Ben's Birds and Stuff

A bright orange and black Monarch Butterfly gathers pollen from a tiny purple flower, the lone blossom on a thin green stalk of Blue Porterweed. A second Monarch, pictured three times in this composite image, flits around the first. The background of the photograph is a blur of green hues.

Hello, BlueSky!

I’m taking a brief hiatus to experiment with architectural photography, but I’ll be back soon with more bird pictures.

Monarchs and Blue Porterweed
(A composite of three photographs)
Miami Beach Botanical Gardens
December 27, 2024
#photography #nature #insects #butterflies

Stunning

More at me than with me!

A Laughing Gull’s Tail. The merit of this photograph, if it has any at all, is entirely up to the observer. The Laughing Gull stands on a sugar-sand beach against the light turquoise backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean. Only the back half of the bird is visible. Its black legs rise parallel to the right side of the frame. It’s gray hind parts and spotted black tail sweep in the form of a triangle across the middle. Maybe it’s abstract. Maybe it’s comical. Maybe it’s just weird.

Laughing Gull
Miami Beach
December 29, 2024
#photography #nature #wildlife #birds

Thank you for the repost, @melysue.bsky.social!

This katydid from Ecuador has been affectionately named by photographers "candy-cane katydid". The truth is... we are not sure which species it is. One possibility is a Harroweria nymph, but until someone witnesses the transformation into the adult stage it will remain a mystery.

A Yellow-Bellied Turtle with a striking green eye. This photograph offers a close headshot of a Yellow-Bellied Slider. The turtle, facing left, has dark green—almost black—skin with several thick yellow stripes. Its eye is also striped, black across the light green iris. The background of the photograph consists of the brownish-green hues of the turtle pond.

Yellow-Bellied Slider
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
December 31, 2024
#photography #nature #wildlife #turtles #reptiles

A Monarch combs a leafy green plant. Photographed here in profile, this monarch is a bright orange butterfly with black and white markings. Here the butterfly, facing the left of the frame, has perched for a moment on a leafy green plant. The background of the photograph consists of dark green and black hues.

Monarch Butterfly
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
December 31, 2024
#photography #nature #wildlife #butterflies #insects

Many thanks for the reposts, @mybirdpins.bsky.social; @mybirdcards.com; @dlbruin.bsky.social; @timhopper.bsky.social; @risenvalstrax.bsky.social!

A Laughing Gull lifts its wings. In this photograph, a Laughing Gull raises its wings high above its head, as if trying to catch the wind coming off the Atlantic Ocean. The gull has a speckled brown breast and a speckled gray crown, which together suggest that this may be an immature bird. The gull stands on a sugar sand beach. The background of the photograph is a light sea-foam green.

Laughing Gull
Miami Beach
January 3, 2025
#photography #nature #wildlife #birds

A chicken struts through the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. This chicken has an orange breast, a speckled brown-and-white cap, a small red comb, and prominent yellow feet. Here, it pecks its ways along a trail canopied with green plants and trees. The ground is covered in dry leaves and mulch.

Chicken
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
December 28, 2024
#photography #nature #birds

(Who can identify the breed and gender?)

An Anole sits on a park bench at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. This photograph offers a closeup headshot of a small Anole lizard. It has a dark eye and its skin is speckled light and dark brown. Here the lizard sits on the metal slats of a park bench, facing the left of the frame but looking back toward the camera. The background is a blur of green, pink, and brown hues.

Anole
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
December 31, 2024
#photography #nature #wildlife #reptiles

Thanks for the repost, @wheelan.bsky.social!

Many thanks for the reposts, @ghostmoonchild.bsky.social and @ostff.bsky.social!

A Palm Warbler walks along a wooden fence rail. This photograph is a study in muted browns and light grays. The warbler walks along a bare wooden board, from the left to the right of the frame. A small bird, the warbler has light brown plumage on its head and back, a dirty white breast streaked with tan feathers, a distinctive white eye line, and a hint of yellow on its lower belly. The background of the photograph is a blur of soft browns and grays.

