Took a pic of the sky this morning at 8:30am. I live in NE Ohio. The Canadian wildfire smoke is HERE. It looks downright freaky. No clouds. Normally that sky would be bright blue and the sun impossible to look at. #wildfire #sun #morningsky #CanadaWildfires #smoke

#BirdOfTheDay theme is #SingersAndWingers Songbirds or birds with one or both wings open. The great egret in flight. I was taking pics of a wood stork when this egret flew by. I quickly changed direction and got the shot! It was my first "flying" photo of a bird. #birds #ECK #birdphotography

I only have one photo of a bird with flowers, and I already posted it, so today I'm going to offer a very nice photo of a sandhill crane colt, looking mighty cute. Taken in my backyard when I lived in Florida. #birds #birdphotography #ECK #sandhillcrane #birdbaby

#BirdOfTheDay theme is #PerfectPoise. Anyone who has struggled to capture the black and white warbler knows how fast they move! Finally got one, though. :) #birds #ECK #naturephotography #photography #wildlifephotography

#ECK #MacroMonday #Macro #NaturePhotography #Photography #Paperwasp #Insects #Wildlife I took this pic of a magnificent paper wasp (non-aggressive) while it hung from a metal hook in the carport. Then I got the idea to flip it, so he was head up. Reminds me a little of Iron Man, if I'm honest. 😅

It isn't Biden making us less safe (despite what the GOP keeps trying to tell us!). It's Trump and Kennedy. How many of us are starting to fear our food, wondering if it's safe to eat? From @hcrichardson.bsky.social's column this morning.

#BirdOfTheDay ALT theme is #OpenBeaks He not only has an open beak, he's showing you his tongue and the inside of his mouth. 😊 You can almost hear him giving us "the raspberry." #birds #osprey #wildlifephotography #ECK #birdphotography

I usually post birds and landscapes, but I take pics of everything! This is a young anole, perched on the red stick of some small plant. I LOVE the beautiful range of colors and the way it looks like a mosaic. #anoles #wildlifephotography #ECK #AllTheColors #macro #MondayMacro

#BirdOfTheDay is #AmongTheRipples (birds on water) This pretty little gallinule fits the bill. #birds #ECK #naturephotography

#Caturday #Jinx #kitten #adoptDon'tShop My friend started feeding an adult stray that was hanging around his house. She gave birth to a kitten, and he adopted it and named her Jinx. She was a real sweetheart. ❤️

#BirdOfTheDay theme is #UpAndDown birds looking up or down. Yellow-rumped warbler looking at who knows what?! I was struck by the frozen pose and grabbed a shot. This was taken on a boardwalk which unwound through a lush, green woods. #birds #naturephotography #warblers #boardwalk #ECK

#ColorADay #GreenSat #BlueSkyArtShow #quiet #woodland #waiting #trees #photography #NationalPark I took this pic at the Ledges last fall, a popular place to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, the clouds moved in but people still stayed to enjoy the quiet.

@moneypowerpolitics.bsky.social For your brilliant pundits this morning..........Trump doesn't care about the midterms because THEY DON'T PLAN TO LOSE. They plan to cheat, or refuse to accept the results. STOP PRETENDING THAT IT'S GOING TO BE A FAIR ELECTION. Everyone needs to VOTE. #TooBigToRig

#ForestFriday It was that dead tree that drew my attention. It almost looks like it's beckoning me to come closer. A horror story could be written about that feeling if you're Stephen King or Chuck Wendig. 😊 #ECK #landscape #woods

365 Challenge No.2 2026- Week 28 (Texture) - Day 2 #fajweeklychallenge2026 #photography #blueskykin #texture #brickwork They do not make houses like this anymore, and it's a shame! The windows, the two colors of brickwork, the windows! St. Paul, MN. LOADS of texture. 😀

#BirdOfTheDay theme is #Rocky, birds perched on rocks. There were a bunch of these black vultures perched on a pile of rocks, but I focused on this trio, and I was thrilled to capture them. They are necessary for keeping our environment clean and disease-free. #birds #ECK #birdphotography #vultures

#UrbanGaze #architecture I took this picture at a Florida state college that just happened to be across the street from where I lived. I went over there all the time and got wonderful photos of birds and architecture; there was a lake at their back door! How wonderful, eh? #streetphotography #ECK

#BirdOfTheDay theme is #BathTime I would have posted this earlier, but photos weren't showing on BlueSky. Now that they are, I can post it! 😅 This blue jay was really enjoying his splashes in the birdbath! #birds #birdphotography #naturephotography #ECK

#WindowsonWednesday #architecture #lamps I was in Sebring, FL, one warm evening after dark and was riveted by all the lamps in the windows. I love lamps. I love windows! 🤭 The store is called "The Bulb Bin." How perfect is that? #Sebing #Florida #ECK

The #BirdOfTheDay theme: Alt #BirdsILove This cardinal pair almost seemed to be posing for me. Shot through an open bedroom window, no screen.

Lately, especially given how quickly this country seems to be deteriorating, any time I read someone has died, I think, "Wish that had been me."

😍...🥰🥰🥰 Perfect, in every way. #Birds

Pay attention, people who use this META platform!

