Lori A. Claxton

pooling spray paint

American Flamingo Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Flamingos are truly unmistakable birds of endless superlatives: dazzling pink plumage, stiltlike legs, an impossibly long neck, and a bill that seems to have been bent in half. American Flamingos are ...

The bird of the day is the American flamingo, whose chicks are raised in crèches.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Americ...

Zenaida Dove When Audubon explored Florida in the 1830s, he apparently found Zenaida Doves nesting on the Florida Keys. Today the species is only a very rare visitor to Florida from the islands of the Caribbean...

Today's bird is the Zenaida dove.
www.audubon.org/field-guide/...

Northern Shoveler Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Perhaps the most outwardly distinctive of the dabbling ducks thanks to its large spoon-shaped bill, the Northern Shoveler busily forages head down in shallow wetlands. Its uniquely shaped bill has com...

Yesterday's bird was the northern shoveler.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northe...

Black Scoter Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology A stark velvety black seaduck with a bright pumpkin-orange knob at the base of its bill, the male Black Scoter is distinctive at almost any distance. Females are mostly brown with a distinctive face p...

Today's bird is the black scoter.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_...

Today's bird is the common loon.
www.mass.gov/info-details...

Red-faced Warbler Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology The startlingly pretty Red-faced Warbler is a mix of gray, black, and fire-engine red. Mainly a bird of high-elevation coniferous forests, its core range is in Mexico but it breeds as far north as Ari...

Yesterday's bird was the perpetually embarrassed red-faced warbler.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-fa...

Mottled Duck A close relative of the Mallard, the Mottled Duck is the only dabbling duck specialized for nesting in southern marshes, far to the south of most of its relatives. Unlike most waterfowl, Mottled...

The bird of the day is the mottled duck.
www.audubon.org/field-guide/...

Real and Implied Species — Rosemary Mosco A comic about real and implied bird species, including a hawk, flycatcher, chickadee, and bittern.

Today's bird is the rough-legged hawk...which was me until I shaved my legs about 20 minutes ago.
rosemarymosco.com/comics/bird-...

Black-whiskered Vireo Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology In dense mangrove and hardwood forests of the Caribbean, the sweet song of the Black-whiskered Vireo is loud and clear, but its drab greenish plumage and slow movements make it hard to spot. Visually,...

The bird of the day is the black-whiskered vireo.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-...

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology A small, plump owl patterned in cinnamon or gray, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl is a fearless predator capable of tackling birds more than twice its size. With its small stature, tuftless head, and long tail,...

Today's bird is the ferruginous pigmy-owl, a ruddy little bad-ass.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ferrug...

Lark Sparrow Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology This large sparrow may be brown, but its harlequin facial pattern and white tail spots make it a standout among sparrows. Males sing a melodious jumble of churrs, buzzes, and trills reminiscent of an ...

Yesterday's bird was the lark sparrow—such a pretty face! www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lark_S...

American Coot Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology The waterborne American Coot is one good reminder that not everything that floats is a duck. A close look at a coot—that small head, those scrawny legs—reveals a different kind of bird entirely. Their...

Today's bird is the American coot, which looks like a collection of other bird parts. Like a Baku bird, maybe, or Frankenstein's waterfowl.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Americ...

Hepatic tanager - Wikipedia

I forgot to post yesterday's bird, which was the hepatic tanager and apparently is actually in the cardinal family, not the tanager...and which isn't, for the most part, "liver-colored."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatic...

Consider the Bushtit … Yes, let us drag our minds away from the headlines for a few moments to consider the many amazing things about this rather drab, and somewhat unfortunately named little bird. And it really is minus…

Today's bird is the tiny, adorable, and not at all vulgar bushtit.
urbannature.blog/2020/03/15/c...

Murphy's Petrel This rather mysterious seabird, nesting on a few islands in the South Pacific, was not described to science until 1949. Not until the late 1980s was it learned that Murphy's Petrel may be a regular...

The bird of the day is a "mysterious seabird"—Murphy's petrel.
www.audubon.org/field-guide/...

