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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This Ruby-crowned Kinglet showing off its spiky red crown is my contribution to today’s #RedHeads #BirdOfTheDay theme. #Minnesota #Birds #naturephotography #EastCoastKin #NoCoastKin

A small bird with grey-brown with yellow brown breast is displaying its red crown feathers and looking directly into the camera. A few bare branches and white sky provide the background.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Seeing a White-throated Dipper was top of my list during our recent trip to England. Thrilled to watch this dipper feeding its fledgling early morning at Linton Falls. #BirdOfTheDay #Coastal&River #ECK #birds #birdphotography #birdsofbluesky #wildlife #nature

Two birds facing each other on a rock with water in the background. An adult is approaching its young with small bugs in its beak. The fledgling is waiting with beak wide open.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

A Green Heron being dramatic for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme, #StrikeAPose. It is hunting in a pond covered with duckweed. #birds #herons #wildlifephotography #Minnesota #EastCoastKin #NoCoastKin

A Green Heron with raised feathers on its crown giving it a spiky hair look. It is clinging to a dead branch above water shaded green from all the duckweed.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I survived an encounter with bloödcheëp just this morning. #birds #cardinal #ECK

A male cardinal in molt. Its head is completely bare feathers showing off its bulging eyes and prominent ear hole.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

A metallic green sweat bee hovering near Russian Sage blossoms on my campus. This plant is a great pollinator attractor. I’m always grateful to our university landscape staff for creating these great #nature spaces. #insectphotograpy #bees #flowers #macro #eastcoastkin

This photo captures a bee in mid flight as it hovers near a flowering plant. The bee’s wings are a blur, its body is bright green, and its legs are golden color. The plant is a single stalk with little purple flowers regularly spaced up the length of the stalk. The background is an out of focus green.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Thanks Sharon. I was birding in the Rice Creek preserve area near Lino Lakes on a the trail between Marshan and George Watch lakes. I usually can’t wander too far into the swampy areas without wet feet until last week. Also spotted this Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid. Made for a good day.

Orchid with a straight stem and dozens of small purple flowers at the top. Thick wetland vegetation in the background.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

I chose this Common Yellowthroat clinging to a branch for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme, #BestOfJuly. It has been a very dry month in #Minnesota, so I was able to work my way deep into a swamp and then just wait for the birds to fly near me. Fun day #photography #wildlife #birds

A small bird with pale brown head and back, yellow throat, and white belly clings to an upright dead branch. The bird’s tail is spread and its wing lifted slightly as it balances on the branch.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

For my #birdoftheday contribution in the #CHE theme (cormorants, herons, egrets), I’m posting this Great Heron flying against a grayish sky. I normally try to get some other element into my bird shots, but I like the graphic quality of this photo. #birds #nature #photography #Minnesota

A white heron flies across an empty white sky. The bird’s wings are extended and its long, black legs and feet dangle behind. The only bit of color is its sharp, yellow beak.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

For today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme, #Birds&Flowers, I have a photo from this spring of a #Bay-breastedWarbler in a flowering crab apple tree. I was looking unsuccessfully for a rare Minnesota bird, but was pretty happy to get this nice shot instead.

A small bird in a tree full of white flowers and green leaves. The bird has a reddish crown, throat, breast, and flanks. Otherwise the bird is mostly grayish brown on top with a whitish belly.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

By pure luck I’m traveling through England for the first time in my life. Here’s a shot from Grassington, North Yorkshire. I only saw this because of your well-timed post. Thanks.

Wispy blue and white clouds in the night sky. Dark storm clouds and Grassington rooftops are silhouetted against the sky.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

For today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme, celebrating #WorldOceansDay, I’m offering this photo I took of an early morning #PelagicCormorant flying past #SegulaIsland in the western #AleutianIslands of #Alaska. #NorthPacificOcean

Silhouette of a long necked bird. The background is a series of dark and light layers - dark clouds at the top, bright sunlight shines underneath the clouds, a steep volcano rising above the ocean is slightly darker than the bright sky. The ocean has a thin band of bright water where the sunlight hits, then a dark band at the bottom of the frame where the clouds block the light. Overall the light areas are a slightly golden color from the morning sun.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Great shot. I just learned about Rose-breasted Grosbeaks having this extra splash of color yesterday when one came to our feeder (a first for our yard). I stuck my camera out our door until I got this shot.