#ColorADayTuesday #Blue #AnimalArtTuesday Well, "animal" might be stretching it, because this is a bird, but is there even a hashtag #BirdArtTuesday? Haven't seen one. But this is my photo contribution today: a blue jay in flight given an artistic flair. #birds #ECK

#MacroMonday #insects #predation #aphids According to Google, this image captures a syrphid fly larva (also known as a hoverfly larva) actively preying upon an aphid (tiny purple thing on left). A single larva can consume 100s of them during development, so are prized by farmers. #naturephotography

"Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Cutie." Captured this robin mid-ruffle. Might have been trying to cool off, as this was taken during the Great Eastern Heat Wave. Looking mighty cute! #birds #naturephotography #ECK #robins #summer

#bloomscrolling #stunday #ECK #summerflowers #blue Took this pic in the alley yesterday morning. Alleys can be wonderful places to take urban pics!

#BlueSkyArtShow #wide Pano of sun dogs, taken on a very cold winter day in Wisconsin. You can tell how large they were if you notice the road underneath them with vehicles on it for size comparison. #landscape #panorama #sundogs

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #WildMotion. A strong gust of wind tried to take these two herons off the sea wall. Almost managed it, too! 🤭 Even I was braced against it. #birds #tricoloredherons #naturephotography #ECK #Florida

#BirdOfTheDay theme is #Swans. This is my second pic today of the male black swan. When I moved closer to the water, he swam right up to me to say good morning. It was still quite dark when I was there. #birds #blackswans #naturephotography #ECK #NEOhio

Today's #BirdOfTheDay ALT theme is #Swans. I haven't been out in days, given the extreme heat where I live, so this morning I visited the local pond, where a lovely pair of black swans live. The male was very cooperative. #birds #ECK #wildlifephotography #NEOhio #birdphotography #blackswans

365 Challenge No.2 2026 - Publish a photo each day on a weekly topic Week 27 (Perspectives): Gazing down a long covered outdoor walkway. #fajweeklychallenge2026 #photography #blueskykin #perspectives #ECK

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #QuietReflection. I created this triptych in 2017. The reflections are very much a part of the photo, and though they are not the usual "clear" ones, they ground the subjects in the water. Birds: Ibis and little blue heron. #birds #ECK #triptych #art #experimental

This is terrifying, and it's coming to us pretty much anywhere we live. November midterms are coming and vital! We must turn out in droves to defeat them so we can take back our country.

NEW: Most Supreme Court Rulings Are Secretive Votes With Little Justification ProPublica conducted a new analysis that shows the court is deciding more consequential rulings than ever before in largely unsigned orders with little to no explanation.

THIS! 👇

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #RedBeakFeetEyes. A bird of prey, the snail kite has red eyes and loves apple snails. While common globally, the Florida population of 1000-3000 birds (they are otherwise rare in the US) are strictly protected as federally endangered. #birds #SnailKite #endangered

#BirdOfTheDay theme is #TheArtOfSurvival plus Alt #LivingLandscapes; both fit. This male tricolored heron, in breeding colors, snatches a tiny fish from the water. Considering the bird's size, and that of the fish, no wonder they hunt all day. 🤭 #birds #ECK #herons

#MacroMonday That leaf really was caught in the cobweb! I find it hard to believe it stuck there, but it added just the right touch to the photo. #macros #ECK #cobwebs #NotAI

#BirdOfTheDay theme is #LifeInTheBalance. The ALT theme is #LightAsAFeather. The mockingbird went into a dive AND is backlit by the sun, so this satisfies both requirements. :)

#BlueSkyArtShow #Macro I entitled this "Blowing Smoke Out Your Ass" because that's what it looks like. 😉 It's one of the orb weavers, showing off. (Actually, it was wrapping up something tasty to eat.) #insects #spiders #orbweavers #ECK

#BirdOfTheDay theme is #GreyDay This male belted kingfisher visited while I was at a friend's house. They normally move so fast, it's hard to get a pic of them, but when he briefly perched on a neighbor's dock, I quickly grabbed some photos. #birds #ECK #kingfisher

#ForestFriday #scape #landscape #ECK #woods #light I took this picture at a local park a couple of days ago, attracted by the beautiful light from soft, beautiful sunlight finding its way through the trees.

#BirdOfTheDay is #LittleBrownBirds When this young killdeer stopped in the parking lot this morning, its white neck collar perfectly lined up with that patch, I had to get a pic! The illusion that it's decapitated is unnerving! #birds #killdeer #ECK

#InsectThursday #RobberFly #insectphotography #insects #ECK It is larger than it looks. I was so pleased to come across this robber fly while hiking and glad the photos came out! Look at the lovely "mask" on the back of its head. Scary, right? Keeps it from being eaten. 😁

This is a shop in the area: Dietz Floral Studio. I'm always pleased and surprised to see a place like that somehow making a go of it during hard financial times. When they fail, my heart breaks. #UrbanGaze #HumansofBlueSky #UrbanPhotography #StreetPhotography

#BirdOfTheDay today is #Birds&Buds. The alt ia #Birds&Bokeh, bird portraits with a blurry background or foreground. Not flower buds, but buds, and you can't see the background, so the Alt fits too. :) This is a yellow-rumped warbler.

I went for a walk this morning at the park. The pond there is full of algae, and none of it was "poured into it on purpose" by "radical leftists." 🤣 The bullfrogs were enjoying it though. #landscape #pool #algae #ECK

#BirdOfTheDay ALT theme is #White The small and showy snowy egret is my favorite. The bright yellow feet and "big shoulders" attitude always makes me smile. 🙂 He was all the way across the lake but I still managed to get good photos! (That Sigma lens has great glass!)

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay themes are #BirdsInTheirElement; the alt is #Feather&Light. The purple gallinule fits both categories. You almost always see them on a cluttered beach or in weeds, but in direct sunlight, they exhibit the most beautiful colors. #birds #ECK #naturephotography #photography