The trumpeting call of a Sandhill Crane hanging in the air. I heard a Sandhill Crane pair calling down the trail and wondered if I could see their call in the current conditions.I quickly tootled over to the Cranes, working to get an angle of where their call could be seen

Close-up of a male Pileated Woodpecker. Males have a red cheek stripe, while females have a black cheek stripe.

A Blue Jay heading back to a branch with a sunflower seed.

A sweet little puffball of a Black-capped Chickadees sits frozen on top of a cattail reed. The Blue Jays yelled a warning and all the little birds froze. I couldn't see what the danger was, but a Cooper's Hawk (a raptor that hunts songbirds) was flying around the area earlier.

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes!! 🥰 Today was pretty quiet bird-wise on the (very icy) trails, but there was beautiful light and I did get some nice looks at a Pileated Woodpecker. I'm still editing those photos; here's a photo I took of a female Pileated Woodpecker earlier this year.

Today's my birthday so I'm posting my favorite bird, the Tufted Titmouse. (Even if it wasn't my birthday I probably would've posted a Tuftie...they are so cute!)

A Red-headed Woodpecker on the move.

A Dark-eyed Junco (slate-colored subspecies) dines on dock seeds.

A male Pileated Woodpecker checking out a Virginia Creeper vine for berries.

One of the many fun things about photographing birds is that sometimes you are trying very hard to get a photo of a bird through the branches/grasses/etc. and other times the bird does this. 📷: Winter Wren (a bird that loves to bounce around in undergrowth)

A young Red-headed Woodpecker, who still has a few gray noggin feathers, launches to another tree.

A Tufted Titmouse waits on a nearby branch for sunflower seeds and peanuts to be offered.

A Sandhill Crane pair with each standing on one leg in one of the few open water sources. The Crane on the left kept his/her head tucked in against the cold, while the other was poking about in the water for food. While most of these birds migrate, a few will overwinter here in Michigan.

A Dark-eyed Junco (slate-colored subspecies) looking delightfully plump and ready for winter.

Some days I don't see much on the trails, especially on cold days, but I can always count on the Blue Jays to bring color and zesty action.

Northern Cardinals are such lovely pops of color this time of year, especially on snowy days.

Tufted Titmice are perfection with their big dark eyes and sassy tuft.

A Dark-eyed Junco about to bite into a Bittersweet berry.

An American Tree Sparrow (left) and a Dark-eyed Junco (right) having a discussion about who gets to look for food in this patch of snow.

A White-breasted Nuthatch striking the classic nuthatch pose. These birds have an extra strong hind toe that allows them to scoot downwards face-first.

Sandhill Cranes typically fly with their long legs trailing behind them. On very cold mornings, like this morning when it was in the single digits, they will tuck their legs in while in flight.

A Red-headed Woodpecker perches on a snowy branch against a gray sky. These woodpeckers are one of four North American Woodpeckers that store food (the others are: Acorn Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Lewis's Woodpecker), and are the only ones that will cover it up

A Blue Jay giving a mid-flight glance over his/her shoulder while showing those beautiful blue feathers.

A male Downy Woodpecker perches on a snowy branch. Males tend to forage more on small branches and plant stems, while females are more often found foraging on larger branches and tree trunks. This is due to the males chasing off the females from the better food spots

A Tufted Titmouse a bit of snow on his/her beak looking oh-so-hopeful for a peanut (which was offered soon after this photo, there's no way I can say no to that sweet little face.)

A male Red-bellied Woodpecker perches on a snowy branch. One of the historical nicknames for this bird is "Chad," which comes from one of the harsh and short calls this bird makes.

A female Northern Cardinal looking nice and fluffy and ready for winter. This particular female has quite a bit of red in her eyebrows and in her crest (reminds me of a flame.)

Sandhill Cranes strolling through the snow. Some Cranes will overwinter here; I saw a flock of about 40 the other day.

Close-up of a sweet Black-capped Chickadee with a shallow depth of field. Chickadee noggins don't get bigger in the fall and winter but their brains do about by 30%. This increase in the brain's memory center helps them remember where they have stored thousands of seeds.

Ready for the Bird Winter Olympics: a Dark-eyed Junco (slate-colored subspecies) doing some downhill (downbranch?) skiing.

A Blue Jay takes flight with a spray of snow.

A Dark-eyed Junco (slate-colored subspecies) watching the snow fall.

A male Northern Cardinal landing on the nature trail to help clean up fallen seed.

A close-up of a Tufted Titmouse with his/her tuft blowing in the wind. I love their black eyelashes. The thin black feathers around the break are rictal bristles, which are common in many birds but their size and placement differs between species.

A Northern Cardinal kicks up snow as he hops along the boardwalk railing. From this angle he looks like he has tiny little wings for a Cardinal.

A Winter Wren bopping along the edge of a fallen log. I find these birds to be the cutest of the wrens we have here in Michigan due to their spherical shape.

A Red-tailed Hawk giving a look over my way before focusing in other areas of the woods, which had squirrels and chipmunks and were much more interesting.

A Northern Cardinal with a few seeds stuck to his beak from feasting on multi-flora rose.

A Dark-eyed Junco (slate-colored subspecies) tummy deep in the snow. Their coat of feathers is 30% heavier during the colder months to help them stay warm.

A Tufted Titmouse scatters snow as he/she makes an arrival.

A male Pileated Woodpecker checks a spot in the bark for tasty ants.

Blue Jays having a bit of a scrum in the snow.

A young Red-headed Woodpecker, who is still getting in the red noggin feathers, keeps an eye on some Blue Jays flying around nearby.

An American Tree Sparrow, one of the Winter visitors here in Michigan, perches on a snow covered branch.

A male Eastern Bluebird about to dine on a berry. I believe this a Greenbrier plant, but I could be off on that.

The male Northern Cardinal is a brilliant pop of color on a snowy morning.

A Bald Eagle gives me a look as he/she passes by and heads out to the lake, perhaps to do some fishing or duck hunting.

A Tufted Titmouse looking adorable and completely unbothered by the wind and the snow.

A Black-capped Chickadee puffed up into a ball. This round shape can look very fierce and formidable to other birds.

A male Pileated Woodpecker dining on Virginia Creeper berries.