A male grosbeak at tube style bird feeder. It has a black head and wings with a white breast speckled with black dots and a rosy triangle below the neck. It’s flapping its wings to steady itself while it feeds, exposing more rose colored feathers under the wings.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

An American Robin surrounded by Willow buds in a classic sign of early spring in #Minnesota. #BirdOfTheDay #Robins #Birds

A bird clings to a tree stump. In the background are a maze of shrubs with fuzzy buds on the branches.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Here’s my contribution to today’s #BirdOfTheDay #juveniles theme, a pair of fluffy #GreatHorned owlets checking out their world. #birds

Two extremely fluffy owlets sitting side by side, both staring intently in the same direction. They’re in a nest of brown leaves stuffed in the branches of an old oak tree.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

I like today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme #ManMadePerch because it makes me think of how I frame #bird photos to exclude human artifacts while also aware of the complexity of our natural and cultural worlds. I appreciate photographers who help me consider this complexity. White Wagtail in Kandestederne DK

Closeup of a slightly disheveled white, black, and gray songbird perched on a “shark fin” antenna on top a dew-covered, black car.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

My contribution to today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme, #SmallBirdsInFlight, is this tiny #Golden-crownedKinglet gleaning insects from our neighbor’s Tamarack tree during fall migration. #Birds

This photograph captures a small grey bird in mid flight. The bird is stretching its beak towards the green needles of a Tamarack tree branch. The rest of the tree is out of focus in the background of the photo.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

This Common Buzzard was definitely #LookingAtMe in #Rotterdam #KralinseBos, a beautiful lake and park with lots of interesting birds. #BirdOfTheDay #Birds #photography

Side view of a brown hawk with its head turned so that it is looking straight at the camera. A few out-of-focus green leaves partially obscure the hawks legs and tail.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

A Glaucous-winged Gull on the #Oregon coast. Heceta Head Lighthouse is in the background. I thought its grey wings added to the overall #GreyDay of today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme.

A large gull stands on a rock wall looking out into a stormy ocean. In the out of focus background rise steep, rugged shore. A lighthouse is perched on the shore high above the sea.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

The #WildTurkeys in my home town have adapted to humans. This one offered me great #headshots as he walked by. One of my #firstoftheyear bird sightings on a brutally cold winter day. #BirdOfTheDay

A close-up of a Wild Turkey. The head and neck are a fleshy pink skin with folds and bumps. The head is mostly bare with just a few spiky feathers on top. The eyes are brown as are the fluffy neck feathers.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

My #BestOfTheMonth for February is this red morph #EasternScreechOwl. I am grateful to the other birders for their help in locating this pair. #BirdOfTheDay #Birds #Minnesota

A sleepy little owl tucked into a hole in a tree.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Osprey are amazing birds with #WideOpenWings of nearly six feet (180 cm). Thrilling to watch them dive on a fish. This #osprey was one of a nesting pair with two chicks near Centerville Lake in #Minnesota. #birds #BirdOfTheDay

Osprey soaring directly above the photographer with wings fully extended. The wings are surprisingly long compared to the bird’s relatively small body.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Here is a tiny Ovenbird perched in an alder thicket for today’s #BirdOfTheDay #BranchBirds theme. Spotted in #Hovland #Minnesota #birds #wildlifephotography #photography

A tiny bird with pink feet is clinging to a tree branch with smooth brown bark. Out of focus greenery shows this bird is in a dense thicket. The bird has turned its head so that it is looking at the camera with one black eye. Dark spots on a white breast are a striking plumage in an otherwise brown bird.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Today’s #BirdoftheDay theme is challenging for me. I love #B&W #photography but have always struggled taking good shots. This pair of #trumpeterswans on an icy lake seems a safe choice. The reflected swan face is my favorite element. #birds

A pair of swans rest on the edge of an open lead on an otherwise ice and snow covered lake. The scene is all white, black, and grey. The snow and swan feathers are white. The open water and swan feet/beaks are the major black elements. The ice adds shades of grey. One swan is sitting on the ice with its long neck curled so that its head is upside down as it preens its wing feathers. The other swan is standing immediately next to its mate. Its head is curled downward as if to offer an affectionate nudge.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

