The last photo of 2025 – a dark-eyed junco. May everyone have a happy new year. #birds

A turkey vulture keeps watch at the Guilford County Farm as the year draws to a close. #birds

Christmas morning I was sitting on the deck waiting for my husband to deliver coffee and thinking the only way this day could get better is if a flock of cedar waxwings showed up. A few minutes later, I looked up and there they were. (Had to go inside because they were soon making a mess.) #birds

Ring-neck ducks earlier this month in Greensboro, N.C. #birds

A hybrid goose strolls along the shore on Christmas Eve in High Point. I believe this is a Canada/Graylag hybrid. #birds

More eagles! #birds

Another view of the iggle. #birds

A bald eagle today in High Point, N.C. Or as we say in western Pennsylvania, an iggle. #birds

A mockingbird on a winter's day in Guilford County, North Carolina. #birds

A red-shouldered hawk with what I think is a salamander. Friday at the Bog Garden in Greensboro, N.C. #birds

A hooded merganser in Greensboro, N.C., last week. #birds

A cardinal on a country road in Guilford County, N.C. #birds

When I first read this book 40 years ago, I thought of it as history. Today it reads like current events. “Bribery is no mere felony. It is treason.”

A very round pine warbler on a cold day in High Point, N.C. #birds

I found a memory card from summer that I hadn't downloaded. A bee is drawn to a pitcher plant at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons, N.C. I never noticed the hairs on the flower before. Spoiler alert: the bee escaped. #insects #carnivorousplants

A hermit thrush last week at a park in Greensboro, N.C. #birds

A downy woodpecker keeping an eye on me. #birds

A kingfisher in the snow today in High Point, N.C. #birds

A savannah sparrow in Reidsville, N.C. #birds

The great blue herons at this park seem like old friends. I see them every time I visit. This one jumped on the railing of the bridge as I was walking across. I thought he'd fly off in a few minutes. 40 minutes later, I was still watching him preen. #birds

A brown thrasher sampling bittersweet berries at a park in Greensboro, N.C. #birds

Listening to “Christmas in the Heart,” by Bob Dylan, one of my favorite Christmas albums. If you haven’t heard it, it’s well worth a listen.

The ring-neck ducks are back in Greensboro for the winter! #birds

Crows greeting the morning. #birds

A quiet moment at the Bog Garden on Friday in Greensboro, N.C. #birds

Double-crested cormorants fill the sky over a pond in High Point, N.C., yesterday. #birds

Bird + orb = borb. And that's what this winter wren is. It's my first of season, seen yesterday in Greensboro. #birds

Always thankful when a kingfisher sticks around long enough for me to get her photo. This was taken yesterday at Country Park in Greensboro, N.C. #birds

A bald eagle in High Point this afternoon. I'm not sure what it has -- looks like it could be a turtle. It spent a lot of time in a tree next to another eagle. #birds

A ruby-crowned kinglet landed in front of me while I was having my coffee yesterday morning. #birds

This made me happy today: Otters at my favorite park in Guilford County.

A pale winter sun this morning in High Point, N.C.

I think this brown-headed nuthatch was searching for insects in a tree at Jordan Lake this week. #birds

Pollinators at Jordan Dam on Monday. #bees #insects

Usually there's ice in the trees and a cold wind rattling the windows when I see fox sparrows. So it was a surprise to see one on a mild day this week in Reidsville, N.C. #birds

Rusty blackbirds today at Jordan Lake. It breaks my heart that their population has declined so much over the past few decades. The Supreme Court decision to roll back protections for wetlands won't help. #birds

Are you looking at me? I was thrilled to see this praying mantis today at Jordan Dam. #insects

A savannah sparrow checking out the pokeweed on a farm in Guilford County. #birds

A few photos from Jordan Dam last month. #insects #bees #butterflies

A white-crowned sparrow in Guilford County a couple weeks ago. They stay here all winter. #birds

My favorite weird duck – the hooded merganser – is back for the winter! #birds

I found this lovely marbled orb weaver at a park in High Point this morning.

This gave me chills. I went for a walk at the cemetery yesterday in search of peace and quiet. I took a photo of a squirrel. When I downloaded photos today, I realized it was taken on the birthday of this young boy. It’s also the day he died. I found the rest of the story, which is attached.

A fawn at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area from earlier this year.

An eastern towhee with a snack Sunday at a park in Greensboro, N.C. #birds

A downy woodpecker in High Point, N.C. #birds

A palm warbler on a country road in Guilford County, North Carolina. #birds

I got a couple more views of the Lincoln's sparrow over the weekend. #birds

Back on Aug. 31, we went out looking for a golden plover in Winston-Salem. We didn't find it but we did see a greater yellow-legs. #birds