grabbing a snack, Los Angeles #Birds

Rook #birdoftheday #green #birds

a brown pelican, Malibu Lagoon #Birds

Lytta sp. blister beetle on thistle sage (Salvia carduacea), Mojave Desert. I love blister beetles (a toxin in their bug blood indeed causes blisters), not only because many are pretty, but because, endearingly, they have a thin "neck" that allows them to turn their head to look at you. 🐙🌿 #BugSky

#BirdOfTheDay #Gulls #birds #ECK #EastCoastKin #NewZealandBirds

Companions #Birds

180326 OM1ii my #York garden #aurelians #inverts ##VC40ladybirds #bugsky #wildlifephotography Another day with many 7 Spot Ladybirds in the garden and seen on walkies.

a dried-out grainfield spurge blossom

A commensal shrimp hides in the branches of a Gorgonian. #macromonday #eastcoastkin #oceanlife #scuba #photographersUnited

a beardtongue blossom, Los Angeles

An Egret splashing his way to a meal for #BirdOfTheDay from the archives. #splash #egret #birds #nature #photography #birdphotography

a leaf beetle To the naked eye, this beetle is beige

Finders keepers Clutching a lump of decaying pigeon flesh, a western gull glares a warning at a younger bird who'd like a share

a darkling beetle My insect identifier calls this not only a darkling, but Eleodes obscura, an "obscure darkling beetle."

a night heron inspecting something out of view

Toilette #aigrette garzette #Camargue France Preening of the little #egret #photooiseaux #wildlifephotographer #wildlife #photography #naturephotography #biodiversite #birdoftheday #birdslover #affutflottant www.gerardschmitt.com/stages-photo

They're in for a surprise One finch has just noticed the approaching aggressor. The other hasn't caught on yet

Somebody else's shadow, Malibu Lagoon #addBirder

A #photogenic Malaysian Blue Flycatcher for #BirdOfTheDay #BirdsSeenIn2026 #birds

a bee at work

This was my other candidate for #Photogenic, for #BirdoftheDay and I think the best shot I've managed of a Clark's Grebe. Very similar to Western Grebe, and the black/white line on this one looks quite like a Western, but the bill I think (and so does Merlin...) is too orange. #Birds #ECK 🪶

a hoverfly on a tradescantia fluminensis blossom, Los Angeles

Happy #weevilwednesday I can’t walk along the forest path until my broken humerus heals, but there’s enough wildlife along the driveway. 🌱

A yellow-billed magpie caught mid-step for the #SteppingOut theme of #BirdOfTheDay picked by @alan678.bsky.social #birds #EastCoastKin #birding #birdphotography #naturephotography

A face built for the night shift. Yellow-crowned Night-Herons have rod-dense retinas tuned for low light, a bill heavy enough to crack crab carapaces, and the patience to stand motionless until something moves. #YCNH #BirdOfTheDay #SideView

a lavender sprig

Today's #BirdOfTheDay is #StandingInWater Green-tailed Towhee shows us you don't have to be a water bird to appreciate a good guzzler! (guzzler = human made water collectors to provide supplemental water for wildlife) #birds #becurious 🪶

Happy Fly-day. We made it! Monk Skipper butterfly profile (Choranthus capucinus) flutterin by the lanai yesterday afternoon in Bonita Springs, Florida (spotted by Leo 🐱) #flyDay #eastCoastKin #macro #photography #macroPhotography #bugSky #insects #skippers #Lepidoptera #butterflies #florida #art

A group of tiny mushrooms next to a hemlock cone. #FungiFriday #FungiFriends #mushrooms #forest #MacroPhotography #nature

Upwards and onwards. #birds #birding #birdphotography #birdwatching #nature #naturephotography #nikon #photography #heron #greatblueheron #bluesky #water #urbanwildlife #birdphotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography

"Foooooooooooood!" Heard more birds than usual chattering away this morning. Hoping with the weather starting to warm we end up with some temporary tenants again. Miss these little buddies! #BirdOfTheDay #ShoutItOut #Birds #Robin #UrbanWildlife #EastCoastKin #Photography

a portrait of a varied carpet beetle

apple blossom detail

a green bottle fly as pollinator

a pomegranate blossom

a caterpillar exposed Pointers to online insect identifiers appreciated

buttercup blossoms unfurling

Tradescantia fluminensis blossoms The English name, Wandering Jew, is too ugly. Maybe this plant is in fact invasive as the name slyly implies. So what? Is it mere coincidence that valentine hearts so closely match the anthers of flowers as opposed to our own messy anatomies?

apricot blossom

a salvia blossom

a flannelbush flower

Unknown I don't know what this is and identification sites don't seem to either. I thought it was quite a flower, though.

a honeybee approaches over a flower

Glimpse of a petal I've been struck by how urgently flowers call for suitors. This glimpse of a petal under foliage points out the strenuousness of the flower

a crossberry firework

cape honeysuckle blossoms

a dandelion gone to seed, Los Angeles smack dab in the middle of the frame

inside a hibiscus blossom