#black-crested finch

[fullfrontalbirds]

Black-crested Finch (Lophospingus pusillus)

© Claudio Rosso

[draculavian]

Day 10-18 of birdtober 2024 [list by @/aholmesartstudio on Instagram]

Black crested titmouse ☆ Barn swallow ☆ House finch

Carolina wren ☆ American crow ☆ Red headed woodpecker

White winged dove ☆ Great tailed grackle ☆ House sparrow

[ceruleanvulpine]

huge respect to @myxinidaes for reblogging that post with 100 birds

[castielfucks]

bird watching is soooo underrated. you're telling me that's a tit???? ill be damned.

[libraford]

I'm trying to figure out which photo to send in for an art auction. Help me out!

[magnetothemagnificent]

Today's birds:

Merlin

Orange crowned warbler

House finch

Carolina wren

Sanderling

Ring billed gull

Brown pelican

Greater black backed gull

American herring gull

American crow

Turkey vulture

Eastern phoebe

Song sparrow

Swamp sparrow

Northern flicker

Gray catbird

Yellow rumped warbler

Downy woodpecker

Double crested cormorant

Little blue heron

Yellow bellied sapsucker

Red winged blackbird

Red bellied woodpecker

Northern mockingbird

Bluejay

Golden crowned kinglet

[outofangband]

Birds of Thargelion

After this I just have Maglor’s Gap and that will complete my series on birds in the Fëanorian realms pre Amon Ereb!

Flora, fauna, geography and environment of Arda Masterlist

Thargelion was the realm of Caranthir, located in the north east of Beleriand just north of Ossiriand and bordered by the Ered Luin, the eastern stretch of mountains that divided Beleriand from the rest of Middle Earth

As always this is not a definitive list! Please feel free to ask more or give me a more specific category!

Around Lake Helevorn and the rivers: Red-breasted merganser, mute swan, white tailed dipper, whooper swan, smew, little grebe, red throated loon, common crane, mallard, common white eye, northern shovler, green winged teal, corn crake, spotted crake, black winged stilt

Mountains: bearded vulture, water pipit, golden eagle, kestrel, peregrine falcon, Rock ptarmigan, common siskin, alpine accentor, northern wheatear, ring ouzel, white tailed eagle, chough, spotted nutcracker, Citril finch, griffon vulture, common redstart, common raven, wallcreeper, common jay, boreal owl, white winged snowfinch, crag martin, common redstart, black redstart

Foothills and forests: black grouse, wood grouse, goshawk, grey white fronted goose, hazel grouse, little bunting, meadow pipit, tree sparrow, hedge warbler, Bohemian waxwing, common kestrel, long eared owl, little owl, marsh tit, coal tit, mourning dove, rock pigeon, woodchat strike

World building notes

-Like most of the Noldor in Eastern Beleriand, many of Caranthir’s scouts keep birds of prey. In Thargelion these are primarily peregrine falcons and kestrels. Hunting with birds was less common however.

--There are populations of Green Elves who live in Thargelion, primarily in the mountains and near the border of Ossiriand. Though they also do not use birds for hunting, certain species are kept as companions or messengers.

-Chicken breeding as an art and science developed during the Watchful Peace. Chickens in Thargelion are appraised for long plumage and colorful feathers. Their eggs are eaten but they are not often used for meat.

-Chickens, peacocks and quails were kept by the Noldor of Thargelion, techniques of raising and breeding them were learned from Sindar and Silvan cultures of Eastern Beleriand. Indeed the Noldor of Thargelion were one of the only Noldor populations to keep quails.

-Bearded vultures appear on the crests of some of Caranthir’s lords and were even kept by a few of them

-Feathers of various mountain birds especially eagles and ouzel appear in wood carvings as an architectural motif during the Watchful Peace in Thargelion

-Out of all the Fëanorian realms, water birds appear most often in art and other cultural references in Thargelion as Lake Helevorn and its wildlife are a central facet of life there especially in times of peace. Wading birds like crakes, cranes and stilts are especially Valued.

