iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jon @jondrobny.com · 12/09/2026

Me too! This pair seems to have taken up residence in a shed near the ranger's station at Wilderness Gardens - I spoke to another birder there who was surprised to learn they were hanging out away from the cliffs.

A Canyon Wren - a small, red-brown and white wren with a long, slightly downcurved beak, standing very upright on a wire mesh gutter cover on the roof of a wooden shed painted barn-red.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 05/07/2026

Been a while since I posted anything! Last weekend I got very lucky and encountered a pair of canyon wrens out in the open the other day - this one was curious and brave #birds

A Canyon Wren - a small, red-brown bird with mottled brown feathers on its head and wing, big, round, dark brown eyes, a white throat and breast, and a bright red-brown striped tail, preparing to fly with its tail up and foot lifted off the white granite boulder, flecked with reddish orange and dark black, on which it is perched. The background is smooth, out-of-focus tan and beige, and the wren is backlit with diffuse light. Its long, slightly curved, dark grey beak is catching the light as the wren is faced forward and to the right.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 24/10/2025

It's been a while since I posted anything here! I biked to the river mouth a couple days ago and, as I was scouting the flooded lagoon for grebes, this curious Black-bellied Plover walked up to me along the shoulder-height bank, letting me get these shots with the ocean in the background. #birds

A Black-bellied Plover in nonbreeding plumage - a white and tan, medium-sized white plover, with an upright posture, small round head, large, round, black eyes, and a small, pointed, black bill - standing amongst sparse grass, with an out-of-focus background of distant sand, crashing waves, and bright blue sky.

An action shot of a Black-bellied Plover - a white and tan, medium-sized white plover, with an upright posture, small round head, large, round, black eyes, and a small, pointed, black bill - stepping from left to right, small red bug in its open mouth, having grabbed it from a nearby blade of grass, surrounded by dry grass on the beach with the ocean and the sky in the out-of-focus background.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 26/05/2025

Pied-billed Grebe babies are back at the local lake! I think these little gremlins are my favorite young birds to photograph, they are so photogenic #birds

A pied-billed Grebe chick; a tiny grebe with a downy grey body, with streaks of pale orange on its breast, and a dramatic striped black and white face, with a bright orange crown, eyerings, and bill. It is facing exactly forward, looking at the camera, bill slightly open. It is surrounded by green water, streaked with bright grey reflections of the overcast sky.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 21/04/2025

I also briefly encountered this Spotted Sandpiper making its way around the lake yesterday - I've never seen one in breeding plumage before (they lose their spots in the winter when they're more likely to be here), so getting to see one with spots was a treat! #birds

A Spotted Sandpiper - a smallish brown and white shorebird with a medium-length, orange bill, orange legs, a dark stripe running across its eye accented by a white eyebrow, with a bright white belly, chest, and throat, punctuated by dark-brown polka dots, standing on an exposed tree root in front of dark green lakewater

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 21/04/2025

Poor lighting for photography yesterday encouraged me to try video, and I'm glad I did - I was lucky enough to capture the elusive Marsh Wren singing its unmistakable song through a gap in the reeds #birds

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 17/03/2025

The crows really do not like the kites! #birds

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 16/03/2025

I ran across the park and jogged up a hill hoping to photograph the White-tailed Kite hunting, but by the time I arrived he had already returned to where I had just been to give food to his mate mid-flight - I'm happy I was still able to get this series of shots from very, very, very far away #birds

A composite of five shots taken in quick succession, showing two White-tailed Kites. arrange left-to-right and upwards diagonally. The smaller male kite, above, has a vole in his talons. The female kite swoops upward from behind and below, and, swinging her talons upwards to meet the males, takes the vole from him before twisting away.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 02/03/2025

Turns out there are two White-Tailed Kites! And it also turns out that they are VERY unfazed by the mobbing crows, haha. #birds

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 27/02/2025

This lone Snowy Plover landed near me while I was (mostly unsuccessfully) trying to photograph some bathing terns on the beach the other day. I'm glad it did, because this ended up being my favorite shot of the morning #birds

A Snowy Plover - a mostly white, tennis-ball-shaped sandpiper with little stick legs, a dark collar, and light brown back and cap with little, black round eyes and a short, stubby, kind of pointy bill - standing on sloped, soft, pale sand on a cloudy day. The surf is barely visible in the out of focus background. The Plover is positioned just left of center in the frame and is facing and looking forward-right just past the camera. Its bill is covered with sand.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 27/02/2025

