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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 02/11/2026

Last winter, I posted pictures of very many local fish crows gathering on neighborhood trees every evening just after sunset. This winter, there’s a construction crane that some have adopted instead. I’m not sure what “SCG” on the crane stands for—special […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/11/2026

A pileated woodpecker (one of my favorite birds) and a red-bellied woodpecker. The latter was around the level of the power lines on this pole, not the phone cables, so even though it was going “tap, tap, tap” it wasn’t tapping any calls… #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

The head and upper body of a pileated woodpecker poking out from behind a thick tree trunk.

The woodpecker is near the top of a telephone pole. Assorted bolts and other pieces of hardware are visible, including a cable even higher up than the bird. The bird is, of course, vertical, but looking far to its left.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/10/2026

At the Lois Y. Green Conservation Park: two American black ducks, an eastern bluebird, a song sparrow, and a great blue heron. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

Two ducks standing in shallow water, tail to tail.

A bluebird on a ~2 cm branch, looking a bit to its left.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/10/2026

I went to Huntley Meadows Park today, my favorite birding spot in the area (and I’d go there more often if it weren’t for the traffic getting home…). So: a greater yellowlegs, a white-breasted nuthatch (in a typical position—no, the camera wasn’t upside […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

The bird is in brown water, with its legs fully submerged.

The bird is upside-down on a thin branch that has some red leaves on it.

The heron has a small fish in its beak. There are circular ripples in the lake from where the heron stuck its head in the water to catch the fish.

The woodpecker is pecking away on a tree that’s tilted about 20° off of vertical.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/10/2026

Also in Central Park: a wood duck, a northern shoveler, a gadwall, and a ruby-crowned kinglet. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdCPP #birdsforbecsnan

A wood duck swimming in yellow-green water, the color of which is due to reflection from autumn leaves.

The duck is in yellowish water, with circular ripples surrounding it.

The kinglet is perched on a thin, bare branch, among other bare branches.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 28/10/2026

I was in Central Park a few days ago, for the first time in quite a while. It was as good as always. First up is an unusual bird for that time and place: an American wigeon. There were also several green-winged teals, and a very normal bird—a pigeon—but one […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

The wigeon is swimming in water that is yellow-colored by reflection from autumn leaves around the Pool.

The teal is swimming left to right in greenish-yellow water. Two sticks are sticking up from the water.

A group of teals are swimming in, and eating, the duckweed.

The pigeon is just sitting in the water, half-submerged. A stick is in the water in the background.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/10/2026

Baby barn owls in Manhattan! (They have a nest inside that water tank they’re perched on top of.) More, and I hope better, pictures in a few days. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdCPP #birdsforbecsnan

The top of a wooden water tank with two baby owls between the handrails. There may be a third behind one of the hand rails.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/10/2026

On the Blue Mash Nature Trail—which adjoins a still-active landfill—a downy woodpecker and a yellow-rumped warbler. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

The woodpecker is leaning back from a near-vertical tree trunk, about to peck some more.

The warbler is perpendicular to a thin branch that is itself at about a 60° angle. The out-of-focus background is well-lit green.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/10/2026

Back to Patuxent Research Refuge today. The prize photos: two shots of an osprey, which really shouldn’t be there at this time of year. Also: a killdeer and an eastern bluebird. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

The osprey is soaring right to left in a clear sky.

The osprey is flapping its wings, flying left to right.

The killdeer is hard to see against a background of dead leaves and bare ground.

The bluebird is perched on a near-vertical branch of a bare tree, facing me but looking to its left.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/10/2026

Crescent moon at sunset. (1/60, f/6.3, ISO 8000, 140 mm.) #astrophotography

The moon setting over an orange sunset above some trees.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 02/10/2026

A great egret with a small fish in its mouth, a hunting great egret, a praying mantis, and a solitary sandpiper. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

The egret is standing in the water. Its beak is slightly open as it repositions the fish.

The osprey is soaring over the water, looking down.

The mantis is perched head-down on a reed. Its head is below and to the left of the exact center, with two antennae visible below and to the left of the head.

The sandpiper is wading in muddy water, with its left leg bent.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/09/2026

And now for the birds: some (greater, I think) yellowlegs, a pair of rough-winged swallows, and a solitary sandpiper. #birds #birdsforbecsnan #wildlifePhotography

Two birds in the water, one with its beak in the water.

