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Bird of the Day, theme 'Fabulous Waders'

natureAug 4, 202623010,613

Today's Bird of the Day theme is Fabulous Waders, with an alternate theme of Speckled. Contributors have posted photos and observations of shorebirds and marsh birds: avocets and curlews probing mudflats, egrets and herons fishing in shallows, and rarer waders like a spoon-billed sandpiper and a marbled godwit. The gallery also includes speckled entries such as a northern flicker, limpkins showing speckled plumage, and a mallard with speckled bill. Look for standout shots: a reddish egret feeding in a wildlife refuge, a juvenile white stork dancing in shallow water, and Ae o chicks gaining long legs at Kealia Pond.

✮: 🎀 𝒥𝒶𝓃𝑒 🎀 :✮
@janesgallery.bsky.social

#BirdOfTheDay Alt is #Speckled @helenbennett.bsky.social Starling #BirdPhotography #Birds #Nature #ECK

Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), easily identified by its metallic, iridescent plumage.The bird displays its breeding plumage, characterized by a glossy black sheen and a distinct yellow beak.
51645d ago
Atlantic Birding2

Great shot Jane, lovely detail

Katsoo2

The light here has caught all the beautiful iridescent colours that they wear 💙💜💚 love it! 🫶

ChrisP1

What a beauty! Great photo.

Helen Bennett 🌿1

Stunning image Jane! 👌 I rarely see Starlings here... they have wonderful iridescent feathers don't they! 🫶

alisonwillis1.bsky.social1

This is a beautiful capture 🥰

Deb Cameron1

Starlings are stars! This one is on the red carpet

Helen Bennett 🌿
@helenbennett.bsky.social

Good morning all. For today's #BirdOfTheDay theme I've chosen #FabulousWaders Any wading bird that you love! For me it's the Avocet, a calm and graceful beauty wading along the shoreline! 🤍🪶 The Alt. theme is #Speckled any bird with speckled patterns on its plumage. 📷 #birds #photography #ECK

A close up photograph showing the head and upper body of an Avocet wading bird. It is seen in side profile appearing from the left as viewed with a predominantly white body, black feather patches on its wings, back of its neck and the top of the Avocets head. It has a thin black bill that curves sharply upward towards the end. It is leaning slightly forward looking down having lifted its head from hunting for food along the mudflats at low tide. Taken on a sunny bright early morning, the background is a dark golden brown in colour from the muddy water and reflecting sunlight giving it a slight shimmer. Seen on the North East coast, UK
36645d ago
Jadu2

Avocet is a perfect pick 🤍

Get To Know Nature1

A gorgeous close up! 😍

Atlantic Birding1

Beautiful shot Helen (off to find some waders!)

Alan H1

Such a beautiful intimate capture Helen. Fabulous themes. Good luck today my good friend. Welcome. 🤗

A-Girl-Called-Ronnie 🇳🇱1

Lovely shot and great themes, Helen. Thank you. Enjoy your first day as a host!

Sharon1

Good morning, Helen. Beautiful shot 🤍 Enjoy your day. 🪶 🍀

Alan H
@alan678.bsky.social

I’m going to give Helen a hand for 30 minutes before I go. Then again when I’m back this evening. What a great job AB and Helen are doing btw. For the #BirdOfTheDay alt theme #Speckled I have to go with my garden’s baby Song thrush. #birds #photography #ECK

Close-up portrait of a juvenile Song Thrush perched on a slender branch among green foliage. The bird faces left, showing a warm brown back, creamy underparts marked with bold, dark teardrop-shaped spots, and a large, glossy dark eye. Fine feather detail is sharply captured, while the background is softly blurred in shades of green, helping the thrush stand out. A delicate reddish stem appears just in front of the bird’s bill, adding a subtle splash of colour to the natural woodland scene. Sunlight illuminates the bird’s plumage, highlighting the intricate patterning on its breast and the rich golden-brown tones of its feathers.
34945d ago
Helen Bennett 🌿2

Ah, lovely image Alan.... my favourite speckled bird. 👏✨🫶 They are really shy birds but I've managed to get the trust of a couple that live around the garden. In this awful drought they've needed help so I've been soaking mealworms for them and putting out apples.

Vicki2

Your photo is a work of art! 🤩

Marjo Slingerland-Boks2

Awww what a cute baby song thrush Alan ❤️ And a lot of respect here for Helen and AB on their first days in this #BirdOfTheDay community 🙏✨️

Barrie Cull2

Beautiful capture Alan. I just love those speckles 🙂

Александр Кирсанов2

Beautiful bird, I love birds!

Mr Garden1

Great shot Alan. 👏👏 You’ve captured the world in its eye.👌

Rosemarie
@roabrams.bsky.social

Two egrets for #BirdoftheDay #FabulousWaders #ECK #photography

Two white egrets wade in water surrounded my green reeds
32945d ago
Graham Jones2

Terrific shot Rosemarie and also a #TwosDay.

