Got out this chilly New Year’s Day to do a little birding and picked up my 294th species for Johnson County, Iowa: Townsend’s Solitaire. This bird is typically found in the mountainous regions of the western United States so it’s pretty unusual for Eastern Iowa. Hoping it’s a good sign for 2026!

A Winter Wren forages among woodland underbrush as it passes through Iowa on its way to wintering grounds in the southern United States. #birds #wrens #nature #wildlife #photography #iowa

Midday moment of zen.

Looking for birds during a rainy lunch break.

A Ring-billed Gull catches a midday nap on the rocky coastline of Mount Desert Island, Maine. #birds #birdsky #nature #wildlife #maine

Who can resist? Not me. QP/post your photo of hummingbirds. An immature Rufous Hummingbird sips nectar from a Rocky Mountain Bee Plant in Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park. #hummingbirds #birds #birdsky

A pronghorn doe keeps a watchful eye while her fawn nurses. 📍Pawnee National Grasslands. #mammals #babyanimals #colorado #coloradowildlife #grassland #nature #naturephotograpy #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Just finished a morning hike along North Rock Creek #46 into the Alfred M. Bailey Bird Nesting Area. The combination of birding and Luna sniffing everything in sight kept the pace nice and slow. #birding #hiking #colorado #dogsofbluesky

The Monk Parakeet is a jay-sized species of parrot native to the temperate and subtropical regions of South America. Some kept as pets have escaped to establish populations as far north as Chicago, Illinois and parts of Northern Europe. 📍Hidalgo, Texas #birds #birdsky #parrots #nature #wildlife

Things are looking good for the Johnson County, Iowa spring migration count tomorrow! #birding #birdcast #globalbigday #cornelllab #migration

The cerulean blue of a Lazuli Bunting shines like its namesake gemstone amidst the desert hues of of Tucson, Arizona. #birds #birdsofbluesky #nature #wildlife #arizona #tucson #desert #lazulibunting

Happy Earth Day! ❤️ 🌎 #earthday #earthdayeveryday

Executive order to sunset Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, Marine Mammal protection act. Speedrunning ecological collapse to maximize shareholder value in an economy that is also collapsing.

A male Pyrrhuloxia at Catalina State Park outside Tucson, Arizona. #birds #birdsofbluesky #nature #wildlife #arizona #desert

Three life birds? And on a Monday??

Their research supports regulations to protect the public from exposure to air pollution and hazardous chemicals, along with guidance on how to confront climate change. This potentially eases regulation of the chemical and fossil fuel industries and puts the health of Americans at increased risk.

Coming up on the one-year anniversary of seeing this famous juvenile Roadside Hawk in south Texas. They are a rare sight north of the Rio Grande and a coveted addition to any birder’s US life list. #hawks #raptors #rarebirds #birds #birdsofbluesky #birding #wildlife #nature #texas

Happy Superb Owl Sunday! Barred Owl. Hickory Hill Park, Iowa City, Iowa. #birds #owls #nature #wildlife

January thaw on the Missouri River just downstream of Omaha, Nebraska. #winter #nature #ice #rivers

Now that it’s a new year I’m ready for spring migration. Can’t wait for the return of birds like this Yellow-rumped Warbler. #birds #birdsofbluesky #warblers #nature #wildlife #photography #naturephotography

Some great results so far! chicago.suntimes.com/environment/... We did an episode in 2023 right after the collision in Chicago that resulted in almost 1,000 bird deaths in a single location. Great to see how things are turning around. Here's the episode: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...

Brown Creeper! What’s your most challenging bird to find or photograph??? These are in Georgia only during winter. #birds #ornithology #wildlife #nature #wildlifephotography #photography #birdsofbluesky

A male House Finch was my first bird of the new year. What was yours, birders? #birds #birding

First released in St. Louis in 1870, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow has slowly expanded its range into parts of Missouri, Illinois, and southeast Iowa. Nahant Marsh, Scott County, Iowa. #birds #birdsofbluesky #wildlife #nature #sparrows #photography

A male Red-winged Blackbird stakes out a territory amongst the previous year’s cattails. Bacon Creek Park, Woodbury County, Iowa. #birds #birdsofbluesky #blackbirds #nature #wildlife #photography

A Rufous Hummingbird sips nectar from a Rocky Mountain Been Plant in Great Sand Dunes National Park. #birds #hummingbirds #wildlife #nature #photography #colorado #nationalparks

One of my favorite shots from a trip to southern California was of this Verdin at the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. #birds #birdsofbluesky #nature #wildlife #california #photography

One of my favorite wildlife experiences involved a close encounter with this #coyote in Saguaro National Park outside Tucson, Arizona. #mammals #desert #nature #wildlife #nationalparks #photography

The Great Kiskadee is a large and colorful member of the #flycatcher family and gets its name from its loud repetitive kisk-a-dee call. Estero Llano Grande State Park, South Texas. #birds #birdsofbluesky #nature #wildlife #photography

A White-faced Ibis, a relatively uncommon visitor to Eastern Iowa, forages in the marsh at Pike Run WMA. #birds #birdsofbluesky #nature #wildlife #photography

A Northern Saw-whet Owl settling in for the winter. #birds #owls #nature #wildlife

I often find Winter Wrens in the woods near work as they pass through eastern Iowa each fall. This one emerged briefly from a nearby brush pile they use as cover when they stop here on their journey south. #birds #wrens #nature #wildlife

Bucket list bird! Hoping to see one in Mexico this winter!

The Common Pauraque is so well-camouflaged amongst dead leaves and sticks they are capable of sleeping completely exposed on the ground. 📍Estero Llano Grande State Park, Texas. #birds #nature #wildlife #photography

A Harris’s Sparrow I photographed a year ago while driving the wildlife loop at Loess Bluffs NWR in northwest Missouri. #birds #nature #wildlife