The bird is standing still in the water, with some rocks behind it to the right, and a small stump sticking up just behind it.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 20/09/2026

Six weeks post-op, I was *finally* able to get out with my camera. I saw a bunch of birds (a later post), but I also saw four different types of frogs: a gray tree frog, a leopard frog, a bullfrog, and a green tree frog. The weirdest thing about the frogs […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

The frog is poking out of a hole in a horizontal branch on a tree.

The frog is sitting on a mud flat facing towards some water.

The frog is facing away from me, on some mud at the edge of the water.

This very small frog is climbing vertically on a wide green leaf.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 31/08/2026

Lightning. 6" (on an interval timer), f/22, ISO 80, 24 mm, slightly enhanced to bring out the branching bolts.. It's likely another month before I can get out looking for birds, but I could mount a short lens on my tripod. #weatherPhotography

A lightning bolt from high in the frame, disappearing behind some trees. In the lower half of the picture, there are numerous smaller bolts branching out.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/08/2026

A great blue heron, a Halloween pennant dragonfly, an eastern wood-pewee, and a red-eyed vireo. Patuxent Research Refuge. (Probably my last pictures for a month or more…) #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

A great blue heron in a water lily area of a lake, with its legs fully submerged.

The dragonfly is on the tip of a plant, with its wings upright.

The bird is on a rotting diagonal branch, with a dark, out-of-focus background.

The vireo is on a thin branch, with its beak partially eclipsed by a leaf. There are other leaves visible, and a green, out-of-focus background.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 05/08/2026

Lake Whetstone must have lots of fish, so it's my go-to spot for fish-eaters. Today: a hunting osprey (someone else caught the strike, a few minutes later); a female wood duck and a juvenile black-crowned nigh heron; a great egret with something tasty in its […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

An osprey, soaring in a pretty clear blue sky.

The duck and the heron are perched at opposite ends of a rock in the water, with bushes behind them.

The egret's legs are fully in the water, with its body just barely out. There's a small fish in the tip of its beak. In the background are some shrubs.

A fallen dead tree in the water. On the left is the black-crowned night heron, facing left. In the center, high, a green heron is facing right towards the water. A second green heron is on a branch depending from that one, with its back towards me. There are bushes in the background.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 31/07/2026

A pair of green herons. I've never seen two together… (Huntley Meadows Park, VA) #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

The heron is standing on top of a bush with its neck outstretched.

The heron is standing on a log at water level, amidst some plants.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/07/2026

At Wheaton Park yesterday: a green heron, a great blue heron, and two American robins that have found some food, a bug and a worm. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

A heron standing on some rocks at the shore of a pond. There is grass and some bushes behind it.

A robin perched on a diagonal branch with a bug (and apparently a blade of grass) in its beak.

A robin in a grassy field, with a worm in its beak.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/07/2026

My favorite photo from yesterday: an orchard oriole.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/07/2026

I went to Huntley Meadows, my favorite birding spot around here, a few days ago. Many birds and many pictures, but these are my favorite shots: a barn swallow, a green heron, a great egret (a bird I've often seen in the past but never around here), and a […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

A barn swallow with its beak open, perched on a fence.

The heron is on the base of a tree stump, peering intently into greenish water.

The egret is standing upright in shallow water, near the shore. Behind it, the shoreline is covered with low plants of some sort.

The killdeer is on marshy ground, ¾ facing me, with occasional green plants growing from the mud.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 30/06/2026

Infinity. (This is a summer view—I'll try to get more with autumn leaves, bare winter branches, and buds in the spring.)

Two pairs of railroad tracks, converging in the far distance. The rail right of way is lined with trees on either side.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/06/2026

Purple martins! These round white objects are nest boxes—per www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Purple_…, eastern purple martins almost never nest "naturally" any more; instead, they rely on human-created nest boxes. This picture shows (I think) a […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

About eight white gourd-shaped objects attached to a central pole via two levels of cross-pieces. Each "gourd" has an opening with a balcony. There are also wires for the birds to perch on, per the main description in this post.