This picture didn't turn out exactly as I'd hoped, but I do really like that you can see the reflection of the sunset over the ocean in this Black Phoebe's eye #birds

A close-up portrait of a Black Phoebe - a small, black flycatcher with a little crest, a bright white belly, and wise brown eyes - lit by the orange light of the sun setting over the ocean, facing forward but looking to the left, in front of a pitch-black background that fades to orange-tan in the upper left corner. The setting sun over the ocean can just be made out in the reflection in the phoebe's round, brown eyes.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 24/02/2025

I captured this Marbled Godwit the other day looking very pleased with its foraging while making the most of overcast conditions #birds

A Marbled Godwit - a large, tan shorebird speckled all over with gold and dark brown spots. It has an extraordinarily long, slightly upcurved, very narrow prehensile bill that is pink at its base and black at its end. It has large, dark brown eyes and is wading in shallow, foamy water. The lighting is very diffuse and the background and foreground have been overexposed, so the Godwit appears to be surrounded by soft, white light.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 24/02/2025

A surprising sight at Guajome park: a beautiful White-tailed Kite has been hanging out at the top of this eucalyptus for a couple of days, despite regular mobbing by the resident crows. I've only ever seen one at a great distance before, so this was cool to see, despite the stick in the way! #birds

A photograph of a White-tailed Kite - a medium-sized, bright white falcon with a flattish face, short bill, and very large, round, bright orange eyes, perched at the very top of a Eucalyptus tree, green with long and narrow oblong leaves. The background is a bright, completely clear blue sky, and the scene is lit by harsh, late morning sun.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 23/02/2025

American Pipits are still here - I watched this one foraging in the dew this morning. #birds

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 17/02/2025

Captured this beautiful Northern Flicker calling from the top of a tree where Ash-throated Flycatchers nested last year - although I did my best to stabilize this video, it's still pretty shaky! I should've brought my tripod, but alas #birds

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 15/02/2025

Diving pelican lit by the sunset filtered through a raincloud #birds

A small-in-frame, almost completely silhouetted brown pelican, a very large bird with a massive, scoop-like bill, diving from a great height vertically into choppy water. The sky is uniform gold, and everything is lit by diffuse orange-yellow light. Large waves are frothing against the shore in the slightly-out-of-focus foreground.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 12/02/2025

Non-bird shot - saw this coyote a while back munching on some small critter across the parking lot from my car at Wilderness Gardens; very wary of me, but not too wary to not finish its breakfast before scurrying off.

A tan, light-grey, and dark brown coyote, mouth open comically, chewing on something unidentifiable covered in live oak leaf litter in front of two sawn log barriers to a parking lot. It is looking at the camera with its tail down in a mostly relaxed posture, standing amidst dried leaves and underbrush.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 12/02/2025

I think this shot from last month is my favorite Ruddy Duck picture I've ever taken. I just got my camera back from Canon for a shutter repair, so hopefully I can brighten people's timelines with more bird photography soon. #birds

The dark brown, fan-shaped tail of a diving Ruddy Duck, poking just above the water, making a small splash. The background is bright gold, dry reeds reflecting the golden light of sunrise, and the water is extremely still, reflecting the same light, making the duck's tail appear suspended in smooth, golden light.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 15/01/2025

Sometimes I think high key black-and-white is the only way to make photos taken on a dreary day pop - like this Nuttal's Woodpecker for #WoodpeckerWednesday #birds

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 08/01/2025

A very curious Marsh Wren that, after I took this picture, got so close to my boots that my lens could no longer focus on it - I had to zoom out to 200mm to get this shot! #birds

A Marsh Wren - a small, round, fluffy brown Wren with buff belly and throat, dark brown cap, medium brown wings, and a rectangular striped brown and black tail - perched on a twisted root overlooking smooth, pale blue lake water, facing forward, looking at the boots of the photographer (that's me!) and considering getting too close for the camera and lens to focus on.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 03/01/2025

A very fluffy Marsh Wren at sunrise on a cool winter morning #birds

A puffed-up Marsh Wren - a small brown Wren with light tan breast and throat, dark, chocolate brown cap, striped tan and dark brown tail, a thin white eyering, and grey and medium brown smooth markings on its face and sides - perched on a curved dried reed, facing forward and looking left, surrounded by other tan, dried reeds.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 20/12/2024

