The purple finch, looking like a sparrow that has been dipped in cranberry juice, is the state bird of New Hampshire.
The female cardinal saw me first.
Feathers.
An American tree sparrow looking good in bad weather
This opossum is eking out a living. It’s not dressed for winter.
A homegrown umbrella.
These mallards aren’t in eclipse plumage
These mallards aren’t in eclipse plumage, but in mid-summer after breeding, the drake molts into a dull, basic plumage, called an eclipse plumage. Drakes in eclipse plumage look like hens, but their bills are yellow, while the hens' bills are orange marked with black. The sexes can be differentiated by their bill colors just as they appear here in their breeding colors.
A blue jay perches in a small tree. A really small tree.
As I walked this trail at Alligator River NWR near Manteo, North Carolina, I could almost hear stories from “On the Road.”
The former Longaberger HQ building in Newark, Ohio is called “The Big Basket” by locals.
The sign of the raven.
Well, I swan.
Trumpeter swans. A male swan is called a cob and the female a pen.
Al Batt: Spring is drawing near because nothing is far away — hopefully
A line dancing class for blue jays.
This best day ever brought a bird adorned in pheasant finery.
It brightened a dreary day.
Fishing becomes a rodeo event.
Why it’s called a red-tailed hawk.
A chickadee is unable to pass the bar.
To me, the red-winged blackbird brings spring.
A downy woodpecker strikes a pose.
I got the look from a herd of deer.
Blue jays participating in a scavenger hunt.
The fox sparrow casts a lovely shadow.
The junco has no complaints because this is where it chooses to winter.
If there are no worms on the menu, you order the berries.
A grackle rages at the weather. It does no good.
A foxy fox sparrow.
This house sparrow can’t bear to look at any more snow.
Like an Ibsen play, winter is a great disturber. Yet house sparrows chirp merrily in the snow.
A robin about to attack the fruit of a hawthorn.
A fox sparrow perches on a fallen branch during a snowstorm.
“It was a long, bumpy flight, I lost my luggage and now this,” said the grackle.
Even though meteorological spring began on March 1, we remain in the throes of winter.
A robin eating the berries of a hawthorn. Notice the thorns.
A fox sparrow digging a fox sparrow hole.
A wild turkey’s spurs don’t jingle, jangle, jingle.
A snowbird in a snowstorm.
A squirrel showing a wild turkey what he’d look like wearing a toupee.
A cardinal modeling for a Christmas card.
He was a handsome Alaskan fellow.
Beware of the crows.
Talking about bird migration and whether miseries on the radio.
Look up and you might see sandhill cranes.
Welcome back. You’ll need three snows on your tail before it is truly spring.
This American tree sparrow might be considering heading north.
Al Batt: An owl’s ear tufts do have purpose, though the exact purpose is unknown.
A blue jay feeding on the rib cage of a deer.
A common redpoll sometimes sleeps under a blanket of snow.
Eating goober peas.
Rock on.
A trumpeter swan coming in for landing with its flaps down.
A trumpeter swan water skiing after landing.
Mallards are an easy way to find beauty in the commonplace.
A pair of trumpeter swans on their way to the chiropractor’s office.
Talking about a yellow cardinal on the radio.
I met the nicest trumpeter swan over the weekend.
A dispute between some shady trumpeter swans and other swans.
Three talkers find a listener.
The weather report for American tree sparrows said there would be snow on their tails.
This bald eagle in Park Rapids, Minnesota, was carved with a chainsaw.
A lovely painting of my favorite bird seen at Farm by the Lake (a retreat center) in Bagley,Minnesota.
A swan on wheels at Farm By The Lake retreat center in Bagley, Minnesota.
A Minnesota winter survival kit.
I live on this road. Actually, I live alongside this road.
The sun’s rays dance in the icy treetops.
“Look deep into my ice,” said the willow.
