On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Sorry about the hiccup yesterday.
It’s Albatrossity Monday on Tuesday this week! Then we see some gorgeous flowers from Nancy on Wednesday, and PAM Dirac brings us home with a 2-day European tour!
Albatrossity
The next 2 weeks for this series will feature close-up portraits of many birds you have seen here in the Spring 2022 Flyover Country posts. The idea is just to showcase the subtlety and complexity of spring plumage in a variety of birds. Minimal commentary and pretty pictures. I hope you enjoy these!
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), male in alternate (breeding) plumage
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca), male in alternate (breeding) plumage
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), male
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
Willet (Tringa semipalmata)
Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor), female in alternate (breeding) plumage
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), male in alternate (breeding) plumage
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus), male in alternate (breeding) plumage
Tonight’s Update Is That There Is No Update Tonight
eclare
The plumage is impressive, but I am always amazed to see the birds’ expressions up close. I have definitely had days where I felt like that Chipping Sparrow!
raven
Great stuff. My bride has been battling squirrels in her bird feeder but nothing seems to work!
Laura Too
Lovely photos as usual! Thanks for sharing your amazing talent,
KSinMA
Very cool photos. Thanks!
Rob
I feel like that Yellow-headed Blackbird right now.
zhena gogolia
Love these. Sparrows are really pretty, aren’t they? I look at our local sparrows differently thanks to you.
SteveinPHX
Thank you again. Wonderful photographs!
OzarkHillbilly
Beautiful pics, as always.
JeanneT
So lovely! Fun to think that the dinosaur ancestors might have sported such colors in their mating seasons.
Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)
These closeups are great as usual! I love looking at details of “common”* birds.
*I wish Phalaropes migrated past my house :-(
Chat Noir
Love these pictures! We have many of the same birbs here so it’s nice to see them identified by name.
mvr
Great photos as usual. I did in fact miss them yesterday, but Tuesday is just as good!
Also, Thanks WaterGirl for the continual labor of putting these together and getting them posted.
Madeleine
Morning birdies!! Thank you,Albatrossity! Such remarkable close ups!
Yutsano
BIRBS!!!
I find myself attracted to the willet out of all of them. There’s some stated grace there.
Marcus from Minnesota
Thanks for these great pictures of some real beauties. Here’s a project for another “Albatrossity”: Post photos of the basic (or is it prebasic?) — anyway winter/boring plumaged birds right next to their alternate (breeding) plumages. I find it amazing that feather wear, not a molt, reveals the gold of a goldfinch and the bright contrast in the plumage of breeding males in many species.
No One You Know
Just gorgeous. Hope is indeed the thing with feathers!
stinger
I look at that Chipping Sparrow and I don’t see feathers, I see precise brush strokes in oils.
And the Savannah Sparrow — I just want to reach out a finger and gently pet it! Also the Black-Capped Chickadee!
David, your photos are magic.
pat
@raven:
There are squirrel-proof feeders. There are metal posts that you can apply a squirrel baffle to. It’s not that difficult. Find a good store selling feeders and bird feed.
C Stars
These are wonderful, thank you for sharing.
@eclare: I agree that up close they all look like they’re tough cookies and concentrating fiercely on survival.
Funny that the Woodpecker is called “red-bellied,” innit?
J R in WV
Thanks, David! great stuff! Close up portraits are GREAT!
cbear
Raven, if her feeder is hanging from a pole in the ground, or something similar, try using a Slinky (remember those?). They’re available for $3.50 at Walmart/Amazon etc.
Just clip it or wire it to the top of the pole. The little bastards hate it!
Munira
Great as always. That goldfinch has something important to say.
KrackenJack
@Marcus from Minnesota: I’m almost completely ignorant on birds, so the OP informed me that plumage is season. That made me wonder how I could have missed molting? Then I read your post.
I have thus learned two new things today and gotten a little respite. Thank you both.
Albatrossity
@Munira: Probably complaining about his unibrow…