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Reposted by Urban Dinosaurs

Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/06/2026

Also at Blue Mash today: a groundhog (4.5 months too late?), a white-tailed deer (I wonder if the small black spots on its face and in its ear are deer ticks), and what I think is a red saddlebags dragonfly. #wildlifePhotography

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/06/2026

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Reposted by Urban Dinosaurs

Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/06/2026

Today I went to a local nature trail adjacent to (and formerly part of) a landfill. But it has nice birds and critters… A trumpeter swan (lifer, and shouldn't be here!), eastern wood pewee, and two eastern bluebirds, one that has just scored a bug and a […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/06/2026

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/06/2026

Great birding at some of the parks and wildlife refuges in Virginia, but oh, the traffic getting back… These were at Mason's Neck, the state park and the adjoining national wildlife refuge: a bald eagle (you can't see it in the photo, but it was carrying a […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

A bald eagle, flying right to left over the water.

An osprey, soaring high, looking down for fish.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/06/2026

A great spangled fritillary, a barn swallow, an osprey in flight (being photobombed by a barn swallow, and a white water lily being photobombed by an amberwing dragonfly. (Aside: I've given up trying to photograph swallows in flight—so one showed up anyway […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 05/06/2026

At Riverbend Park on the Potomac today: a pair of one of my favorite birds, the pileated woodpecker, an indigo bunting, a house wren (lifer!), and what I believe is a tree swallow chick looking out of the nest box hole. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

Two pileated woodpeckers, on either side of the same tree trunk.

The bunting is perched high up in a leafy tree.

The wren is on a bare, diagonal branch with its beak open, vocalizing.

The bird is peering over the bottom of the nest box hole. Its eyes and what is likely some of its beak are showing. The box opening is surrounded by a metal mesh with ~1 cm spacing.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 04/06/2026

A green heron in its normal and its punk mode, and a turtle that got cautious when I approached it too closely. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

A ¾ rear view of the heron on the crag, but with its feathers all sticking up in disarray.

A turtle on a gravel road, looking to its right but with its legs retracted into its shell.

The same turtle if I approached too closely. It's ooking at me but with its head retracted into its shell.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/05/2026

A lot of tree sparrows, some in or around nesting boxes, at the Blue Mash Nature Trail today. Also: a cedar waxwing (definitely one of the prettiest birds around) and a great crested flycatcher. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

A swallow poking its head out of a nest box, looking straight ahead.

The bird is perched on a thin branch. Its head is turned to face me.

The flycatcher is on a thin branch, head turned somewhat to its right.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/05/2026

A Mississippi kite, which really shouldn't be here but there are at least three in the area. This one is one of a pair that is probably building a nest near where they nested last summer. Across from Welsh Regional Park. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

The kite is on a bare branch that is slanting up at about a 45° angle; another, near-vertical branch is coming off from it. The bird is facing us but has its head turned to its left.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 10/05/2026

@milgrim Turtles don’t seem to care much. A few years ago, I got a picture of a great blue heron standing on top of one…

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 09/05/2026

The star of today's outing was a female ahinga. Not a lifer—I saw one in Argentina at Iguazu Falls 11 years ago—but a treat nevertheless. I also hadn't seen any black-crowned night herons in this area; today, I saw three. To round it out, there was a […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

A right fearwview of the ahinga, perched on a rock in the lake, with its wings spread. There is a fallen dead tree behind it. To its right are two black-crowned night herons, one perched on some rocks and peering down into the water; the other, off to the right, is on a fallen log.

A black-crowned night heron perched on a rock wall.

The cormorant is on a fallen tree branch in the middle of the lake.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 06/05/2026

A few more from yesterday, this time in Central Park, NYC: a red-winged blackbird making noise, a black-and-white warbler, a hooded warbler (not a great photo, but it's a lifer, so…), and a black-crowned night heron. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdCPP #birdsforbecsnan

The bird's wings are drooping down, giving it a near-triangular shape. It's perched on a thin reed with its beak open.

The warbler's body is at about 90° to the trunk of the tree, but it's looking upwards.

The warbler is perched on a thin branch, looking away, with green leaves in the left foreground.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 06/05/2026

@mattblaze I find Manhattan much better. One reason why is that there's a very high density of birds—there aren't that many obvious habitats for birds that make it to the city, and NYC is on the Atlantic Flyway. Not that anyone knows these ravens have decided to set up housekeeping in Manhattan… […]

urbanists.social

Original post on urbanists.social

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 06/05/2026

Birding in Manhattan is such fun. Here are three of the four common ravens I saw yesterday, two in the nest in a recess at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and one on an adjacent tree, calling loudly. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

Two ravens in a hexagonal opening, looking to the left.

