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.
Albatrossity
When WaterGirl brought up the idea of having a special cloacal assemblage as an appropriate accompaniment to the inauguration of the orange sphincter, I thought it was brilliant. So here is a special edition of Albatrossity Monday.
I have added no commentary, just the name of the species in case you want to find other, more traditional, images of these fine posers. Some of these images have appeared here before or in my Bird Butt calendars; all are hopefully in tune with the momentous events of today.
Please feel free to provide captions in the comments, if one of these pants-free images prods your muse or tickles your fancy. And if you seek something calming for later in the day, here is a video of a Barred Owl preening and taking in the world from the comfort of my backyard here in Flyover Country. Three minutes of Zen. Enjoy.
American Avocet. Click here for larger image.
Double-crested Cormorant. Click here for larger image.
Red-tailed Hawk. Click here for larger image.
Carolina Wren. Click here for larger image.
Kori Bustard. Click here for larger image.
Painted Bunting. Click here for larger image.
American White Pelican. Click here for larger image.
Pectoral Sandpiper. Click here for larger image.
Song Sparrow. Click here for larger image.
Swainson’s Hawk. Click here for larger image.
Baud
Apropos
Rusty
The incoming FFOTUS is a bird turd, so it all seems appropriate. It’s part of the human condition to find dark humor even in the worst, so thank you for these lovely pictures.
Ramalama
When I used to go into the woods with my dog I’d experience the most incredible auditory sounds with birds calling out, and the waves of sound boinking into trees or rounding out a dip in the mountains, and the fullness of the call surrounded me, making me feel as though I were in a movie. I look at birds occasionally but became more earth focused after I stumbled across a freshly killed carcass, me with my big sled dog and a neighbor’s dog who always came with us to the trails in winter time. What killed that deer, I wondered. What kind of weapon would do…BEAR. I high tailed it in my snow shoes making fun woob-woob-woob noises to distract The dogs, get them excited for running away with me. Which worked. we ran and ran no trouble.
Sometimes I imagine devising ways to get birds to do chores for me in return for string and bird seed. They’re always around, watching, unless they’re loons, and then hanging out at the lake nearby sending up that hysterical laugh they do, which puts me in a mind that summer has returned.
Fair Economist
Those butts are much more attractive than the one getting inaugurated.
Gloria DryGarden
@Fair Economist: that’s a fair statement
Bulgakov
The Painted Bunting Butt looks like a shriveled up orange Julius Seizure to me.
I hope things go off the rails for him today.
stinger
Fab Fotos as always, Albatrossity.
I think I’m going offline for 48 months or so.
Betty
The painted bunting is still attractive even from this angle except for the part identified by Bulkagov.
TBone
Another definition of panache: ornamental group of feathers.
eclare
Love it. My ex had a set of cat butt fridge magnets.
zhena gogolia
@Fair Economist: The one on the painted bunting looks just like POTUS’s face.
zhena gogolia
@Bulgakov: GMTA
zhena gogolia
@Bulgakov: Mikhail Afanasievich?
Anne Bastien
how did you ever get that close to a carolina wren. You’re a treasure
Chat Noir
Whenever I walk and I see a bird above me, I say, “Don’t poop on me, bird!”
ArchTeryx
Because I’m a total bird nerd, I’ll leave this little comment.
Birds usually get rid of feces and urine together, but some birds (particularly fish-eaters) can be an exception, because they have to eliminate a LOT of water. So they (sometimes) urinate separately, thus, the white streaks from a few of them (particularly the Cormorant and the White Pelican).
Birds of prey have a high-pressure ejection system, mostly carried over from their hatchling days. This is so they don’t foul their own nest nor give away their position too readily to other predators.
One of the more famous videos I’ve seen out of the falconry community was a kid who was warned don’t walk behind the Red-Tailed Hawk and naturally the kid did it anyway. Guess what happened?
The kid promptly bust out crying. Besides it’s not like he wasn’t WARNED that he could get shit on, but nope, had to FAFO himself.
That’s the next four years in a nutshell. It’s too bad we’re ALL stuck under the heronry for that time, but hey, that’s what we as a country wanted, so welcome to poop central.
SteveinPHX
Late to the fish fry today! Thank you for the photos. Cute & colorful little posteriors!
zhena gogolia
@ArchTeryx: Great comment.
Yutsano
Come for the butts, stay for the poops! A full service blog indeed.