[frogofalltime]

@luneyjuney asked me for my top 100 birds and i am extremely autistic so. here yall go

feral pigeon (if you even slightly know me you will be aware of this. i have a whole army of pigeon friends in my city and they are my favourite birds of all time)

wandering albatross (widest wingspan of all extant birds, fly incredibly long distances, hella cool)

sparrowhawk (so cool and also the name of the main character in earthsea)

african penguin (i became obsessed with them as a kid because i didn't know penguins could live in warm places)

great crested grebe (hella cool, also i saw one in real life a few weeks ago !!)

woodpigeon (they are always cooing outside my grandparents' house and it feels like home when i hear them)

bee hummingbird (tiny. adorable. the world's smallest bird)

nightjar (weird big mouths, i love them)

carrion crow (extremely smart and very emo)

magpie (they steal stuff they find on the floor, just like me fr)

mourning dove (name a better sound than the mourning dove's song, i'll wait)

green pigeon (my favourite colour and my favourite bird, what else do you want)

fairy wren (so small !! so cute !!)

tailorbird (they sew leaves together to make their nests, honestly the coolest thing ever)

turtle dove (pretty pretty pretty)

speckled pigeon (SO PRETTY AND I LOVE THEM)

little penguin (they look like babies !!!!)

barn owl (their faces are so lovely. i want to look like a barn owl in my next life)

spotted woodpecker (i saw one last summer !! i like the noise they make)

cockatiel (pikachu looking cheeks)

blue tit (they're so pretty and cute and i like their song !)

european robin (friendly little guys with pretty red bellies, and the loveliest song you've ever heard)

eurasian wren (small and round and the way they hop makes me smile)

collared dove (another beautiful pigeon-related bird)

kiwi (they have a special place in my heart thanks to a really sad video i watched in eight grade)

pekin duck (big and white with orange beaks and feet, very iconic)

gouldian finch (so pretty and i wanted to change my name to finch when i was younger)

emerald dove (green wings !!! and pigeon-adjacent !!!)

little grebe (just a baby. i have seen them a few times and they are so sweet)

mistle thrush (they're so beautiful !! i see them regularly in local parks)

wagtail (i like watching them perch around the river wagging their tails)

chaffinch (another lovely finch species !)

elf owl (world's smallest owl !!!)

bleeding heart dove (tragic in a beautiful way)

crowned pigeon (so beautiful, imagine a pigeon wearing the most splendid crown you've ever seen)

rosy-faced lovebird (couple goals fr)

coot (i like their funny webbed feet)

diamond dove (pretty !!!!)

orpington chicken (fluffy and big and make me feel cosy)

little owl (another tiny guy !!)

cockatoo (i made friends with one as a kid, she was so cool)

silkie chicken (so soft and beautiful)

hoopoe (i refuse to believe this is not a pokémon)

raven (big, black, smart, awesome)

mexican violetear (they're so pretty aaaa what shiny colourful feathers !)

great egret (majestic)

java sparrow (we studied them last year, it's funny how they are extinct in their native habitat but are thriving in their new temple homes)

mallard duck (the most common ducks that you see everywhere, i love them)

bowerbird (becky lemme smash)

house sparrow (cute little guys that live in the garden, we call them The Gang)

puffin (i like their beaks)

kakapo (big green potato bird)

potoo (they're so weird !! i love them !!)

grey heron (every time i see one it feels like a good omen)

red-crowned crane (the iconic japanese crane that i like to make origami of)

swallows (cool forked tails)

ringneck parakeet (they're so awesome !)

long tailed widowbird (longest tail you've ever seen, actually pretty ridiculous)

pochard (adorable little duck species)

peafowl (of course, i mean look at them)

mandarin duck (their plumage is so ornate !!! i see them in the park a lot !!!)

european starling (they're so common but so cool ! there's a family of them that live outside my window and i like to greet them every time i go outside)

fairy penguin (tiny tiny tiny)

bittern (pretty rare and make a great noise)

blue bird of paradise (exactly what it sounds like)

peregrine falcon (honestly these should be higher on the list they're awesome)

ruff (they have really interesting sexual dynamics, some of the males look exactly like females while others look starkly different, look them up)

oilbird (there's a picture of them with their mouths wide open in one of my bird books and it made me fall in love)

chiffchaff (they make such a cool noise, hence the name)

kingfisher (i think i saw one once as a kid, truly fantastic creatures)

red kite (i see them flying overhead sometimes, very cool birds of prey)

eastern bluebird (so pretty ! i wish we had them in the uk)

amazon parrot (hella intelligent and awesome)

frogmouth (i like frogs, and they look so goofy)

white emu (i saw one last summer, very cool)

grey parrot (apollo good bird !)

european blackbird (very common here, with a very memorable song. there's one outside my window that stays awake at night and sings to me when i get home late)

skylark (allouette gentil allouette)

blue jay (another cool species i wish we had in the uk)

waxwing (very pretty !)

