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Bird of the Day, theme 'Light And Shadow'

Bird of the DaySep 21, 20262139,027

Low-key portraiture showed a mute swan afloat on a mirror-like surface of water with only a rim of light. Others used dappled highlights, like an immature Wilson’s warbler with a sunlit eye in riparian understory, or a red-tailed hawk with one eye in shadow. The alternate was Fall Birds, shown by a Great Egret at Bombay Hook NWR.

Light And Shadow · 187 photos

Neil the Nuthatch
@aintright.bsky.social785
A tiny Goldcrest perched on a slender branch, surrounded by lush green leaves. The bird’s delicate greyish-buff plumage is softly illuminated, with a vivid yellow-orange crown stripe catching the light. Its fine, pointed bill and large dark eye are clearly visible as it looks upward, while its fine feathers glow against the darker, softly blurred woodland background. The natural shadows create a beautiful, intimate woodland portrait.
@alan678.bsky.social387
An immature male Wilson’s warbler is perched on a vertical branch. He is largely in the shade, but a spot of sunlight falls on his eye and the side of his head.
@pacbirds.bsky.social294
A white mute swan swims alone on a very dark, mirror-like surface of water. Blurred green leaves can be seen in the foreground. The image is brought to life by the strong contrast between light and shadow.
@rina2012.bsky.social280
Morning A Northern Cardinal foraging through the underbrush. Patagonia, Arizona.
@gleng.bsky.social276
Young brown heron with bold dark markings, large yellow eyes, and wispy down feathers standing against a blurred background.
@mikemelton.bsky.social227
The theme today is , any bird capture that has both set by @alan678.bsky.social - Goldcrest in low Autumn sunshine - photo taken at Forest Farm Nature Reserve -
@fraggenstein.bsky.social183
Little blue heron in breeding plumage perched upright facing its left on the branch of a bare, dark, gnarled tree snag. The bird is viewed in full profile, showing a long, sharp bill and a distinctive shaggy crest of feathers on the crown of its head. Strong side-lighting creates a dramatic light and shadow effect, casting its deep slate-blue body and legs into a dark silhouette while softly illuminating the textures along the edge of its neck, back, and head. The entire subject is sharply isolated against a clear, solid pale blue sky background.
@grays.art140
A close up of a female scarlet tanager, with the head area in shadow and the portion of the body showing in sunlight.
@julielfrost.bsky.social139
Great egrets gather at dawn. As the sun rises in the sky, the light of a new day falls over the birds For the theme of
@amygann.bsky.social135
A small bird perched on a bare branch in the sunlight coming from above. The birds has a brown crest, raised, an orange beak, a dark eyeline and an off white breast.
@swandiveswim.bsky.social135
Red Kite
@thegardenjungle.bsky.social119
Per Alan H: The theme today is , any bird capture that has both. The alt is , any Autumn/Fall bird captures. A Red-winged Blackbird on the edge of shade but som
@lorichirp.bsky.social117
A male Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the shade of a a White Oak tree against a sunlit background of cedar trees.
@davemeredith.bsky.social112
Swan at Frensham Great Pond.
@laurette1.bsky.social110
Portrait view of a Virginia Rail in profile. It is standing in a cattail marsh so there are linear shadows falling on it. One of the shadow vasters is a bent, dried cattail stem. It and its corresponding shadow on the bird's upper body are visible. The base of the bill has a pair of linear shadows on it. The black tip of the bill looks glossy in the light and most of the orange portion on the long narrow bill is well lit. The birds grey face, black cap, and orange eye are well lit. The back of its neck is shadows. Its variegated black and tan upper back is well lit as is most of its caramel brown breast. The background is leafy green water plants and cattail leaves and stems.
@hardlikearmour.bsky.social102
A photo of a juvenile American robin (Turdus migratorius) standing on pale sand in a mix of low-angled sunlight and shade. Its back is densely scalloped with cream-edged brown feathers and it has rusty orange underparts, a white throat, a brown head with a large dark eye, and a slim grayish-brown bill. Visible gape flanges mark it as a recent fledgling. Brown wings with pale-fringed coverts fold over the dark tail, and it stands on slender grayish legs, facing toward the left of frame, with a blurred beige and gray background of sand and shadows.
@hlkfotos.com100
A female mallard duck-in shades of browns and whites-gliding in water that reflects fall colors of oranges, greens, yellows and browns
@clinty1.bsky.social99
An Australian pelican is captured in profile facing right as it takes a measured step along a bright, sunlit sandy shore. Its characteristic long, pinkish-orange bill, clean white head, and dark-tipped wings gleam in the bright daylight as it moves forward, casting a distinct, elongated shadow sharply defined on the golden sand beneath it. In the background, the shallow water's edge gently ripples under the sun.
@tarasmithson.bsky.social80
A chickadee on a branch with green leaves in background, dappled light
@roabrams.bsky.social71
photo of a female rufous hummingbird in flight, wings up and forward. her back is to the camera and sun shines through her visible wing and tail feathers, the rest is in shadow.
@crawlieswithcri.bsky.social70
Seagull skimming across the lake.
@rockinbones.bsky.social70
For today's by @alan678.bsky.social here's another view of the egret pair I watched fighting (or courting) in the evening of a French pond last week.
@taminf.bsky.social68
You see here a beautiful Eurasian Jay that is trying to find some shade in the tree. On a very hot summer day. The sunlight is falling on the beautiful colour from its belly. That looks very soft brown. And on the blue in its wings. The leaves in the tree are soft green.
@marjosl.eurosky.social67
Black Skimmer skimming on the surface of the water, with beak open
@lorilorikeet.bsky.social63
A European Goldfinch rests on a branch of a tree while looking left. It has a red, white and black head with a sharp bill. The sun is shining on it from the right, casting a dark shadow on the left hand side of its white and buff coloured breast. The background consists of a bright blue sky.
@barrie6.bsky.social63
Red-tailed Hawk, late afternoon September 17, 2026, Yakima Valley,
@lindaking78.bsky.social59
The theme today is . A Black Redstart contemplating life after a late afternoon dip.
@bobpop13.bsky.social57
A male eastern bluebird perches atop a garden pole facing right as the sun shines on his head (cocked slightly to his left) and orange breast, while his blue and clack wing and tail feathers are in the shadows.
@steddybirds.bsky.social56
Just enough was slipping through to illuminate just a bit of this Great Blue Heron www.noplanetbphotography.art
@noplanetbphoto.bsky.social55
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