Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #GreyDay. Murder chicken.

The alt #BirdOfTheDay theme is #ShowingOff. Peacocks roam the streets in at least one L.A. neighborhood, but I caught this one at a now defunct big cat sanctuary in Mojave nearly 10 years ago.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme, #LittleBrownBirds, an American pipit ponders a world of dirt.

Today's main #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Birds&Buds, any bird capture with flowers in the frame.

Today's alt #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Birds&Bokeh.

It's #Twosday! Not-Hoppy (left) put everything into his argument with Hoppy but she wasn't having any of it. #birds #raven

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Touchdown.

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BirdsInTheirElement, focusing on birds thriving within their habitat.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme, #Raptors, a memento of that day during 2024's southward migration when I woke up to find a dozen Swainson's hawks in our trees.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #OutForAWalk. This Cooper's hawk perhaps thought that where there's bird seed there are probably birds.

Last night the great horned owl twins were up early, squawking in their tree. I grabbed my tripod and light 300mm lens, sat in the yard, and managed to get some decent photos in the dying light. One landed very close by. What a thrill! #Moments #BirdOfTheDay

Today's #BirdOfTheDay alt theme is #MultiColour (four or more). This male American kestrel has a bunch of colors going on. And a headless and wingless grasshopper in his talons.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme, #InFlight, may I present a very rare four-winged rock dove. Also: #twosday

The gt. horned owls that live in our neighbor's trees have been teaching their two young 'uns to hunt for the past week. They often start on our property at around 8:30pm. It's too dark and they move too much to take decent photos, but I got an iPhone shot against the sunset last night. #birds #owl

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #YourChoice. I never got around to posting this shot of an Anna's hummingbird at sunset a couple of months ago. So here it is.

I was lucky to get this photo earlier this morning because when desert cottontails put their ears down and go into stealth mode they become completely invisible, of course. #rabbit #cottontail #desertcottontail #nature #wildlife

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #SilentPresence so whoo better than a long-eared owl...?

Here's a young Cooper's hawk enjoying a good ol' scratch for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme, #Preeners&Scratchers.

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #TheGathering. Here's some flocking sparrows.

It's #twosday! Hoppy (right; twisted foot) and Not-Hoppy have taken to stealing the food we leave out for the two or three (who knows!?) feral cats on our property. They sit on the deck railing for a few minutes until the coast is clear. Bonus shot of Hoppy standing guard. #raven #birds

Four snow geese, one slice of bread. #BirdOfTheDay #Geese

#GardenFavourites is today's #BirdOfTheDay alt theme. The yellow-breasted chat is definitely a favo(u)rite when it's around, but there has been no sign of them this year in the sun-blasted desert landscape that I suppose you could call our garden.

This black-crowned night heron is #BranchingOut for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme.

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BorrowedPlaces. This young Cooper's hawk was on our front deck looking for breakfast six years ago.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #LookingAtYou. We appear to have a nesting pair of verdins. They flit around collecting bugs then disappear into a far corner of the yard.

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BadFeatherDay. Hopefully you will never have a worse hair day than this molting Costa's hummingbird was having.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme, #FoodInBeaks, a mockingbird nomming on a mulberry a couple of weeks ago.

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #HiddenInPlainSight - birds partially concealed by foliage or grasses. This mockingbird is certainly that.

A reflective pelican for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme, #Reflections.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #FirstWingbeat, capturing the instant of take-off. This red-tailed hawk is, to flip the script on George Clinton, getting down for the up stroke.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BestOfTheMonth. I caught this Allen's hummingbird chasing flies about 10 minutes before sunrise back on May 1st. I like that the depth of field is so shallow that its head is the only thng in focus.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #NegativeSpace, and this Anna's hummingbird is totally up for it.

I spotted a young great horned owl in a neighbor's tree at about 6:15 this morning. It woke up, gave its wings a shake, looked around for a while then closed its eyes again. #birds #owl #greathornedowl #raptor

Today's #BirdOfTheDay alt theme is any bird beginning with #K, so here's one of our neighborhood Western kingbirds.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme, #BirdOnAWire, here's an Allen's hummingbird in the rain.

The desert cottontails were up and about early this morning. There were either three or four, a far cry from the two dozen living here when we moved in over seven years ago. #rabbit #cottontail #bunny #bunnybutt #wildlife

The #BirdOfTheDay alt theme is #Yellow, and by coincidence an orange-crowned warbler stopped by earlier this morning. It's in need of some tail feathers, by the look of it.

That time I met a merlin at Ojai Raptor Center. #BirdOfTheDay #HeadShots

This oak titmouse has just heard that today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Grassland.

Here's a house finch with its #WingsWideOpen and ready for takeoff for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme.

It's #twosday. Flicker, flicker.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay we've been asked to #Scrollback to some of our most recent photos. We have a pair of mockingbirds bringing up a single young'un here at the house, so I shoot them quite frequently. I particularly like this shot.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #DucksInTheAir. Here's a mallard just barely airborne.

Today's #BirdoftheDay alt theme is #songbirds, so here's a black-headed grosbeak - eating, not singing - in the mulberry tree. There have been far, far fewer than previous years, but a couple are hanging around.

For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme, #WaterDroplets were flying everywhere when this white-crowned sparrow took an early morning bath.

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #FeathersInFoliage, which seems like a reasonable excuse to post a photo of a female phainopepla from this time last year.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay alt theme is #blue, so here's a mountain bluebird rummaging around in the autumn leaves last year.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #raptors so here's a ferruginous hawk, the first I ever photographed after we moved into their neighborhood, on a lovely January morning in 2019. #birds #raptor #hawk

For #BirdOfTheDay today, I spy with my little eye a bird beginning with #EFGH. We've had quite a few Lawrence's goldfinches through this season, so here's a selection. #birds

Just memorializing the first sighting of a California quail on our property this year. He sat in a tree in the front yard for a few minutes and sang the song of his people. #birds #quail