mockingbird (they're so smart, they can mimic noises really well)

white hawk (the coolest hawk species in my opinion)

spoonbill (their beaks look like spoons)

nightingale (sang in berkeley square)

snow goose (the same reason i like pekin ducks; they just look so perfect, like yea that's a Goose alright)

chinstrap penguin (gay !!!!!!! look up roy and silo, you won't regret it)

cormorant (i like the way they display their wings, so magnificent)

house martin (they have a symbiotic relationship with humans, very cool)

sandpiper (i like the way they run)

tufted duck (cute little tuft on their heads)

fairy pitta (oh they are gorgeous)

great tit (they have regional accents, but they all have a two-note song which is very recognisable, there was one that sang nonstop in my parents' garden one year and we became quite fond of him)

shoebill (people say they're terrifying, but i think they're really cool, despite the creepiness)

blue footed booby (silly little guys that do a goofy tap dance with their bright blue feet)

red-billed scythebill (long ass curved beak)

ostrich (of course they had to be on the list somewhere, enormous speedy bois)

painted bunting (colourful and spectacular)

cactus wren (they make holes in cactus stems to live inside and keep cool ! very smart !)

harrier hawk (rather amazing bird of prey)

common swift (they're so fast, and i love watching them fly in the spring and summer)

[battle-of-the-birds]

Alrighty and HERE ARE OUR CONTENDERS!!!

Tag for the polls: #bird battle

DISCLAIMER - I wrote the round one blurbs when I was very sick and half awake, so if you see any mistakes PLEASE TELL ME! Nicely, obviously, but I want to make sure they sound good for round 2. Thank you!

I know there’s a lot of them, but man there’s SO MANY GOOD BIRDS! There were a few times where people didn’t put what specific subspecies for some birds, so sometimes I’d have to choose one. I tried to choose one that represents that bird the best!

I don’t know when the polls will begin, I’m doing some research on the birds so that people can read about them before they vote.

If one of your favs didn’t make it in, don’t worry they’re a winner in my and your heart.

If you are wondering where the Pigeon (Rock Dove) is, THEY ARE THE FINAL CHAMPION! At the end of this bracket, the winner will face off against the mightily popular Rock Dove! Will they be able to beat such a tough challenger? We will see…

Also, a note on how I set this bracket up: I put all the birds in a numbered list and then used a number generator. I think the matchups we got were really interesting.

