Eric Gofreed
Well-Known Member
Where feathers, flutters, and flight steal the show! Whether they’re zipping, sunbathing, or striking a midair pose, we celebrate anything with wings—birds, bugs, bats, or butterflies. All photos are welcome, and thank you for playing!
This week, I’m contributing five bird portraits. At first glance, they don’t have much in common—except that they’re all modern-day descendants of theropod dinosaurs. Each has evolved to thrive in a very different slice of the North American landscape: one zips through wildflowers in the mountains, another stands proud on Arctic tundra, one gleams in breeding plumage over freshwater, another scolds from the desert scrub, and one flits through forests and backyards alike.
The mantis has lunch, the bee has regrets, and the hummingbird hovers like a crime scene witness unsure if it should call the authorities or ask for a menu.
The American Golden-Plover, standing tall in tundra grass kissed by the golden hour, which, in the Arctic, lasts ten hours. Twice a day.
With its buttery throat and signature yellow rump, the Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s Warbler) surveys the world from its vertical perch—part sentry, part show-off, all warbler.
With wings like a brushstroke and breeding plumage dipped in ink, the Black Tern sweeps across North Dakota’s prairie, like a wisp of shadow, alive and in motion.
Perched atop the Cholla cactus spines, this Cactus Wren stands guard over its fortress of spines, protecting its nest. There’s no place like home, especially when it’s built to keep the desert and its dangers at bay.
From tundra to cholla, golden hour to desert heat, this week’s portraits remind us just how wildly adaptable—and wildly photogenic—our winged neighbors can be. Whether it’s a hummingbird observing a mantis mid-meal, a tern carving air over the plains, or a wren defending a cactus castle, they all share one thing: they’ve found their niche, and they own it.
This week, I’m contributing five bird portraits. At first glance, they don’t have much in common—except that they’re all modern-day descendants of theropod dinosaurs. Each has evolved to thrive in a very different slice of the North American landscape: one zips through wildflowers in the mountains, another stands proud on Arctic tundra, one gleams in breeding plumage over freshwater, another scolds from the desert scrub, and one flits through forests and backyards alike.
The mantis has lunch, the bee has regrets, and the hummingbird hovers like a crime scene witness unsure if it should call the authorities or ask for a menu.
The American Golden-Plover, standing tall in tundra grass kissed by the golden hour, which, in the Arctic, lasts ten hours. Twice a day.
With its buttery throat and signature yellow rump, the Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s Warbler) surveys the world from its vertical perch—part sentry, part show-off, all warbler.
With wings like a brushstroke and breeding plumage dipped in ink, the Black Tern sweeps across North Dakota’s prairie, like a wisp of shadow, alive and in motion.
Perched atop the Cholla cactus spines, this Cactus Wren stands guard over its fortress of spines, protecting its nest. There’s no place like home, especially when it’s built to keep the desert and its dangers at bay.
From tundra to cholla, golden hour to desert heat, this week’s portraits remind us just how wildly adaptable—and wildly photogenic—our winged neighbors can be. Whether it’s a hummingbird observing a mantis mid-meal, a tern carving air over the plains, or a wren defending a cactus castle, they all share one thing: they’ve found their niche, and they own it.