The Shearwaters have stuck around Oceanside - it's amazing to watch so many birds swoop and dive in formation. With their dark backs and bright white undersides the flock shimmers as they fly back and forth. #birds

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 15/12/2024

An incredible sight just off the coast this morning. I think these are Black-vented Shearwaters, which are not usually seen up here - thousands and thousands of them! #birds

A flock of hundreds of black and white seabirds, extremely distant, swimming and flying in both directions in choppy deep blue water.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 15/12/2024

Christmas Bird Count was yesterday! Had an incredible time with @heaposheep.bsky.social and @socalleslie.bsky.social. Highlights included: Loggerhead Shrike, Tropical Kingbird, Burrowing Owl (!) and an immature male Vermillion Flycatcher. What a blast; can't wait to do it again next year. #birds

A Loggerhead Shrike - a medium-sized white and grey bird with stark black facemask, long grey tail, and hooked bill - photographed at an extreme distance, facing left, perched atop a bunch of sticks free of foliage in front of a pale blue sky.

A Tropical Kingbird - a large, brilliant highlighter yellow and grey flycatcher with white chin, brown-grey tail, and yellow plumage up to its throat - perched on a stick covered in buds.

A Burrowing Owl - a small, round, brown and white owl with large, round, bright yellow eyes - standing upright in a field of mown, brown grass.

An immature male Vermillion Flycatcher - a small, grey and bright red flycatcher with dark grey wings barred with faint light grey stripes, a tiny dark bill, and a brilliant red crown, belly, breast and throat. The belly and chest are spotted with pale grey feathers and the flycatcher is perched on a rusted, post, surrounded by chain-link fence and barbed wire, in front of an out-of-focus background of blue tarps and sheet aluminum.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 12/12/2024

From this past Spring - a Black Phoebe parent with an adorably fluffy juvenile #birds

Two Black Phoebes - small, black and white flycatchers with long, dark bill with a tiny hook at the end - one juvenile, fluffier and rounder with orange stripes on the wing and yellow bill, and one adult, sleek and black , perched together on a broken branch in front of a completely out of focus bright green background. The juvenile is on the left, facing right, looking at the adult expectantly. The adult is on the right, facing left, looking towards the camera.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 11/12/2024

A brave and loud Song Sparrow from the lake shore the other day #birds

A Song Sparrow - a medium-sized brown and grey sparrow with brown cap, brown back and wings, and dark brown specks on its pale grey breast, standing legs clasped on a branch and a stalk of some willowy-leaved plant. The Song Sparrow is facing forward, looking to the left, bill open in song. The background is out-of-focus pale blue sky and yellow, dried reeds and foliage lit by the morning sun

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 10/12/2024

Two American Wigeons hanging out at the lake at sunrise #birds

Two American Wigeons - small, round, brown ducks with a white face speckled with dark grey and a iridescent green band going from the back of the head around the eye, and a short, kind of pointy, pale blue-grey bill tipped in black - swimming on calm water that, in the pale light of morning, is reflecting very pale, very light yellow. The wigeon in the foreground is in focus, facing forward to the right, and looking at the camera. The wigeon in the background is out-of-focus and facing to the left.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 09/12/2024

This Ruddy Duck was in the right place at the right time for me to capture it against these sunrise reflections #birds

A nonbreeding-plumaged Ruddy Duck - a small, stubby, grey and white duck with white cheeks, a dark bill, and mottled dark-grey feathers - swimming in calm water reflecting sunrise yellows, oranges, and pale greens

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 05/12/2024

This particular Common Yellowthroat seems to have gotten somewhat used to my presence at the lake; it regularly comes close to see what I'm doing while I'm photographing ducks and other birds on the water #birds

A Common Yellowthroat - a yellow warbler with olive back and wings, highlighter yellow throat and chest, and black face mask outlined on top with bright white - perched at a 45 degree angle on a thin blue-green reed. The yellowthroat is facing left, looking at the camera. The background consists of many other out-of-focus blue-green reeds.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 05/12/2024

See a Junco, post a Junco! #birds

A Dark-eyed Junco - a small, black, white, and coral colored sparrow with a pale pink bill and round black eyes - perched jauntily on a curvy branch in a pine tree. Other scraggly branches are visible in the background, and a cluster of green pine needles points outward from the lower left corner. The background of the image is a pale blue sky.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 04/12/2024