The two ravens, beak-to-beak in the next.

The two ravens appear to be snuggling with each other.

A raven in a tree with its back towards us and with its head turned to the right.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/05/2026

Why did it have to be snakes? (Common water snakes, at Riverbend Park.) Also, two butterflies: a zebra swallowtail and a pipevine swallowtail. #wildlifePhotography

The snake is in the water with its head sticking out, facing to the left. The river bottom is brown, with some twigs and such showing.

The snake is in the water with its head sticking out, facing way from the camera, over a log on the river bottom. The river bottom is brown, with some twigs and and a leaf showing.

The butterfly is perched on a very thin branch. The background is dark green.

The butterfly is perched on brown muddy ground on the shore of the river.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 01/05/2026

At Riverbend Park along the Potomac: an adult and a juvenile bald eagle at a nest, a great blue heron (with its tongue showing), and a red-shouldered hawk. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

The head of an adult bald eagle sticking up from the nest.

A juvenile bald eagle standing on the left edge of the nest.

A great blue heron, flying left to right with its beak open. If you look closely, you can see its tongue.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 24/04/2026

After several very tiring days, I finally got to go out. The prize was a least bittern, which I'd never have spotted on my own. Fortunately, most birders are very friendly and helpful. Also: an orchard oriole (only the second I've seen), many tree swallows […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

The bittern is in some tall reeds, a few green, more brown.

The oriole is on a branch slanting up at ~45°, and is turning its head far to the left.

The tree swallow is, appropriately, perched on the very top of a thin, bare tree.

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Reposted by Urban Dinosaurs

azett @azett.mastodon.online.ap.brid.gy · 16/04/2026

Fediverse, can you please help me? In family matters, I'm searching for Edward J. Garth. Most likely US soldier stationed in Germany at the end of / after WWII. Picture taken by a Wiesbaden photo studio, unknown date. Signature: "Will You Remember Edward J […] [Original post on mastodon.online]

Old portrait of a young man in uniform (without any visible badges). The handwritten signature reads: "Will You Remember Edward J Garth"

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 17/04/2026

Back to Huntley Meadows Park again today… It was a quiet day, both for people and birds, probably because of the heat (91℉; 33℃). But a wood duck couple was enjoying a swim, and a red-bellied woodpecker scored something tasty to eat. I also visited the owl […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

A pair of wood ducks swimming left to right, the female ahead of the male.

The woodpecker is on the trunk of a tree. Its head is turned slightly to the side; in its beak is a small critter, probably an insect larva.

The owlet has poked its head over the rim of the basket nest.

The adult owl is perched on the rear left rim of the basket. Most of its face is obscured by foliage.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 14/04/2026

Going to owl in a handbasket? One of two great horned owlets, in a basket put up to replace a storm-damaged nest. The other owlet has fledged; I saw it briefly but couldn't photograph it. Also: a red-bellied woodpecker and an osprey. Huntley Meadows Park […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

An owlet in a basket nest (in the fork of a tree), yawning.

The owlet is now looking straight at me, with its beak partly open.

The woodpecker (side view) is hard at work on the tree, digging in and bracing itself with its tail.

A side view of the osprey, its wings up and wing "fingers" spread wide. It's looking down at the lake below.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 12/04/2026

A double-crested cormorant, once drying its wings and once perched with some turtles. Also: two of my last four walks I've encountered snakes, this time a garter snake. Lake Needwood. #birds #wildlifePhotography #birdsforbecsnan

The cormorant is perched on the tip of a fallen log, with its wings spread.

The cormorant is perched on one end of a log in the middle of the lake, about 7-10 cm out of the water. At the other end, and about at water level, are to turtles.

The snake is in shallow water, moving away from me. Most of the bottom is covered with green vegetation.

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 07/04/2026

The prize, though, is a great horned owl with a back story. Two owlets were found on the ground after a bad storm that mostly destroyed the nest. A wildlife rehabber pronounced them healthy, so someone climbed the tree and installed a basket as a replacement […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

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Urban Dinosaurs @urbandinosaurs.urbanists.social.ap.brid.gy · 07/04/2026

Soaring, I saw an osprey and a juvenile bald eagle. There was also a red-shouldered hawk that perched very close a a red-headed woodpecker—only the third I've ever seen—on trees. Those were especially cool, because I saw them on my way out of the park. 2/3 […] [Original post on urbanists.social]

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