Alan H1

Fantastic shot Rosemarie. Love the rippled reflection. Arty. 😍

Grateful Fred⚡Play Dead1

They are gorgeous Rosemarie, grate capture 📷 Good morning 🔅⚡☘️

Rina
@rina2012.bsky.social

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #FabulousWaders The Alt. theme is #Speckled I’m going with a curlew that’s searching for food on the beach 🪶 #birds #birding #wildlife #photography #naturephotography #thelittlethings #ECK #TidesoutTuesday

A curlew stands in the shallow, clear water on a sandy beach, searching for food in the sand with its long, downward-curving beak. The bird is reflected in the water, whilst gentle waves roll out into the distance in the foreground.
25145d ago
Helen Bennett 🌿1

Beautiful 🫶. I love hearing the Curlew calling, they are wonderful birds. Thanks for sharing Rina 🤗👋

alisonwillis1.bsky.social1

I adore Curlews. Such a stunning capture of one of my favourite birds.

Marjo Slingerland-Boks1

Ohhh wow what a gorgeous photo Rina 💛💛✨️

Nicole1

Beautiful capture, Rina! Have a lovely day 🤍

Türkoğlu1

That's a wonderful photo, Rina, thank you for sharing this beauty 🌸

Jason1

Gorgeous framing and the ripples and lighting are exquisite!! Awesome capture Rina 🥰❤️👌🏼

Michael R Photography 🌿
@msriffle.bsky.social

According to Helen Bennet, @helenbennett.bsky.social, today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #FabulousWaders. I think this reddish egret fits well. It was feeding in the shallows of our local wildlife refuge. #photography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #ECK #birds #Birdsky #birders #NikonZ8 #conservation

23645d ago
Aj d'Wit (Audrey)2

A mighty fine photo, Michael. The Egret certainly seems to be on a mission.

M. Daniel Smith (mdanielsmith.com)2

A vision of precision, as arrow ready to be released. To shallows bound. Meals to be found. Plucked from waters all around. Then back to threaded nest to rest, until tomorrows call to wrest another day of trial and test once more....

Helen Bennett 🌿1

Yes, Its does Michael... great capture! 👏✨

Dwight1

Excellent capture, Michael. It looks really intent 😀

rebeccam31.bsky.social1

Beautiful shot! I absolutely love watching these guys do their “dance.”

julielfrost.bsky.social
@julielfrost.bsky.social

The Virginia rail, a small wading bird, being its secretive self in the cattails. Michigan USA. #BirdOfTheDay #FabulousWaders #Birds #Wildlife #Nature #Photography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsSeenIn2026

The Virginia rail, a small wading bird, being its secretive self in the cattails.
21444d ago
John M.1

Congrats on the picture, first one I have seen.

Kort Duce
@kortduce.bsky.social

After almost 18-months of construction the city is filling this pond with water again. So exciting! A great blue heron fishes at sunset in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdofTheDay #FabulousWaders #ClassicMono #Monochrome #BW #BlackandWhite #ECK #bird #birds #nature #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce A great blue heron fishes at sunset in Longmont, Colorado. In this horizontal black-and-white photograph, the heron appears partially silhouetted and perfectly reflected as it leans over the pond, poised to spear a fish beneath an arched log. This environmental composition reveals the broader scene, with still water mirroring the trees along the opposite shoreline and the curved log that emerges from the water at center-left before dipping back beneath the surface near the right side of the frame. The symmetry created by the log and its reflection, combined with the heron's graceful form, creates the illusion of a face when viewed from the left. Some viewers even see a resemblance to the Grinch from Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
22345d ago
vvizrrd.bsky.social2

Look at it sideways and it's a smiley face with a goatee, mohawk and twisty eyebrows.

Melinda B Hipple, author&artist1

What a perfect silhouette and reflection!

Lyndy Lambert1

Congratulations for getting your pond back. Lovely image!

Mark Simmonds
@markbirdingpinoso.bsky.social

I was lucky enough last year to see the amazing Spoon-billed Sandpiper in Thailand. This is my #birdoftheday #fabulouswaders although I think it is really my bird of the century. Amazingly I was the only person there and had to find it amongst thousands of waders. Amazing place. #birds #birding

19945d ago
Alan H1

Oh!! Have never heard of them. Going to look this beauty up. Great shot Mark.

Helen Bennett 🌿1

What a wonderful bird and well done for spotting it Mark! 👍 It is an amazing bird that I've not seen before!