Palm Warbler
Miami Beach
January 2, 2025
#photography #nature #wildlife #birds

Thank you, @janbassy.bsky.social!

Thank you for the reposts, @cathypelli.bsky.social, and @gigi2009.bsky.social!

A Sanderling walks along Miami Beach. A small, stout ocean bird, similar to a Sandpiper, this Sanderling has brown and black feathers on its back, white feathers on its belly, a black eye, a black bill, and black legs. Here, the bird pauses in the sugar sand of Miami Beach. Stray pieces of twig and kelp are scattered about the bird. The background of the photograph consists of the pale turquoise of the Atlantic Ocean.

Sanderling
Miami Beach
December 29, 2024
#photography #nature #wildlife #birds

A Cape May Warbler catches a glint of sunshine. This Cape May Warbler is a small bird. Its bright yellow breast is streaked with black. Its cap and wings are gray and black. A few chestnut feathers have appeared on the bird’s otherwise gray cheeks, which suggests that this bird is an immature male that will soon acquire its adult feathers. Here, the warbler, which has been drinking the nectar from the flowers of a large Jamaican Poinsettia, pauses to take in the sunlight dappling from above.

Cape May Warbler
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
December 31, 2024
#photography #nature #wildlife #birds

Laughing Gulls sleep on Miami Beach. In this photograph, three Laughing Gulls lie in the sand, bathing in the sun. These gulls are mostly gray birds with black tails and white necks. Presumably for warmth, they have tucked their beaks under their wings. Their eyes are mostly shut. The background of the photograph is a blur of sand and other gulls.

Laughing Gulls
Miami Beach
January 1, 2025
#birds #photography #nature #wildlife

A Map Turtle shows off its stripes. This photograph offers a profile, in closeup, of a Map Turtle facing the left side of the frame. The turtle is visible only from its neck up and across its right forearm. The turtle’s dark green skin is covered in yellow lines that curve and bend but never intersect. The pattern calls to mind the contour lines on a topographical map. The turtle has a hazel eye, a waxy upper lip, and five long yellow claws on the end of its hand. There seems to be moss growing on what little of the turtle’s shell appears in the frame. The background of the photograph consists of natural green and dark brown hues.

Map Turtle
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
December 28, 2024
#photography #nature #reptiles #turtles #terrapinstation

Thank you. We see Green Herons here in Indiana, but this heron, in Florida was a lot less skittish.

Thank you. I helped it a long a bit in post but much of that effect was situational. The bank was heavily shaded but the heron had walked out on the limb to fish in the canal below. The result was this lovely spotlight.

Excellent.

What if, now hear me out, you scale that project up? You’re gonna need a very large pot . . .

Perched on an overhanging limb, a Green Heron looks out over a canal. This Green Heron is a short, stout bird with burgundy plumage on its chest and dark blue plumage on its head. It has a bright yellow eye and a long, pointy bill. Here, the heron sits on a long, dead tree branch, soaking up the sun. This perch also allows the heron to keep an eye on fish and other prey moving in the canal below. The background of the photograph consists of shaded rocks and green space.

Green Heron
Collins Canal Park
Miami Beach
December 28, 2025
#birds #photography #nature #wildlife

A Laughing Gull stands on a sun-drenched beach, one leg retracted. The gull photographed here is a white bird with gray wings, gray markings on its head, and a black bill. It stands on a slope of sand, facing the camera, in the right half of the frame, but its head is turned toward the left. The gull is balancing on its right leg; it holds its left under its feathers, out of view, presumably for warmth. The background of the photograph is a blur of brown, orange, and green foliage.

Laughing Gull
Miami Beach
January 1, 2025
#birds #photography #nature #wildlife

Than you, @alanvaunphotos.bsky.social!

Gulls of a feather!

Thank you, @cb1964.bsky.social, for the kind words and the repost.