about the drama of waiting for lunch.

Current Status: "I have been waiting for 4 seconds and I am wasting away."

Stay tuned for more from this very hungry crew.

#birds #treeswallow #baby