The Natural Stone1

Great job finding that solo. If it was Pak Thale I've never been there when there weren't plenty of other birders looking, which made it much easier, but it could still be very hard to locate one. Remarkable little birds and sadly still declining in numbers. Clip from 2023 #birds #birding #Thailand

Marjo Slingerland-Boks1

Ohh that is lovely bird and wonderful photo 🤍

Leo1

Nicely captured Mark! Hope we never lose these beautiful little shorebirds.

Kis Brink1

Wow. Looks quite different than the tiny sandpipers you see here. Do they sound similar? I may have to make a case for a quick stop to a part of the ocean I doubt I will ever let the dog swim in as it has a lot of small shorebirds. I don't even know the name of the most intrepid ones... If

Amy Gann
@amygann.bsky.social

A black crowned night heron ending a yawn. For the #birdoftheday theme of #fabulouswaders #birds #heron #blackcrownednightheron #protectnature #EastCoastKin

A black crowned night heron with its beak slightly open stands on a bare branch
18345d ago
Spoonbill Reducks2

Night Heron. The CRIME-SOLVING Heron!

Alan H1

Beautifully captured as always Amy.

Marjo Slingerland-Boks1

Gorgeous heron and beautiful Amy❤️

Neil Cameron1

Looks very unhappy at being so tired, or have you sent it to bed early and without any dinner? Lovely shot, Amy!

Aj d'Wit (Audrey)1

A brilliant photo of a lovely bird. 👌🏼

swandiveswim.bsky.social
@swandiveswim.bsky.social

#Birds Helen Bennett 🌿 @helenbennett.bsky.social (Welcome Helen!) has chosen today's #BirdOfTheDay alt. theme as #Speckled any bird with speckled patterns on its plumage. Here is a Northern Flicker looking unimpressed with the smoky air.

A rumpled looking Flicker, perched on a vertical branch, faces left against a white featureless sky. The bird has a red moustache, a black yoke, is light brown/tan with black spots and, has a longish pointed bill.
19245d ago
Marjo Slingerland-Boks
@marjosl.eurosky.social

Helen @helenbennett.bsky.social have set the themes for these #BirdOfTheDay #FabelousWaders the Alt #Specled #ECK #Birds Here are a heron and a view spoonbills in the distance. Photo is make with my cellphone.

17245d ago
Alan H2

So gorgeous Mar. Like a painting. 😍😍

Helen Bennett 🌿1

Prachtige foto, Marjo👏... mooi om beide soorten te zien! 👌😊✨️

Nicole1

I love this photo, Marjo!!! It’s so beautifully captured 🤩

Dwight1

Love this photo, Marjo! 🩶🤍

fozziefotos.eurosky.social1

Looks like a painting. Beautiful 😍

Aj d'Wit (Audrey)1

So delightful a photo. Love it.

Eric Olson Photography
@ericolsonphotography.com

@helenbennett.bsky.social’s #BirdOfTheDay alt theme is #Speckled, so here is a pair of limpkins showing their speckles off in style. #Birds #Photography #EastCoastKin #ECK #EricOlsonPhotography

A pair of limpkins perch, heads close together, upon an inclined tree in a swamp.
16845d ago
Get To Know Nature
@gettoknownature.bsky.social

The theme is #FabulousWaders for the #BirdOfTheDay. So here’s a photo of that one time I saw Roseate Spoonbills in Delaware, which is far out of their normal range. Truly fabulous! Oh, and there’s a bonus Tricolored Heron hidden in the shadows. #birds 🌿

A bright pink bird in shallow water at sunset. There are tall reeds in the background and in the foreground the water reflects the orange sunset.
15045d ago
Dave Meredith Photography
@davemeredith.bsky.social

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #FabulousWaders with the alternative theme #Speckled. A Marbled Godwit in a #Saskatchewan marsh. #ECK #photography #birds #nature #wildlife #Fujichrome #Velvia #1990s #ManualFocus

A Marbled Godwit in a marsh at Little Quill Lake, Saskatchewan. The bird is facing left with its reflection in water at the bottom of the frame.
15445d ago
Alan H2

Stunningly beautiful capture and composition Dave.

Helen Bennett 🌿1

Beautiful photo, Dave... The Marbled Godwit is a great choice for both themes! 👏

Marjo Slingerland-Boks1

This is gorgeous with this reflections ✨️ 💛

moniquebouchard.bsky.social1

Beautiful photo of the bird! It's sunny and warm today. There's a breeze, which helps with the heat. What's the weather like where you are?

Kis Brink1

Beautiful shot. While our neighbours from 12-17 were mostly from Saskatchewan - the scenery of rural BC by a lake and the crib playing. and group cooking experiences and community of there they could not bring the birds. 1990 was when I finally replaced my first camera claimed by a glacier...

David Nice1

A beauty. Coincidentally, I've been posting about the hundreds of Greenshanks and Redshanks on Booterstown Mere, Dublin Bay. Already put up four pics. Here's another. #FabulousWaders

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