Full list under the cut

HARPY EAGLE

SUPERB BIRD OF PARADISE

VAMPIRE FINCH

RAINBOW LORIKEET

BALTIMORE ORIOLE

EURASIAN WREN

STELLER'S JAY

CALIFORNIA CONDOR

EURASIAN HOOPOE

BLACK CAPPED CHICKADEE

TAWNY FROGMOUTH

AMERICAN GOLDFINCH

ANDEAN COCK OF THE ROCK

MUTE SWAN

WESTERN SANDPIPER

STELLER'S SEA EAGLE

VIOLET BACKED STARLING

HOATZIN

HOUSE SPARROW

HERACLES

CANADIAN GOOSE

DODO

GREAT EARED NIGHTJAR

SANDHILL CRANE

PELAGORNIS

SUPERB FAIRY WREN

SOUTHERN CASSOWARY

AMERICAN ROBIN

GREATER ROADRUNNER

GREAT BLUE HERON

AMERICAN AVOCET

PASSENGER PIGEON

WALLCREEPER

GREAT TIT

MOA

EASTERN BLUEBIRD

AUSTRALIAN BUSHTURKEY

EMU

MALLARD DUCK

FLAME BOWERBIRD

MANDARIN DUCK

BELTED KINGFISHER

OILBIRD

FAIRY PENGUIN

LESSER FLAMINGO

AUSTRALIAN KESTREL

CARRION CROW

UMBRELLABIRD

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE

PERUVIAN PELICAN

CALIFORNIA QUAIL

MACGREGORS BOWERBIRD

HARRIS HAWK

COMMON RAVEN

BEARDED VULTURE

PEREGRINE FALCON

ROSY LOVEBIRD

ROSEATTE SPOONBILL

LONG TAILED GRACKLE

AMERICAN WOODCOCK

KAKAPO

BLUE FOOTED BOOBY

RHEA

BEE HUMMINGBIRD

WHITE WAGTAIL

HUIA

SNAIL KITE

DOMESTIC CHICKEN

KIWI

MOURNING DOVE

ATLANTIC PUFFIN

CARDINAL

LYREBIRD

EUROPEAN ROBIN

BURROWING OWL

OSPREY

RED TAILED HAWK

BLEEDING HEART DOVE

BARN OWL

PEACOCK

SATIN BOWERBIRD

CAIQUE

RED WINGED BLACKBIRD

LONG TAILED TIT

HERRING GULL

GREEN HERON

CREAM COLORED WOODPECKER

AUSTRALIAN IBIS

TRISTAM'S STARLING

POTOO

WANDERING ALBATROSS

BLUE JAY

KEA

COMMON MYNA

RAINBOW TOUCAN

GREATER SAGE GROUSE

TURKEY VULTURE

TUFTED TITMOUSE

CRESTED AUKLET

EURASIAN MAGPIE

BUDGIE

SCREECH OWL

WIP-POOR-WILL

SECRETARY BIRD

AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE

CEDAR WAXWING

VICTORIA CROWNED PIGEON

HERMIT THRUSH

COMMON SWIFT

WHITE BELLBIRD

BROWN SKUA

EUROPEAN DIPPER

[lifesteal-headcanons]

Bird headcanons for if lifestealers were birds!

(long list but i did try and decide a bird for at least most of them! i may be back with more [to complete the list]; i would provide images, but alas, the restrictions of being on anon. visual vibe checks for the most part but also some of these are because i thought it was funny / coincided with Lore)

Parrot: Pyrrhura picta (painted conure/parakeet) Spoke: Lamprotornis hildebrandti (hildebrandt's starling) Ash: Casuarius bennetti (mountain cassowary) 4c: Cyanocitta stelleri (steller's jay) Clown: Gypaetus barbatus (bearded vulture) / alt: Hamirostra melanosternon (black-breasted buzzard) Branzy: Chelictinia riocourii (scissor-tailed kite) Bacon: Dromococcyx phasianellus (pheasant cuckoo) Jumper: Tauraco fischeri (fischer's turaco) Subz: Ispidina picta (african pygmy kingfisher) Vitalasy: Cariama cristata (red-legged seriema) Cube: Coracias caudatus (lilac-breasted roller) / alt: Chloebia gouldiae (gouldian finch) Roshambo: Nipponia nippon (crested ibis / toki) Planet: Urocolius macrourus (blue-naped mousebird) Jaron: Steatornis caripensis (oilbird / guácharo) Mapicc: Opisthocomus hoazin (hoatzin) / alt: Lanius schach (roufous-backed shrike) Leo: Promerops cafer (cape sugarbird) / alt: Bubo bubo (eurasian eagle-owl) Spep: Harpactes erythrocephalus (red-headed trogon) Zam: Terpsiphone paradisi (indian paradise flycatcher) / alt: Corvus frugilegus (rook) Redd: Leistes superciliaris (white-browed meadowlark) Woogie: Diomedea exulans (wandering albatross) Vortex: Bombycilla garrulus (bohemian waxwing) / alt: Irena cyanogastra (philippine fairy-bluebird)

.

[askryuu]

Whoever wants to answer

If mod wants to answer they can

What do you think of the animals I've assigned to different characters

I've sent a few before but here's the whole list so far

Ranpo - cat

Dazai - ferret

Atsushi - white tiger

Sigma - bird

Chuuya - Chi-spaniel

Fyodor - Fish

Fukuichi - Demoiselle crane

Fukuzawa - Whooping crane

Akutagawa - black girdled lizard

Bram - Vampire bat

Poe - Raven

Lovecraft- giant squid

Yosano - butterfly

Kunikida - Rabbit

Nikolai- Chicken

Arthur - Pandora Moth

Tanizaki - Red Panda

Naomi - blackbird

Kyouka - Snowshoe Hair

Tachihara - Red Squirrel

Hirotsu - Komodo Dragon

Elise - Golden Finch

Kajii - Newt

Oda - Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

Q - Ermine

Katai - Ruby Tiger Moth

Ace - Snake

Verlaine - Papillon

Louisa - Chipmunk

Lucy - Robin

Margaret - Silver Argiope

Hawthorne - Comb Crested Jacana

this has me thinking

what would my son (Karma, the kid who got killed by fyodor) be?

[muddshadow]

find the word —

words courtesy of @isherwoodj and @akindofmagictoo <3 tagging you back and also @faelanvance @pinespittinink @baroquesse @revenancy @the-void-writes @calicoy and anyone else who feels like it <3 to you i bestow the words ASH, ACHE, CLEAR, COLD.

RAISE // bloodhounds

...she’d been considering a possibility, one that emerged this past year with the slow, solemn recognition that accompanied all dreadful truths, and one that had been sufficiently judged with rejection, reluctance, and compromises. It’s not what I think. It couldn’t be that. It must be something similar. But Neve was raised to untangle puzzles, and how could she ignore the thousand knotted strings that wove together Rowan? She couldn’t. Not when she watched him share stories across the dinner table, not when they surrendered low-toned secrets around a fire-pit or a dawn-crested balcony or in the silent embrace of the pilot’s deck, and certainly not now, as she plucked through the tattered wires of his detached prosthetic. Rowan told a great many truths, and all of them were shadows. Pieces missing, unmentioned, momentous.