Crescent-chested Warbler - eBird Attractive, fairly common warbler of oak and pine-oak woods in highlands and foothills. Typically forages in leaf clusters and is usually seen at middle to upper levels in canopy, especially in oaks. Often associates with mixed-species feeding flocks of other warblers, vireos, titmice, and orioles, etc. Note the bold white eyebrow, lack of white wingbars, and the extensive yellow bib with a variable dark reddish crescent on the breast (can be almost absent on some immatures). Song is a cicada-like buzz.

Today's bird is the crescent -chested warbler, a cute little druid who hangs out in oak trees.
ebird.org/species/crcwar

The bird of the day is the hook-billed kite, which, unlike other kites, loves escargot and never gets stuck in trees.
peregrinefund.org/explore-rapt...

Gambel's Quail - eBird Small and rotund with obvious teardrop-shaped plumes protruding from forehead. Looks gray and brown at a distance; look for buffy belly with a black patch. Males have black face and longer, more curled crest than females. Usually seen in flocks running on the ground in deserts, often close to dense thickets for cover. Well-accustomed to humans in many areas; a frequent visitor to feeders. Listen for loud wailing calls and various clucks and chuckles. Separated from similar California Quail by range; also note Gambel’s lacks scaly pattern on belly and has brighter chestnut-colored crown and sides.

Today's bird is Gambel's quail.
ebird.org/species/gamqua

Long-tailed Jaeger Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology The slender, almost ternlike Long-tailed Jaeger is daintier than other jaegers, but no less ferocious in its approach to getting food. These birds catch lemmings and raid bird nests during summer on t...

The bird of the day is the long-tailed jaeger.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-t...

Yellow-eyed Junco Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Yellow-eyed Juncos shuffle through the leaf litter of pine and pine-oak forests with fire in their eyes—a bright yellow-orange gleam that instantly sets them apart from the more widespread Dark-eyed J...

Today's bird is the yellow-eyed junco, who "shuffle[s] through the leaf litter of pine and pine-oak forests with fire in [her] eyes."
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow...

American Redstart Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology A lively warbler that hops among tree branches in search of insects, the male American Redstart is coal-black with vivid orange patches on the sides, wings, and tail. True to its Halloween-themed colo...

Today's bird is the American redstart
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Americ...

Great Shearwater Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Great Shearwaters are ocean nomads, journeying thousands of miles each year from remote South Atlantic breeding grounds to cool North Atlantic waters in the boreal summer (their nonbreeding season). T...

Today's bird is the great shearwater.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_...

My favorite facts about the American kestrel Learn the amazing physical characteristics and adaptations that make American kestrels so intriguiing.

Today's bird is the American kestrel.
centerofthewest.org/2014/01/16/f...

Yellow-breasted chat - Wikipedia

The bird of the day is the yellow-breasted chat, which is in a family all by itself. For now. Until the ornithologists change their minds.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-...

Golden-cheeked Warbler Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology At close range, an adult male Golden-cheeked Warbler’s rich black plumage and golden cheeks seem to be made of velveteen. This stunning but endangered warbler is found only in the Texas Hill Country w...

Today's bird is the golden-cheeked warbler. It only lives in Texas, poor thing.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Golden...

Dusky Warbler - eBird Small songbird, mud brown above, pale below, with pale tan supercilium (white only in the lores) and black eyeline. Smaller-billed than the similar Radde's Warbler, which has a predominantly white supercilium (tan only in the lores). Inhabits a wide range of areas with dense, low vegetation, from open forests to agricultural field edges. Forages low in undergrowth, but regularly pops out to investigate surroundings. Easily detected by its hard “tak” calls, given constantly as it moves around out of sight. Song is a bland, brief series of rapidly repeated phrases: “jijijijiji.”

Today's bird is the dusky warbler.
ebird.org/species/duswar

Trumpeter Swan Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Trumpeter Swans demand superlatives: they’re our biggest native waterfowl, stretching to 6 feet in length and weighing more than 25 pounds - almost twice as massive as a Tundra Swan. Getting airborne ...

Today's bird is the trumpeter swan.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Trumpe...

Well, I went 92 days before forgetting my daily photo, which is much longer than most previous years.

Brown-headed Nuthatch Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology When the squeaky sound of a rubber ducky drifts down out of the canopy in a southern pine forest, be on the lookout for Brown-headed Nuthatches. These tiny blue-gray songbirds climb up, down, and arou...

The bird of the day is the brown-headed nuthatch, who has a voice like a squeaky toy.
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-...