Alex Nelson

A black-and-white warbler creeping down a Spanish moss-laden tree trunk with a spider in its beak. #birds

It's actually their specialty. They almost never open their eyes all the way during the day; their eyes have only rods--no cones--and they are so sensitive to light that they're essentially blind in full daylight. So you end up receiving a lot of squinty looks.

A closeup of a tricolored heron's head. #birds

Well, they're largely nocturnal, but they're not strictly nocturnal. Dunno where you live, but when the weather gets cool they'll be out more and more during daylight hours to take advantage of more pleasing temperatures. They prefer wooded areas, and you'll usually hear them rustling leaves first.

A nine-banded armadillo standing on its hind legs with its head slightly tilted to regard me from its vantage point behind some blurry foliage in the foreground.

An eastern meadowlark perched on the post of a barbed-wire fence bordering the prairie. #birds

A swamp sparrow poses in some dramatic shadows atop a pile of dried reeds along the edge of a marsh. #birds

You're very welcome! Thanks for the kind words!

Out amongst the alligator flag leaves, a single head popped out to survey the surroundings at sunrise: a purple gallinule. #birds

Thank you, Marina!

A ruby-crowned kinglet--sometimes the males' crests can stay well hidden, but I'm pretty sure this was a female--stands still just long enough for me to nab a photo as it perches on an oak branch. They really hate standing still. #birds

An eastern phoebe waiting for bugs to fly by from its alligator flag perch on a cool fall morning. #birds

A closeup portrait of a great blue heron in the early morning. #birds

A quartet of blue-winged teal, a male in front, swimming through the duckweed at the edge of a marsh. #birds

Thanks, Andy!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're right just because of how thick the webbing is, although this was on the forest floor not up in a tree. I meant to just type "webs" but I got lazy when I realized I typed wrong after posting.

Its head slightly cocked, a palm warbler stands atop some foliage and debris that have been completely encased in spider webs. #birds

A swamp sparrow hidden inside a patch of burr marigold in the middle of a marsh. #birds

A white-tailed deer buck greeted me on the trail with a bright sunrise behind him as I walked into the preserve on a rare 25-degree morning in Florida.

A pretty convincing leaf mimic: a greater angle-wing katydid trying to warm herself up on the trail on a cold morning.

A common gallinule shows off its long toes while foraging amongst the grass along the water's edge. #birds

This is fantastic, Matthew!

Five blue-winged teal flying over the marsh directly towards the camera. #birds

During the breeding season, you'll find them in the eastern half of the U.S., extending into southern Canada. There is a weird gap midway through their range, however. They winter around the Caribbean.

A strongly backlit northern parula in a tree, next to some Spanish moss. #birds

We ran an interview with Paul DePodesta where I walked away saying to myself, "this guy is falling behind the times." That was almost 15 years ago, and he's since been working for an NFL team achieving humiliating results. Hiring him to run an MLB team in 2025 is...well, it's the Colorado Rockies.

The Albert Dershman of blue jays, this bird has at least two acorns in its mouth and possibly more in its crop, as it sits in a bare tree on the edge of the prairie. #birds

A green heron catches the light just right in the marsh just after sunrise. #birds

Eastern bluebird looking out from behind a pine trunk. #birds

An orange-crowned warbler springing from one twig in a wax myrtle to another. #birds