Rowan spoke suddenly. “What're you thinking?”

TALL // bloodhounds

Tulan smiled, and it was almost warm. “Look how you’ve grown, Nevelyn.”

When tears burned in her eyes, it felt wrong and overwhelming, and Neve retreated back into her arms. She still didn’t know what to think, but she felt, felt, felt, the bittersweet weight of old memories and a stolen future, the drawn-and-quartered quandary of a man devoted to violence who had loved her like a daughter.

“I never thought you’d end up so tall. That surprised me.”

It hurt to be present, but she had nowhere else to be. Meeting Tulan’s gaze still proved too challenging, so Neve stared at the table and wrangled her thoughts into words.

LOW // the inherited haunting of trystan song

“The universe fucking hates me today,” I say, mostly to myself.

Magdalena still graces me with an answer. “Don’t be rude, Trystan.” She wears a yellow dress and sunhat, coiled hair a black cloud beneath it. A cigarette fits between her fingers, nails perfectly manicured and nighttime blue. They’re always a different color. She bores quickly. I’m hoping I can bore her out of a conversation, since I already have a catastrophe planned.

Magdalena lowers her designer sunglasses and glimpses me over. “You look terrible.”

ROYAL // the inherited haunting of trystan song

“Is that a soda in there?”

“No. It’s a high nutrient fruit juice, made with–”

“Great. Hand it to me.”

He does without looking and continues sifting through the fridge drawers. I don’t catch any of his unintelligible mutters. I don’t try to. I’m already knocking back my first shot of Crown Royal and get straight to work on the second and third. Chasing it with high nutrient fruit juice isn’t as satisfying as Dr. Pepper, but it does make it interesting.

OVER // twice-dead scavengers

The evening before the triplets left, House Finch held a grand celebration. All twenty-seven Finches attended; not counting the married-in spouses and step children, who were never counted, and not counting Tatum, whose presence was no longer expected or desired anywhere near the Finch doorstep. Only special occasions brought the entire esteemed and estranged family together at one table. A special occasion to pry for information, confront old rivalries, and to discreetly glimpse over Grandmother Ruvilka and assess if she was anywhere closer to death.

Tonight, the conclusion didn’t waver from the previous decades. Grandmother remained at the head of the table and deathless.

RUGGED // twice-dead scavengers

Bright pain erupted in her shoulder, scathing and rendering her blind. Geneviere dreaded losing her other arm, released a short, husky shriek at the thought, but the knife was a quick dart and not a rugged hacking. The phantom tore the blade free of her trapezius. Geneviere collapsed forward. Blood wept down her arm, mixing with sweat and ink.

Several strides away, the mist collected into the distinctive shape of a person, hunched on their heels and watching her, this time with a voice.

“You’re the weakest,” the phantom said, tone hushed like dawn and roiled deep by storm, “because the others don’t care about you.”

“Ouch,” Geneviere mumbled. Mostly because of the stab wound.

[warriors-rewritten-chaos]

Warrior Cats Prefixes- L

I had a WC Name Generator on Perchance that I made but I don't seem to have access anymore, so I'm remaking it here as just a simple list. The definitions used are the ones that Clan cats have for those things, and thus are the origins of the names. Definitions used are whatever I found when I googled it.

Laburnum-: "[noun] a small European tree that has hanging clusters of yellow flowers succeeded by slender pods containing poisonous seeds"

Lagoon-: "[noun] a small freshwater lake near a larger lake or river"

Lake-: "[noun] a large body of water surrounded by land"

Lamb-: "[noun] a young sheep"

Lamprey-: "[noun] an eel-like aquatic jawless vertebrate that has a sucker mouth with horny teeth and a rasping tongue"

Lapis-: "[noun] a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone"

Larch-: "[noun] a deciduous conifer tree native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high latitudes, and high in mountains further south"

Lark-: "[noun] a small ground-dwelling songbird, typically with brown streaky plumage, a crest, and elongated hind claws, and with a song that is delivered in flight"

Larkspur-: "[noun] an annual Mediterranean plant of the buttercup family, which bears spikes of spurred flowers"

Laurel-: "[noun] any of a number of shrubs and other plants with dark green glossy leaves; [noun] an aromatic evergreen shrub related to the bay tree, several kinds of which form forests in tropical and warm countries"