For today’s #AboutTheKids #BirdOfTheDay theme l chose this #HairyWoodpecker feeding a chick in our backyard maple tree. Sadly the tree is dying but at least we can enjoy its evolving bird habitat for a few years. #birds #wildlifephotography #nature

A close up photo of a male Hairy Woodpecker feeding its chick. The adult is clinging to the rough tree bark with its curved claws and leaning in towards the chick. The chick’s head is protruding from the nest hole. The chick’s beak is grasping the adult’s beak as it receives the food.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

A beautiful #PaintedStork for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme of #LongLegsAndNeck. I got this flyby shot while up in an observation tower at the #PrekToal bird sanctuary on the edge of Cambodia’s #TonléSap Lake. #birds #naturephotography #birding #wildlife #cambodia

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Great Egret in flight at the #PrekToal bird sanctuary on the edge of Cambodia’s #TonléSap Lake. A fantastic place for birding & ecotourism. For local Khmer, the lake is a critical fishing ground providing 60% of the country’s freshwater fish #birdoftheday #heronsandegrets #birds #naturephotography

A brilliant white egret with long, trailing legs and stout yellow bill flies across water. Green, leafy water plants are in the background.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

For today’s #BirdoftheDay, I’m going with the alternate theme of #hidden. I never would have seen this #GreatHornedOwl if it wasn’t for the noisy crows harassing it. #Minnesota #birds #naturephotography #owl

A Great Horned Owl is mostly obscured by green leafy branches. All that is visible is the owl’s piercing eyes and one tuft of feathers or horn.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

For today’s #birdoftheday theme of #movement I chose this #heron photographed as it is shaking a leech before swallowing it down. I was lucky to watch this bird catch several leeches. Each one received a violent shake before it was eaten. #birds #wildlife #nature #photography #Minnesota

A Green Heron is perched on the edge of a pond covered by a thick layer of green duckweed. The heron’s head is rotated completely upside down. A leech is dangling from the tip of the heron’s open beak. The camera caught the blur of movement from the heron shaking its prey.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

The #BirdofTheDay theme is #Songbirds so I chose this Eastern #Meadowlark singing away while perched on a mullein stalk in eastern #Minnesota. #birds #naturephotography

This Eastern Meadowlark has a wide open beak as it sings. Its striking yellow breast with black patch is towards the camera. The head is turned sideways showing off the prominent beak. The birds feet are grasping a dried mullein stalk. The background is a diffuse green of out of focus grassland and distant woods.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

A juvenile American Robin eating cedar tree berries. One of a dozen robins that had descended on this tree in Como Park last September. #BirdOfTheDay #BerriesandBeaks #Minnesota #birds #birdphotography #wildlifephotography

A robin with splotchy feathers as it molts into adult plumage is eating waxy blue cedar berries while perched on a thin tree branch. The robin holds one berry in its beak with more berries still on the branch.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

This Red-eyed Vireo was loudly chirping away in the forest but otherwise remained hidden from me. The only photo I could get was this #headshot through the leaves. Wish the branch was gone but love the eye. #birdoftheday #birds #naturephotograpy #minnesota

Song bird is peering at the camera through the leaves. The bird’s head and red eye are visible in sharp focus. The rest of the scene is blurred.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

American White Pelicans waking up #OnTheEdge in a southwestern #Minnesota pond. My contribution to today’s #BirdOfTheDay #birds #naturephotography

A compacted pod of a dozen American White Pelicans on a grey, foggy mourning. They were photographed as they were beginning to stir, some with open beaks as they shook their heads. They have the horn or flat plate on top of their orange beaks that marks breeding season.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

My contributions to #birdoftheday and #birdonawire are a Brewer’s Blackbird and a Field Sparrow. Both seen at #KeystonewoodsWMA. It was a beautiful early summer day with lots of bugs for the #birds. I likewise had over 70 wood ticks by the end. #worthit.

A male Brewer’s Blackbird with greenish sheen to its body, purple sheen on its head, and bright yellow eyes hangs on a grey wire fence while grasping squirming insects in its beak.

