Post pictures of anything, with comment...couple words.

[mhardy6647]

@Mikig, it's a heron or egret of some sort. My wife suggests that yours is a little egret; appears to be in breeding plumage.

In the US, the white ones are usually great egrets, snowy egrets, or cattle egrets, depending on where one's located.

some I photographed a couple of years ago in South Carolina:

great egret


snowy egret with a tricolor heron behind it

 

[mhardy6647]

New Hampshire winter solstice (just before) sunset: 21Dec2024


(deliberately underexposed a bit)

Sunset on 19Dec2024

 

[Mikig]

@Mikig, it's a heron or egret of some sort. My wife suggests that yours is a little egret; appears to be in breeding plumage.

In the US, the white ones are usually great egrets, snowy egrets, or cattle egrets, depending on where one's located.

some I photographed a couple of years ago in South Carolina:

great egret


snowy egret with a tricolor heron behind it

I took this off in front of me on the beach this morning on K'gari Island. Australia

 

[mhardy6647]

I took this off in front of me on the beach this morning on K'gari Island. Australia

Cool! I'll ask Mrs. H about the most likely suspect given your locale. She's the serious birder in the family. Indeed, she's birded in Australia. Her most recent big trip (in October) was to Ghana.

 

[Mikig]

Dingo!
the photo isn't very beautiful but I didn't dare get close!

 

[Mikig]

this guy started arguing loudly this morning at 4:30. He was yelling at one of his buddies; I left the room and gently made him understand that at that time people are asleep!! he left swearing something that I clearly didn't understand!!! but he was very understanding!!!

 

[Mikig]

These, which grow spontaneously, are normally found in our country in plant shops!!

 

[Winemaker]

Little pieces of Sicily

 

[MoreWatts]

Cappadocia, Turkey. Homes carved into stone and balloons fill the sky.

 

[Mikig]

The “highway” on the beach…one of the most beautiful roads ever made…

 

[CapMan]

 

[Ken1951]

So -- Cornell Ornithology* does this annual bird count thingy called Project Feederwatch (sort of a citizen science kind of thing). Mrs. H, needless to say, is a long time contributor. The combination of cold weather and some snow has brought the cardinals out of the woodwork at our house this morning. Mrs. H knows from experience that if she enters a large number for certain species (e.g., Northern Cardinal) they ask for some evidence.
That's where I come in!



And annotated for the nice folks at Cornell Ornithology.


_______________
* or as I like to refer to it, Mecca for Birders. Here's a photo from a pilgrimage we conducted whilst on our second second honeymoon (which was, by design, quite similar to our first second honeymoon, but 15 years later).
View attachment 415485

Ithaca, NY and environs is/are indeed beautiful, though -- at least when the weather's nice.


Taughannock falls in Ithaca, NY (same trip)

Anytime we get a little snow down here I get the same sort of numbers of Cardinals. Right now there is usually between 3 and 5 dozen Goldfinches between the front yard and backyard feeders.

 

[Ken1951]

Just now in the backyard: American Crow, 8 Blue Jays, and 2 Fox Squirrels. The Fox Squirrels are around down here but are certainly not that common.

 

[Balle Clorin]

Merry Christmas and Happy Hannuka and so on..

 

[mhardy6647]

View attachment 416171
Just now in the backyard: American Crow, 8 Blue Jays, and 2 Fox Squirrels. The Fox Squirrels are around down here but are certainly not that common.

Nice backyard! A lovely part of the world. Nice birds, too.
We're getting a nice, light coating of snow for Christmas even as I type this.



View in roughly real time from the mudroom door.

EDIT: PS - nice squirrel baffle, too!

 

[mhardy6647]

... and après-snow, so to speak.

 

[Fahzz]

Couple granddaughters braving the first night of winter. Happy holidays as applicable!

 

[xray]

Couple granddaughters braving the first night of winter. Happy holidays as applicable!View attachment 416195

I love seeing pictures like that. It captures a personal moment and feeling without any pretence of trying to make a postcard photo. Your granddaughters will cherish photos like that when they are older.

 

[Petrushka]

My driveway.

 

[Mikig]

this morning right below us….