Lavender-: "[noun] a member of the genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the mints family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of mainland Eurasia"

Leaf-: "[noun] a flattened structure of a higher plant, typically green and blade-like, that is attached to a stem directly or via a stalk"

Leech-: "[noun] an aquatic or terrestrial annelid worm with suckers at both ends"

Lemming-: "[noun] a small, short-tailed, thickset rodent related to voles"

Leopard-: "[noun] a large, solitary cat that has a yellowish-brown or brown coat with black spots and usually hunts at night"

Leptonia-: "[noun] a genus of small and medium sized pink-spored mushrooms"

Lettuce-: "[noun] a��cultivated plant of the daisy family, with edible leaves"

Lichen-: "[noun] a plantlike organism that typically forms a low crusty, leaflike, or branching growth on rocks, walls, and trees"

Light-: "[noun] the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible; [adj] (of a color) pale"

Lightning-: "[noun] the occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud, accompanied by a bright flash and typically also thunder"

Lilac-: "[noun] a Eurasian shrub or small tree of the olive family, that has fragrant violet, pink, or white blossoms; [noun] a pale pinkish-violet color; [adjective] of a pale pinkish-violet color"

Lily-: "[noun] a bulbous plant with large trumpet-shaped, typically fragrant, flowers on a tall, slender stem"

Linden-: "[noun] a deciduous tree with heart-shaped leaves and fragrant yellowish blossoms, native to north temperate regions"

Linnet-: "[noun] a mainly brown and gray finch with a reddish breast and forehead"

Lion-: "[noun] a large tawny-colored cat that lives in prides, found in Africa and northwestern India. The male has a flowing shaggy mane and takes little part in hunting, which is done cooperatively by the females"

Little-: "[adj] small in size, amount, or degree"

Lizard-: "[noun] a reptile that typically has a long body and tail, four legs, movable eyelids, and a rough, scaly, or spiny skin"

Loach-: "[noun] a small elongated bottom-dwelling freshwater fish with several barbels near the mouth"

Loam-: "[noun] a fertile soil of clay and sand containing humus"

Lobelia-: "[noun] a chiefly tropical or subtropical plant of the bellflower family"

Lobster-: "[noun] a large marine crustacean with a cylindrical body, stalked eyes, and the first of its five pairs of limbs modified as pincers"

Locust-: "[noun] a large and mainly tropical grasshopper with strong powers of flight. It is usually solitary, but from time to time there is a population explosion, and it migrates in vast swarms that cause extensive damage to crops"

Log-: "[noun] a part of the trunk or a large branch of a tree that has fallen or been cut off"

Long-: "[adj] measuring a great distance from end to end"

Loon-: "[noun] any of several large birds (genus Gavia of the family Gaviidae) of Holarctic regions that feed on fish by diving and have their legs placed far back under the body for optimal locomotion underwater"

Lost-: "[adj] unable to find one's way, not knowing one's whereabouts"

Lotus-: "[noun] any of a number of large water lilies"

Loud-: "[adj] producing or capable of producing much noise, easily audible"

Love-: "[noun] an intense feeling of deep affection; [noun] a great interest and pleasure in something; [verb] feel deep affection for (someone); [verb] like or enjoy very much"

Lovage-: "[noun] a large edible white-flowered plant of the parsley family"

Luck-: "[noun] success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions; [noun] chance considered as a force that causes good or bad things to happen; [noun] something regarded as bringing about or portending good or bad things"

Lucky-: "[adj] having, bringing, or resulting from good luck"

Lull-: "[verb] calm or send to sleep, typically with soothing sounds or movements; [noun] a temporary interval of quiet or lack of activity"

Lullaby-: "[noun] a quiet, gentle song sung to send a child to sleep"

Lupine-: "[noun] a plant of the pea family with deeply divided leaves and tall colorful tapering spikes of flowers"

Lynx-: "[noun] a wild cat with yellowish-brown fur (sometimes spotted), a short tail, and tufted ears, found chiefly in the northern latitudes of North America and Eurasia"

[dansnaturepictures]

6th December 2023: Lakeside and home

Pictures taken in this set are of: 1. House Sparrow in the garden which it was nice to see. 2, 4, 5, 8 and 10. Views on my lunch time walk at Lakeside, it was great to see the stark bare branches with a backdrop of creamy winter sunlight. 3. Some of the dozens of winter heliotrope flowers I was pleased to find in the verge area near the road entrance to Lakeside, flowers I find pretty which seem to be out earlier this season. 6. One of a few beautiful Greenfinches I was over the moon to see along the northern path, a cheery emerald bird which I'd not seen here for a while. 7. A Collared Dove it was great to see on the bird bath when home from my walk. 9. The Common Gull on a buoy on beach lake with a Black-headed Gull behind.

