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Bird of the Day, theme 'Best Of October'

natureNov 1, 20261537,005

Autumnal color framed several Best of October entries, notably a male House Finch singing amid a red maple's fiery leaves. Others froze action and survival, a Herring Gull lifting a starfish from low tide, and some celebrated rarities, like a long-eared owl flushed from a South Wales bush; it asked for your best shot for October.

Today's theme is . Right under the wire. This image of a beautiful wind blown great egret was made on October 31st at our local wildlife refuge.
@msriffle.bsky.social230
A European Herring Gull taking off from the sea with a starfish in its bill. The bird is taking up most of the bottom and left of the shot, flying over the water travelling to the right. The right side of its body can be seen; its underside is pure white and its head is white with a lot of grey speckling throughout. Its wings are in a downward beat with the nearer seen from above and the tips out of frame, the left wing is seen mostly along the leading edge with the flights visible from underneath. The wings are silver grey and white at the ends of each feather and at the top edge of the wing. The wing tips are black with white at the edges here too. The bird is carrying a yellow starfish in its yellow bill, holding it by one arm so that the rest of the starfish is hanging underneath. The left arm is obscuring the gulls eye and some of its face. The light is dull and the rest of the shot is of the calm sea, which has a silvery effect from the light.
@atlanticbirding.bsky.social216
Spent a few hours at my log pile in the woods yesterday and was very happy to see Gordon the Goldcrest has returned.
@aintright.bsky.social213
A cormorant with wings up leaps off a rocky skerry towards the water.
@sealeveloslo.bsky.social207
Yellowhammer
@thegardenjungle.bsky.social200
An egret reaches back to groom feathers. Its wing is streached over its head, and its head is bent under the wing. The foreground features blurred vegetation
@amygann.bsky.social187
A color photograph of a varied thrush perched in a hawthorn tree with no leaves left but a couple ripe berries visible. The background is out of focus but has a mix of green and orange from distant fall leaves.
@simmcewen.bsky.social185
theme from @robcrank68.bsky.social Blue Tit
@janesgallery.bsky.social185
A woodpecker seen from the back, looking over its left shoulder with a red face, dark green back, wings and top of head, and grey collar, is perched on a horizontal tree trunk.
@pacbirds.bsky.social179
A Grey Heron standing in the water with a speared fish. A black headed gull and a mallard duck in the background.
@denterrick.bsky.social174
I don’t think the swan was aware I was there. I have previously posted a video I took. I also took a few still photos.
@laurette1.bsky.social167
My has to the White-spotted Bluethroat at my local spring. Love having these birds back for the winter.
@markbirdingpinoso.bsky.social162
Red-bellied woodpecker perched on a tree branch. His head is greyish with a bright red spot on the back of his head. His back and wings are black and white spotted. He is facing the right. the background is green.
@wirewrapandweaveit.bsky.social160
Sorry to choose such a familiar bird for my but I was delighted to see this young Robin alighting daintily on my garden wall this week. He's been around for a w
@taminf.bsky.social155
A winter plumage Snow Bunting on grass on the Colpoy's Bay, Ontario shoreline a few minutes after sunrise. Thick storm clouds meant that I had to crank the ISO to 1600 and use my landscape telephoto zoom with a 1.4x teleconverter as my only option for a long lens.
@davemeredith.bsky.social154
Today's theme is , any bird capture/s you think is/are your best from October. An elegant tern in Monterey ( California ) .
@franceflo.bsky.social144