This Clark's Grebe is also a welcome guest at the lake - it's a little braver than the Eared Grebe, occasionally coming close to the lakeshore to fish. #birds

A Clark's Grebe - a large, black and white grebe with black crown, grey-black back, and white throat, neck, and face, with large, red eyes and a slightly upcurved, long orange-yellow bill - swimming in calm water towards the camera, facing left. In the water is reflected yellow foliage, and the fore- and background water is out of focus.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 03/12/2024

A young Least Tern for Tern Tuesday! #birds

A young Least Tern - a very small, white tern with grey eyes and nape and a sharp, dark grey bill - in flight, flying towards the camera, wings outstretched, on a foggy day, glistening with droplets of water, in front of a completely out of focus green and grey background

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 02/12/2024

The adorable Eared Grebe continues at my favorite local lake #birds

An Eared Grebe - a small, grey and white grebe with bright orange eyes, a short, sharp, dark grey bill, and a white throat - swimming in calm lakewater left to right, staring at the camera. The water is reflecting the warm yellows of winter foliage in coastal southern California.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 21/11/2024

Sanderling on a foggy morning at the start of Fall #birds

A sanderling - a small, white, round shorebird with narrow black bill and dark legs - wading in shallow water, surrounded by grey sand, grey waves, and grey fog, making the entire picture almost entirely greyscale. It is walking towards the camera with its head lowered slightly, emphasizing its roundness

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 21/11/2024

I have been enjoying the presence of this Eared Grebe at the local lake as fall turns to winter #birds 🪶

A winter-plumaged Eared Grebe - a small grey grebe with large, orange eyes, a short, dark pointed bill, a dark crest, and a white throat - swimming in water dotted with cattail debris and feathers that reflects the greens and browns of the tree line on the far shore. It is facing right and looking at the camera.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 19/11/2024

Sunset/sunrise Willets from a couple months ago 🪶

A Willet - a medium-sized, plain grey and white shorebird with long, grey-blue legs and a medium-length, straight and narrow dark bill, walks in shallow surf at sunset. Rolling waves are visible in the out of focus background, and the orange and purple tones of sunset are reflected in the shower water underfoot. The Willet is walking right to left, captured with a slow shutter speed so that there is visible motion blur.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 19/11/2024

This Willet tried to steal a sandcrab from a godwit - it eventually got away with its prize, despite the godwit's best efforts! 🪶

A Marbled Godwit - a football-sized, brown shorebird with an extremely long, slightly upcurved pink-orange and black bill - attempting to choke a Willet - a grey shorebird with a medium-length black bill and conspicuous black and white patterned wings - for stealing a sandcrab it had dug up moments prior. The Godwit is using its prehensile bill to squeeze the neck of the Willet which is trying to run away, flapping its wings, with the sandcrab in its bill.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 18/11/2024

Would very much appreciate being added to pack #2 - trying to get back into uploading pictures regularly!

A close-up shot of a Black Phoebe - a small, black flycatcher with brown-red eyes, a prominent crest, a white belly, and a dark bill with a hooked tip - perched on a diagonal branch with smooth, grey brown bark, facing right with its bill open showing its bright yellow interior. The background is an out-of-focus tan and grey sycamore tree.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 17/11/2024

From last weekend: I was photographing Grebes in the lake when a Virginia Rail came out of the reeds and walked right up to me. Amazing seeing one of them out in the open and so close! 🪶

A Virginia Rail - a small, round, brown rail with a grey face, bright red eyes, and dark red, curved bill - standing facing towards the camera and to the left in muddy water surrounded by reeds and roots. A drop of clear water drips from its bill.

A portrait of a Virginia Rail - a small, round, brown bird with blue-gray face, red eyes, and dark red-orange, curved bill - standing facing left in front of brown and tan roots dark with wet mud.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 28/09/2024

Got a backlog of photos to upload here - was lucky enough to watch some California Least Terns feed their young on the shore of a nearby lake recently. Love these little birds. 🪶

A California Least Tern adult hands a fish over to two juveniles, facing the camera, each grasping half the fish, on a grey dirt shore in front of a pale blue lake reflecting a cloudy sky. Two more out-of-focus terns wait in the background.