Another green finch was a highlight with some Siskins seen and I also enjoyed seeing a Magpie fly over with some feathers lit well by the sun. Jackdaw at Lakeside and home and Jay enjoyed at Lakeside again were other good crows seen. Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, fine views of Redwing, Song Thrush and Blackbird again, Collared Dove at Lakeside, Great Crested Grebe, Coot and Moorhen at Lakeside with Greylag Geese flying over, Goldfinches and Starling at home were other highlights. White deadnettle, wild carrot and a fair few berries in rose hips, wild service tree berries I believe, hawthorn berries and guelder rose berries were other plant highlights today with rose hips enjoyed at home too.

[venerablemonk27]

Folks, I picked up a lifer just down the street from my house! It was raining a bit on Sunday, so we decided to dig our raincoats out of storage and go hunt for some puddles in need of splashing. Now, I've learned my lesson over the past couple years: never leave home without the binoculars or the camera. And this time I was very glad I grabbed the bins before heading out.

[ID: A Horned Grebe floats on the blue water of Lake Monona. They are facing to the right, showing an impressive profile in the evening sunlight. The Grebe is a small ducklike creature, mostly black with smudges of brown on the flanks and throat. Their head is their most striking feature, black with piercing red eyes. Above and behind each eye a tan stripe radiates backward to create a small crest, the eponymous horns. A thin line of pink skin traces forward from the eye to join with the black dagger of a bill tipped with white. Small beads of water sit on the Grebe's back from their most recent dive below the surface. End ID]

But wait, wasn't it raining at the beginning of this story? It was! We wandered through the neighborhood for a while, mom and kid forging ahead while I lagged behind counting Sparrows and Finches. We made our way down to a park at the edge of Lake Monona. Of course, I had to go out on the dock to check the water for anything interesting. Sure enough, there were a pair of small birds bobbing with the waves, diving down to hunt, and popping back up again. I said to myself, "are those Grebes?" just before I noticed a flash of tan on their heads. Folks, I knew I had never seen a Grebe with tan on it before! I called Caitlin over, handed her the binoculars, and dashed home to grab my camera.

[ID: A Horned Grebe floats on the choppy grey water of Lake Monona. The bird appears to be drenched, but unbothered by the rain. In the low light it's just possible to make out the tan horn on their head and the brownish flank against the black body. End ID]

The above photo is a much more accurate representation of my view from Sunday. The rain began to pick up as I was returning with my camera, but I ignored the poor conditions and set up to shoot anyway. I needed to be sure of the species for my life list! So I got cozy on the downwind side of a nearby tree and started scanning the water for small black birds popping up. I did eventually relocate them, fairly far out on the lake. I was also surprised to see a Common Loon cruise by at a much closer distance.

[A Common Loon floats in profile, partially submerged, on the grey water of Lake Monona. The Loon is almost entirely black, with the white checked back and tapered white neck band characteristic of their breeding plumage. Their gently curved head and knifelike bill are jet black. End ID]

Certainly not the best pictures I've taken, but they were good enough to make a positive ID. For the time being, I would have to be content with this documentation. A couple days later, however, the clouds had passed through and we had just enough time for a walk before dinner. And it was golden hour! Perhaps the Grebes were still around?

[ID: A Horned Grebe floats on the blue water of Lake Monona. The lake is much calmer and the sunlight is reflecting off the wet feathers of the Grebe. End ID]

Not only was the Horned Grebe back at the same dock, it was much closer this time and very cooperative, turning back and forth to make sure I could see their best angles. I sat right down at the end of the dock and snapped away while my kid went looking for sticks to bash on the rocks at the shoreline. It was very peaceful sitting out by the lake, listening to the birdsong, the fitness class at the top of the hill, the captain of the rowing team calling out their orders, my son making up games about climbing the rocks and telling me all the arcane rules he just uncovered. Even the Loon came back around for another cruise.

[ID: A Common Loon floats out in the distance on the blue water of Lake Monona. End ID]

[magnetothemagnificent]

I guess it's time I share my list of birds from this past Jewish year (I've been keeping two Big Year lists, Jewish year and secular year). All are from the US, except the last few which are indicated.