The long-eared owl is a medium-sized, highly camouflaged bird known for its tall, feather tufts on top of its head that look exactly like cat ears. • Head tufts: Two long, narrow bundles of feathers sit directly on top of its head. They look like flexible, upright ears. The owl raises them straight up when it is alert or trying to look like a broken tree branch. • Body shape: It has a very long, slender, and upright body shape compared to other rounder owls. When sitting still, it looks tight, tall, and narrow. • Size: It is roughly the size of a large, tall travel mug or a standard sheet of paper (about 35 cm or 14 inches tall). • Facial disc: It has a prominent, oval-shaped face that acts like a tan or orange radar dish. • Eyes: Tucked inside that facial disc are large, piercing, fiery-orange or deep yellow eyes. They sit right against the dark borders of the facial disc, making them stand out intensely. • Bill: A sharp, black beak sits right in the middle of the white facial markings. Texture and Camouflage Colours • Bark texture: If you were to touch the owl, its feathers are incredibly soft and thick. Visually, the plumage perfectly mimics the rough, cracked texture of tree bark. • Colour palette: The body is a complex mix of dark browns, greys, tawny oranges, and buff-whites. Status and Distribution in South Wales • Rarity: They are largely absent or very scarce as breeding birds across South Wales and southwest England compared to other parts of the UK. • Habitats: They prefer dense coniferous forests, mixed woodlands, tall scrub, and hedgerows located near open ground for hunting small mammals like voles. • Behaviour: They are strictly nocturnal, secretive, and masters of camouflage, making them very difficult to spot in the wild. • Local Sightings: While mostly uncommon, occasional local records or communal winter roosts are reported by birdwatchers in the region, though exact locations are often kept confidential to protect the birds.
@fraggenstein.bsky.social143
What a surprise to see a Spotted Towhee that’s normally under our shrubs perched up in the tip of the big, old Douglas Fir…
@lindaking78.bsky.social142
@robcrank68.bsky.social's theme is , any bird capture/s you think is/are your best from October. A trip to RSPB Titchwell Marsh produced this Curlew flight shot
@andy6day.bsky.social129
A Starling about to enjoy a berry yesterday morning for my
@wphoto.bsky.social100
A great tit and a blue tit perched on opposite sides of a hanging garden peanut feeder in the rain. The great tit on the left has a black head, white cheeks and a yellow breast with a dark central stripe. The blue tit on the right has a blue-and-white head and yellow breast. Raindrops cover the feeder's green roof, with blurred foliage behind them.
@cookslikejamie.bsky.social95
great blue heron standing in shallow blue water, its reflection in the water
@clinty1.bsky.social91
A photo of a Steller’s jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) perched on a lichen-covered pine branch in golden, low evening light. It's facing toward the left with its head turned slightly downward. It's a large songbird with a tall, pointed black crest, a black head with dark eyes, and deep teal-blue plumage on its body, wings, and tail. Pine needles and bark fill the foreground, and the background is a soft blur of blue sky and warmly-lit foliage.
@hlkfotos.com86
#SundayYellow #BirdOfTheDay A Chiffchaff perched high up in a tree covered in yellow lichen.
@eddiephotos.bsky.social81
A Snowy Plover hunkered down in a patch of sea weed and other plant matter on a sandy beach. It is in profile to the camera, facing the left frame. It has a twinkle in its eye, and some how looks happy. It just might be the cutest bird you've ever seen.
@hardlikearmour.bsky.social75
A small owl with red/orange feathers from the neck up and mostly white with some orange on the breast, is in a hole in a tree. Its eyes are closed, and it is directly facing the camera.
@jon5cents.bsky.social68
My selection is this magical capture 'looking-up looking-down'.. 🪶 📸 Brian ☀️🌎🌘 @balail.bsky.social
@mjlinde.bsky.social62
A Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) male diving into a small stream below the branch of an alder tree. The bird is a beautiful deep blue grey with white barring on its wings, and a white neck collar. It has a large beak and a ruffled crown that is sleeked back for its dive. The background is green and yellow with autumn leaves.
@mstreefrog.bsky.social59
Sooty Tern on Lord Howe Island yesterday.
@leo-in-merimbula.bsky.social58
A medium sized wading bird stands on the egde of a mud scrape, green water reeds to the left, against the backdrop of bright blue water. The Lapwing faces to the right. The bird is black with white underparts and the late afternoon sun reaveals the green, purple, and yellow 'oil slick' sheen on its back and wings. The Lapwings head is tan coloued with a black cap and black crest.
@jenniemunday.bsky.social57

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Bird of the Day, theme 'Best Of October'nature