Lmst

'"the tourist i caught was THIS big" -- boasting shining sunbeam, no, really, i don't name these birds, this species is called the Shining Sunbeam

🤣

#Funny #Hummingbirds #Birds #Courtship #BirdBehavior #Birding #BirdsOfMastodon #BirdsOfFediverse #Photograph #BirdPhotography #Nature #Andes #Colombia

Two bright orange-y brown hummingbirds sit on a lichen-covered branch. One has her back to us and her gaze fixed on the one who is facing us. He has spread his backlit wings wide in the universal gesture for "the fish i caught was this big." His bill is lifted and he looks very assertive, like he might knock her off the branch if she's not adequately impressed. Or I may just be influenced by the fact that their courtship was so enthusiastic that a couple of times he DID knock her off the branch and they tumbled around on the ground for a few moment. Termales Del Ruiz, Colombia. Nov 2025. Photo by Peachfront. This is a high elevation cloud forest and was pretty gray & foggy much of the time, but this particular pair of Shining Sunbeams hung around doing this repeatedly, and eventually i was able to get a shaft of sunlight on the scene...

"u have to feed me, i'm only little, what d'ya mean i'm bigger than u are, u think i don't see u hiding in that tree over there w/ your foot up for a snooze! this is baby birb abuse" -- very noisy food-begging Yellow-headed Caracara

this "little" dude was hilarious, birb's just as big & capable as the nearby parent but don't tell birb that...

#Bird #Birding #Photograph #BirdBehavior #Caracara #Falcon #BirdOfPrey #Fledgling #BabyBird #BirdPhotography #BirdsOfMastodon #BIrdsOfFediverse #Nature

A tall yet somehow fluffy bird of prey with a pink face and bill is sitting on a thick branch in a dappled forest. Birb's floofed-out crown feathers are lightly touched with sun and birb's pink bill is open in a noisy cry. This is a recently fledged Yellow-headed Caracara. Laguna de Sonsa, Colombia. Nov 2025. Photo by Peachfront.

"don't give me that guff, that was a dirty foul & you're outta this game!" -- if golden tanagers were refs...

#WildlifeWednesday #BirdsOfMastodon #Birds #Birding #Tanagers #Photograph #Photography #BirdBehavior #BirdPhotography #Colombia #Nature #BirdsOfFediverse #Silly #Funny

Two small birds are disputing on a mossy branch. The olive green bird is stretched out long with open beak in the shouty/attack position. The shorter, stouter bright yellow bird with black cheek patch is standing tall, is also open-beaked shouting, and appears to be gesturing violently with a wing as if to show the olive dude the door. This is the Palm Tanager (olive) vs Golden Tanager (you can figure that one out) at La Florida reserve in Colombia. The Golden Tanagers were feeding some young fledglings and were extremely aggressive on the day of my visit. The Palm Tanagers are just nervy all the time every time I've seen them anywhere. Photo by Peachfront. Nov 2025.

"the handsome devil behind this window must die before he takes my girl" -- northern slaty-brushfinch

(don't worry, no brushfinches were harmed in the making of this photo, apparently this little dude could keep up this war all day w/ appropriate breaks to hustle snacks from tourists at the reserve)

#Bird #Birding #BirdBehavior #Funny #Reflections #WindowFriday #Photography #BirdPhotography #Wildlife #Nature #fensterfreitag

A dark slaty-colored bird is flying with apparent reckless abandon to bash head into a dirty window to do battle with birb's reflection. (Don't worry, birb was in control & never actually bumped heads with any but symbolic force against the glass.) This is one of the Northern Slaty Brushfinches hosted by the Mirador El Roble reserve in Colombia. Photo by Peachfront. Nov 2025.

20 stunning #BirdImages by photographer Tom Nickels: https://zorz.it/SFbiP

#SaumyaRatan #BirdPhotographer #TomNickels #photographer #AwardWinning #WildlifePhotographer #FinlandsBirdlife #BirdBehavior #FrozenInTime

The tiny drama on the shoreline

At the beach of Oranjezon in Zeeland, I stumbled into a miniature comedy act starring two birds with very different personalities. In Dutch we call them a Steenloper and a Drieteenstrandloper — but internationally they’re known as the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) and the Sanderling (Calidris alba).

The Turnstone was doing its usual business: flipping over shells and stones with impressive determination, searching for hidden snacks. But right behind it — practically glued to its tail — the Sanderling trotted along, refusing to be shooed away. The back-and-forth between them felt like watching a feathered version of the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote, tiny legs moving at ridiculous speeds.

Photographically, this was a fun challenge. A dark grey day, the sea rolling in behind them, and me lying low with the Canon 5D Mark IV and Sigma 100–400mm at 400mm. Because of the poor light I had to work with a slower shutter speed (1/250s). Tracking two hyperactive birds at that focal length is like trying to thread a needle in a storm — but somehow it worked. The legs slightly blurred just enough to show their speed, while the birds themselves stayed sharp.