1. Ruby-crowned kinglet

2. American Robin

* Leucistic American Robin

3. Song sparrow

4. Rock pigeon

* Melanistic rock pigeon

5. Chipping sparrow

6. Hairy woodpecker

7. Mourning dove

8. Northern flicker

9. Eastern towhee

10. White crowned sparrow

11. White-throated sparrow

12 Savannah sparrow

13. House sparrow

14. European starling

15. American Crow

16. Common Raven

17. Gray catbird

18. Northern mockingbird

19. Canada Goose

20. Spotted Sandpiper

21. American herring gull

22. Marsh wren

23. Limpkin

24. Great white heron

25. Cattle egret

26. Anhinga

27. Snowy egret

28. Great blue heron

29. Black-crowned night heron

30. Wood stork

31. Common gallinule

32. Blue-gray gnatcatcher

33. Turkey vulture

34. Black vulture

35. Yellow rumped warbler

36. Tufted titmouse

37. Little blue heron

38. White ibis

39. Cooper's hawk

40. Cardinal

41. Green heron

42. Carolina wren

43. Palm warbler

44. Pine warbler

45. Sandhill crane

46. Carolina chickadee

47. Bluejay

48. Osprey

49. Chimney swift

50. Red-tailed hawk

51. Prairie warbler

52. American kestrel

53. Glossy ibis

54. Pied-billed grebe

55. Double-crested cormorant

56. Grey kingbird

57. Brown pelican

58. Fish crow

59. Royal tern

60. Bald eagle

61. Painted bunting

62. American white pelican

63. Common grackle

64. Boat-tailed grackle

65. Great-tailed grackle

66. American purple gallinule

67. American coot

68. Brown-headed cowbird

69. Tricolored heron

70. Mallard

71. Black-bellied whistling duck

72. Eastern kingbird

73. Yellow-billed cuckoo

74. Muscovy duck

75. American bittern

76. Ring-billed gull

77. American Pekin

78. Mallard-Pekin hybrid

79. Eastern bluebird

80. Yellow-bellied sapsucker

81. Red-winged blackbird

82. White-eyed vireo

83. Mottled duck

84. Broad-winged hawk

85. Dark-eyed junco

86. Brown thrasher

87. Sharp-shinned hawk

88. House finch

89. Eastern Phoebe

90. Downy woodpecker

91. Fox sparrow

92. Loggerhead Shrike!!!!

93. White breasted nuthatch

94. Red-bellied woodpecker

95. Brown creeper

96. Pileated woodpecker

97. American goldfinch

98. House wren

99. Barn swallow

100. Tree swallow

101. Black and white warbler

102. Red eyed vireo

103. Yellow warbler

104. Mute swan

105. Rusty blackbird

106. Common yellowthroat

107. Warbling vireo

108. Northern waterthrush

109. Veery

110. Swamp sparrow

111. Wood duck

112. American redstart

113. Orchard oriole

114. Greater Yellowlegs

115. Lesser Yellowlegs

116. Baltimore oriole

117. Hermit thrush

118. Wood thrush

119. Ovenbird

120. Indigo bunting

121. Black-throated blue warbler

122. Scarlet tanager

123. Worm-eating warbler

124. Northern rough-winged swallow

125. Blue-headed vireo

126. Northern parula

127. Prothonotary warbler

128. Philadelphia vireo

129. Blackburnian warbler

130. Magnolia warbler

131. Cedar waxwing

132. Blackpoll warbler

133. Yellow-throated vireo

134. Eastern wood pewee

135. Acadian flycatcher

136. Tennessee warbler

137. Caspian tern

138. Laughing gull

139. Forster's tern

140. American oystercatcher

141. Green-winged teal

142. Purple Martin

143. Least tern

144. Field sparrow

145. Killdeer

146. Grey-cheeked thrush

147. Rose-breasted grosbeak

148. Great-crested flycatcher

149. Swainson's thrush

150. Bay-breasted warbler

151. Chestnut-sided warbler

152. Willow flycatcher

153. Ruby-throated hummingbird

154. Peregrine falcon

155. Hooded crow IL

156. Laughing dove IL

157. Eurasian collared dove IL

158. Eurasian jackdaw IL

159. Common myna IL

160. Rose-ringed parakeet IL

161. White spectacled bulbul IL

162. European bee eater IL

163. Chukar IL

164. Short toed snake eagle IL

165. White stork IL

166. Little egret IL

167. Pygmy cormorant IL

168. Eurasian hoopoe IL

169. Alpine swift IL

170. Graceful pinia IL

171. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler IL

172. Tristan's Starling IL

173. Fan tailed raven IL

174. Eurasian black cap IL

Here's to at least 200 next year!