A California Least Tern adult, fish in bill, flies over 6 waiting juveniles on a dirt lakeshore with out-of-focus mottled green plants in the foreground. Each juvenile is looking up expectantly, mouth open and shrieking to be fed. Reflected in the mostly still lake are the tree tops of the far shore.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 17/07/2024

The Pied-billed Grebe chicks I photographed before are growing up! This one managed to catch a tiny catfish in the lake 🪶

A photograph of a young pied-billed grebe - a medium-sized grebe with a piebald white and dark brown face, round, light brown eyes, and a sharp orange bill - swimming on calm water that is reflecting greenery and holding a catfish and shaking it back and forth, whipping droplets and rivulets of water around.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 26/06/2024

Been a hard couple of weeks, but I'm finally getting around to reviewing the pictures I took at the beginning of the month on Mt. Laguna - my absolute favorite is this in-flight Violet Green Swallow. It took rising with the sun three mornings and thousands of photographs to get it! 🪶

An in-flight Violet-Green Swallow, an aerodynamic swallow with brilliant white face, throat, chest, and belly, tan-colored underwings, a notched tail, and iridescent purple-green feathers on its crown and back. Its wings are outstretched and bent slightly, and the swallow is flying right to left, banking away from the camera with a level head. The background is completely out-of-focus greens, greys, and yellows.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 15/05/2024

A Green Heron collecting nesting material was interrupted by the passing of a couple bicyclists and raised its green crest in protest 🪶

A Green Heron - a small, red-brown heron with prominent blue-green crown, dark green-brown wings, a long, sharp, yellow and black bill, large, yellow eyes, and big, orange feet, perched in a peppertree (I believe S. terebinthifolia), looking to the left. Its head is haloed with a background of completely white sky, and it is surrounded by new, yellow-green foliage.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 14/05/2024

A Bewick's Wren inspecting a cavity in a stump - potentially building or maintaining a nest inside 🪶

A Bewick's Wren, a brown wren with prominent white eyebrow, longish striped tail, and white face and throat perched on the lip of a small cavity in a dead oak tree, facing towards the entrance. It is covered in debris from inside the cavity, and its feathers are matted and look damp from bathing.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 10/05/2024

A very cute Rufous/Allen's hummingbird I saw on a dark, overcast day last week 🪶

A female Rufous or Allen's Hummingbird (they cannot be definitively distinguished in the field), a very small pale green and white hummingbird with a black, needle-like bill and rufous tail, flapping her wings, spreading her tail, and puffing out her chest while perched with tiny black talons wrapped around a small, grey branch. She is looking to the left and is in the center-right of the picture, with a white and green out-of-focus background.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 07/05/2024

Finally got a good look at a Pied-billed Grebe chick at the local lake! I was sitting on the shore and it started swimming towards me alone - in short order one of its parents showed up and escorted it away to safety among the reeds around a little island in the center of the lake. 🪶

A Pied-billed Grebe chick - a small, downy, grey juvenile grebe with striking black and white striped face, with a bright orange pointed bill, orange eyelashes, and splotches of orange on the crown of its head. It is preening while swimming in pale blue water.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 29/04/2024

Was briefly approached by a curious Ash-throated Flycatcher last weekend - first I've seen so far this year! 🪶

An Ash-throated Flycatcher - a medium-sized grey flycatcher with grey-white throat, white breast, and very pale highlighter-yellow belly, with a medium brown, long tail, perched on a horizontal stick surrounded by green leaves and 3 or 4 clusters of 3 or 4 small brown achenes each (at least, I think that is what they are - in any case, small, round, dry fruits containing many seeds) hanging from the underside of the stick

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 21/04/2024

A backlit Song Sparrow from last month 🪶

A Song Sparrow, a medium-sized grey sparrow with brown wings, dark brown stripes on its head, dark streaks on its light chest, pink legs and claws, and a triangular dark grey beak, backlit by harsh sunlight, photographed perched on a dark grey branch surrounded by soft, out-of-focus highlights and shadows of bright green and dull red foliage. It is facing forward, slightly to the left, and looking past the right side of the camera.

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Jon @jondrobny.com · 10/04/2024

Now that the Surf Scoters have left, my new goal is to get a good shot of White-throated Swifts in flight 🪶

A White-throated Swift, a small black and white swift with wide, thin, mostly straight wings reminiscent of an old airplane, an extremely short, slightly curved black bill, large, round, black eyes, a white hawk-like face, a rump flanked in white, and a short, rectangular, stubby tail, captured in flight against a sky blue background flying left to right, turning away from the camera exposing its belly

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