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Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social
11K followers 1K following 4.2K posts

Avid birder, Lyme patient, author of "Out of the Lyme Light and into the Sunlight" Read about my frustrating journey with Lyme, and how birding helps me cope with chronic pain. Photos all by me. #birds #cats #Lyme #naturetherapy #wellness #birding

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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 3h
I have friends who call them tree fleas
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 3h
Popping popcorn
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 4h
Thanks! Sure hoping!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 4h
Details, details! Seriously, they are gorgeous and a lifer that I covet!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 12h
It's a personal challenge to find as many species as possible within a 5 mile radius of your home. The idea is to lower your carbon footprint and perhaps help fill in databases in under-birded areas.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 12h
Thanks!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 16h
Good one!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 17h
Last week while birding I could hear a squeaky, babbling song which led me to find a Northern Mockingbird for only the second time in my 5MR. #birds #birding
A Northern Mockingbird posed at the top of a small cedar, oriented to the left but looking over its shoulder to the right. The backdrop is clear blue sky. The bird is various shades of white and gray, with some black. A Northern Mockingbird posed at the top of a small cedar, oriented to the left but staring directly at me. The backdrop is clear blue sky. The bird is various shades of white and gray, with some black. A Northern Mockingbird posed at the top of a small cedar, in profile view looking to the left. The backdrop is clear blue sky. The bird is various shades of white and gray, with some black.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
💯
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
😱🤣🤣
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
I prefer photos of birds going about their busy lives, showing them in their habitats, etc over ones posing in the open. Having said that, I tend to post more of the latter!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Love this! Great photo!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Thanks Rob!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Thanks x 2!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Make sure you keep moving! 😂
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Thanks!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
A few days ago I inadvertently walked into a Turkey Vulture convention while the keynote speaker was addressing the crowd! #birds #birding #vultures
A turkey vulture perched on the top of a pole, with its back to me, its wings and tail spread out to soak up the sun. Roughly two dozen turkey vultures perched in two dead trees.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
The Trump Dump!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
I'm giving thanks for your kind words! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
🤣🤣🤣
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Happy Thanksgiving! In honour of it, here are a few Wild Turkey shots taken in our backyard. #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt #Bobsbackyard #thanksgiving
A close up of a turkey's head, looking right at me with a concerned expression of "yikes"!This past winter, I looked out my office window, and there was a wild turkey standing on the top of our privacy fence! A large male "Tom" turkey, in profile view looking to the left, all puffed up with his tail fanned out, trying to impress the ladies.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Me neither! Surprise!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
I didn't realize that they flocked up to that extent! Nothing like a good migration party.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
It was quite a sight!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
You never know! There are about 75 of them in the first photo!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Thanks!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Thanks! It was quite a sight when something spooked them and they all took off - way more than I'd realized!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Thanks, he's the king, of at least this household.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Thanks Lori! 🙏
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
The first photo shows a rocky shoreline of a pond. Some of the "rocks" are a much darker colour. Is this a geologic post? Zoom in to find out, and see the other two photos as well. #birds #birding
Probably the largest flock of Killdeer I've ever seen, appearing as dark objects on a bank of light coloured rocks bordering a pond. I've zoomed in closer on this shot, so just a bit of the pond water is showing in the lower left corner, and it is now clear the dark "rocks" are numerous Killdeer loafing in the sunAn even closer zoom, now showing about nine Killdeer on light coloured rocks.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Safe travels!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Good point, exactly right!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
It's #Caturday! Here's another boudoir shot of Loshi. Seems odd to post a photo of three raptors and then one of our beloved cat! #birds #cats
Our Russian Blue cat Loshi laying on a couch with a few sprigs of flowers, mostly daisies next to him. He's all gray with green eyes.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
🤣
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Yesterday I scored a hat trick of raptors. Walking along a trail, I spotted a pair of Osprey. On my way back, one had apparently turned into a Bald Eagle! Later, a Red-tailed Hawk swooped right over my parked car and perched right next to it. #birds #birding #raptors #HamOnt
An Osprey perched on a dead snag, with clear, blue sky behind it. The angle I was at makes the right side of the osprey look like I cropped the image! A bald eagle perched on a horizontal branch, framed by a dead tree on either sides of it. The sky behind it is cloudless, bright blue. A red-tailed hawk about 20 feet from me, at eye level, looking back over its shoulder towards me.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
I can't take credit for being that clever! I save a lot of bird memes to use in my book or bird talks.
A cartoon of a cat sitting up like a human, munching on snacks, while looking out the window at three different active bird nests.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Nestflix!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
I find they depart as quickly as they arrive, so if you're not watching all the time, they might have paid and visit and you missed them. Always a pleasure to see a mob descend and have a feasting frenzy!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
🤣
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Thanks! I always joke that trying to photograph them is like shooting popcorn popping!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
The first photo, taken in June, is of an adult Cedar Waxwing that landed right close to me, below eye level. The second photo, taken in late September, is an immature bird, born this year. #birds #birding
A cedar waxwing perched low in some alders, with its back to me, looking to the left. In this pose, you can easily see the yellow band across the tip of its tail. The bird is surrounded by greenery.A young Cedar Waxwing perched high in a tree on a bare branch, with cloudless blue sky as the backdrop. It is oriented towards me but looking to the right. Unlike the adults its breast is white with brown streaks.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Yeah, "slow down!" 😅
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Thanks Rob!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Thanks for sharing!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Thanks Marina!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Last week I posted a Golden-crowned Kinglet. There are lots of Ruby-crowned Kinglets here as well. I managed to get this photo a few days ago. #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt
A ruby-crowned kinglet perched on the branch of a spruce tree, in profile view looking to the left. He is flashing his red crown.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Agree! They're not even related. Theirs is a flycatcher and ours is a thrush.
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Right! Too funny! My other option was "he went thataway!"
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
🤣Now I wish I'd thought of the hokey pokey when I was captioning that!
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Bob Bell 🇨🇦 @thebirderbob.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
A Wood Duck looking after air traffic control over our pond. #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt
A Wood duck on our pond, which has a lot of late summer/early fall yellowish-green growth on it. The duck is facing away from me, with its left wing raised up as if it is pointing.
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