A brown and tan Field Sparrow flaps its wings as it balances on a barbed wire fence. In its beak it holds a black bug with long legs.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Got out to #CrexMeadows in western Wisconsin on Sunday to watch the #SandhillCranes flying in at sunset. So impressive. Probably a couple thousand arrivals in a little over an hour. Took over 1000 pictures! #birds #wildlifephotography

A flock of seven Sandhill Cranes with their long, spindly legs extended coming in for a landing. Sky and the birds have a rosy hue from the setting sun.

A flock of six Sandhill Cranes with their long, spindly legs extended coming in for a landing amongst a large number of other cranes in a sedge meadow. Meadow and the birds have a rosy hue from the setting sun.

A flock of 12 Sandhill Cranes flying against blue sky withe scattered clouds.

Three Sandhill Cranes flying in the foreground with more cranes flying in the background as they arrive at their evening roosting spot.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

Got a glamorous and not so glamorous photo of this Double-crested Cormorant today. Love those gorgeous blue eyes. Surprised by the flying stream of bird poop in the next photo. #birds #nature #photography

Cormorant in all black feathers with pale orange beak and turquoise blue eyes is clinging to a dead branch while looking back over its shoulder.

Cormorant perched on a dead branch while releasing a long stream of milky white poop.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Had a great time at the #MinnesotaStateFair. Ate all my favorite foods including cream puffs, poutine, and corn dogs. Visited the DNR fish pond, the fine arts center, and the always fun animal barns.

Ducks in cages being viewed by visitors at the Minnesota state fair.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

Warblers are on the move here in Minnesota. A great time to be out #birding. #birds #warblers #migration

A Golden-winged Warbler hangs upside down with a small grub in its beak.

An American Redstart on a woody branch. Its white eye ring gray head, yellow breast, and white belly stand in contrast to the defuse green leaves in the background.

A Chestnut-sided Warbler forages in a maze of thin woody branches. This bird lacks the chestnut side of breeding season males but has a beautiful greenish-yellow top, yellowish-white wing bars, and a bright white eye ring.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Heard a raptor cry while out birding in the Rice Creek Preserve. Started taking photos to help ID. Unexpectedly I caught this interaction between an osprey & eagle. Too far for a good shot but still exciting to catch. The osprey was likely defending its nearby nest. #bird #nature #talons 🪶

Distant photo of an aggressive interaction between an Osprey and Bald Eagle. The osprey is diving at the eagle with its talons extended. The eagle is flying upside down with its talons extended up towards the approaching osprey and its beak open in a scream.

Second photo in a series capturing an aggressive interaction between an Osprey and Bald Eagle. In this shot the osprey has started to pull out of its dive on the eagle. The eagle is still flying upside down but is twisted as it tracks the osprey’s flight.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

Hiking through our nearby woods I came across a family of noisy House Wrens. I watched as the young birds chased each other around until an adult showed up with a bug in its beak. I got some nice photos as the birds positioned themselves and the lucky one got to eat. Fun. #birds #nature #wildlife

An adult Northern House Wren, holding a fly in its beak, has the eager attention of two nearby fledglings. All three birds are on different branches with the surrounding leaves brightly backlit by the sun.

An adult Northern House Wren is offering a small insect to its fledgling hat is perched on a lower tree branch. The adult is positioned upside down while the fledgling has a wide open beak to receive the meal. Leaves provide a bright green background.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Traveling (and birding) through the Netherlands and Denmark. Lots of little birds this morning including this sweet Lesser Whitethroat near Skagen.

A small bird in a leafy bush. The bird is a Lesser Whitethroat with a gray head, brown wings and tail, cream breast, and of course a white throat. A out of focus spider web in the background adds an extra element.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

The recovery of Trumpeter Swan populations in Minnesota is one of the great wild bird successes of my lifetime. Extirpated from the state by the end of the 19th C, conservationists beginning in 1966 worked through decades of challenges to re-establish these amazing birds. So grateful. #birds 🪶

A swan preening its white feathers with its large black bill. The bird is resting on the shore of a wooded lake next to the brown trunk of a downed tree. The brilliant white bird is set against a dark green forest, with the bird and tree trunk reflected in the water.

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Brian Hoffman @buzzhoffman.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Also lots of young White-tailed bucks with their antlers starting to emerge. Seen in Reservoir Woods, Roseville, Minnesota.

Close up photo of a young White-tailed buck looking at the photographer. Its antlers are just starting to emerge.

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