I’m honestly proud of this one. A little slice of nature, comedy, and chaos — exactly as it happened on that windy Zeeland beach.

#RuddyTurnstone #ArenariaInterpres #Sanderling #CalidrisAlba #Shorebirds #BeachBirds #Zeeland #Oranjezon #DutchNature #BirdWatching #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #NatureLovers #Canon5DMarkIV #Sigma100400 #TelephotoMagic #TrackingShots #LowAnglePhotography #BirdBehavior #FeatheredFriends #CoastalWildlife #NatureComedy #FastLittleLegs #BlurAndSharp #WildlifeMoments #EuropeanBirds #AvianLife #BeachWalks #StoryBehindTheShot #FieldNotes #NatureDiaries #ScientificCuriosity #PhotographyChallenges #GreyDayPhotography #BirdingNetherlands #NatureReserve #CoastalEcosystem #AnimalInteractions #TinyDrama #ByMaikeldeBakker

The five cardinals have taken to coming at dusk and snarfing some of last season’s seed. They chatter amongst themselves as they take turns. It’s sweet — family time at the bird feeder

#birding #BirdBehavior

Rock Wrens (Salpinctes obsoletus) often build walkways of small stones leading to their hidden nest cavities. Sometimes these pavements become elaborate, with hundreds of objects—including human-made ones—though their true purpose remains a mystery.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rock_Wren

#Birds #BirdBehavior #AvianArchitecture #Nature #Wildlife #California

When Northern Pygmy-Owls score more food than they can eat, they stash it away—tucking prey into tree cavities or even impaling it on thorns, a trick more often associated with shrikes.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Pygmy-Owl/

#NorthernPygmyOwl #BirdBehavior #CaliforniaBirds #Owls #Nature #Wildlife #California

In late summer, young Elegant Terns (Thalasseus elegans) trail their parents on fishing trips, quietly following until a fish is caught—then breaking into loud begging calls. They often drop to the water’s surface to receive their meal before taking off again. Along the California coast, this parent-chick routine can continue well into November.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Elegant_Tern/

#Terns #CaliforniaBirds #Seabird #BirdBehavior #CoastalBirds #WildCalifornia #NatureFacts #Nature #Wildlife

Tree Swallow Ruckus: The Chase

After yesterday's photo was taken, two of the Tree Swallows had a chase.

https://thecareyadventures.com/blog/tree-swallow-ruckus-the-chase/

#Birding #Illinois #NorthAmerica #PhotoOfTheDay #USA #BirdBehavior #birding #birds #chase #Illinois #PhotoOfTheDay #travel #TreeSwallow #USA

Tree Swallows Making A Ruckus

Tree Swallows have a beautiful iridescence in the right light. And they are some fast suckers! That's why hanging out near a bird house makes for a bit easier targets.

In this case, the bird on the right had some tweets for the other two b

https://thecareyadventures.com/blog/tree-swallows-making-a-ruckus/

#Birding #Illinois #NorthAmerica #PhotoOfTheDay #USA #BirdBehavior #BirdBirds #birding #Illinois #PhotoOfTheDay #swallow #travel #TreeSwallow #USA

The Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) can climb trees like other woodpeckers, but it prefers foraging on the ground. Its main food is ants, which it digs up and collects with its long, barbed tongue.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Flicker

#Woodpeckers #BirdBehavior #DiscoverBirds #Nature #Wildlife #California

Downy Woodpeckers (Dryobates pubescens) often join mixed-species flocks in winter, gaining safety in numbers and better chances of finding food.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Downy_Woodpecker

#Woodpeckers #BirdBehavior #DiscoverBirds #Nature #Wildlife #California

Morning Mischief – Encounter with the Eurasian Jay

Yesterday, during an early walk through our local forest in Tilburg, I was surprised by two Garrulus glandarius — Eurasian jays, or Vlaamse gaaien in Dutch. Perched between shadows and streaks of morning light, they were hopping, chasing, and seemingly playing among the branches.

Photographing them with my Canon 7D Mark II and Sigma 100–400mm lens proved to be a delicate dance with the low light and their quick movements — but the experience itself was more valuable than any perfect shot.

Eurasian jays belong to the corvid family, known for their intelligence and complex behavior. They’re not just beautiful with their electric-blue wing feathers — they’re problem-solvers, mimics, and even cache acorns for future meals, playing a vital role in forest regeneration.

It reminded me how even a local patch of woodland can offer something extraordinary — a moment of wild behavior, rarely seen up close. You don’t have to travel far for wonder. Sometimes it finds you.

#eurasianjay #vlaamsegaai #garrulusglandarius #canon7dmarkii #sigma100400 #birdphotography #forestlife #wildlifephotography #earlymorningwalk #dutchforest #nederlandsenatuur #tilburgnatuur #birdbehavior #urbanwildlife #natuurfotografie #birdsofeurope #birdencounter #forestbirds #wildbirds #playingbirds #beautifulbirds #wingsintrees #boswandeling #unexpectednature #birdlovers