Short-billed Gull. Victoria, British Columbia.

Short-billed Gull is the only North American “white-headed” gull to regularly build nests in trees, though it also nests on the ground.

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Red-winged Blackbird. Victoria, British Columbia.

A male showing its fall plumage with the feather tips tinged with a rusty orange. These will become solid black nearer to breeding plumage.

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Eastern Barn Owl. Tissa Lake, Sri Lanka.

This particular owl is a local star as it reliably emerges from its day roost and sits in this tree. Dozens of people gather each evening to watch for it. A few people use flashlights.

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Thanks

Thanks

Bald Eagle. Victoria, British Columbia.

Happy Friday to everyone!

#birds #birding #wildlife #nature #photography #birdphotography #Nikon #eagle #bluesky #friday

Malabar Pied-Hornbill. Thissamaharama, Sri Lanka.

Unique nesting: The female blocks the nesting hole with a mixture of mud, fruit pulp, and droppings, leaving only a narrow slit for the male to pass food through.

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Buller’s Albatross. Sydney, Australia (offshore).

Buller's albatross are monogamous and form long-term pair bonds, returning to the same nest site with the same partner year after year. The oldest know bird is at least 54.

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Western Sandpiper. Victoria, British Columbia.

Instead of probing for worms, Western sandpipers use a fringed, spiny tongue to scrape a slimy layer of algae called biofilm off the surface of mudflats.

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Sokoke Scops-Owl. Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve, Kenya.

First described to science in 1965, this endangered owl is very range restricted. Its estimated population is about 800 pairs. It measures just 6.5”. This photo is of a juvenile.

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Black Oystercatcher. Victoria, British Columbia.

Fun fact: they don’t always catch oysters. Happy Friday.

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Thanks

Greater Yellowlegs. Victoria, British Columbia.

Their breeding habitat in the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska is remote, buggy, and difficult to access, making it one of the least-studied shorebirds on the continent.

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To me they do look like Sanderling. The bill is straight, broad-based, and blunt-tipped, and the breast and underparts appear clean white. You could post this to the Facebook group “what’s this bird”. Just provide date and location per the group rules.

Least sandpiper has yellowlegs. Size alone can be misleading, whether mixed with Westerns or alone. Check those legs!

Relative to that Snowy, that other bird is Sanderling (plus a distinct molt pattern). This group however looks good for Western, but from the photo and angle it’s hard to rule out Semipalmated.

Looks good for Sanderling.

Northern Flicker. Victoria, British Columbia.

A makeshift perch that I placed next to a feeder has turned out to be quite good for photos. Yesterday, I captured the warm autumn light on this male red-shafted flicker.

#birds #birding #wildlife #nature #photography #birdphotography #Nikon

Red-wattled Lapwing. Hambantota, Sri Lanka.

The lapwing is a ground-dweller that is incapable of perching and is highly alert to its surroundings, making it an effective alarm system for other wildlife.

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Brewer’s Blackbird. Victoria, British Columbia.

Brewer's blackbirds are highly social and will nest in colonies of up to 100 birds. They will often mix with other species, such as red-winged blackbirds and brown-headed cowbirds.

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That’s great. What’s the rarity?

With just over 12 hours of birding logged today, the eBird Global Big Day with @birdgirl09.bsky.social was a huge success. We tallied 106 species, with three local rarities: Short-tailed Shearwater, Palm Warbler, and a Wilson’s Warbler.

Now we can’t wait until the next big day in May.

I’m excited for the eBird Global Big Day on October 11, 2025. I’ll be out with @birdgirl09.bsky.social scouring the marine, forest, wetland, and agricultural lands to find as many species as we can.

Last year we got 99 species. Can we beat that this year?

#birds #birding #ebird #globalbigday

Thank you.

Thank you

Marbled Godwit. Victoria, British Columbia.

During breeding season they are exceptionally well-camouflaged on their prairie nests. During winter, on the coast, they also easily blend in with beach and estuarine grasses.

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Mallard. Victoria, British Columbia.

Only female mallards make the classic "quack," while males have a softer, raspier call.

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Regent Bowerbird. Lamington NP, Australia.

They are known to mix a muddy grey-blue or pea green saliva paint in their mouths, which they use to decorate their bowers. The bower consists of two walls of sticks, decorated with shells, seeds, leaves and berries.

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Thanks

Clark’s Nutcracker. Lake Louise, Alberta.

The Clark’s Nutcracker is a ‘keystone’ species, critical for the distribution of whitebark pine seeds. It can hide thousands of seeds each fall, which help with forest regeneration.

#birds #birding #wildlife #nature #photography #birdphotography #Nikon