Lovies

Bird enthusiast Yellow-Breasted Chat and Lesser Goldfinch lover #1 Merlin and eBird fan

[backyard-birding]

First time I’ve used something from my degree after graduating I feel unstoppable

It’s been too long I’m slightly rusty

But it’s all coming back

I even made a meme for only me

[backyard-birding]

No because I AM crying because I moved to a place just down the road with birds and nature but also I left behind my friends

My thrasher, who I could count on singing as loud as he could in the mornings and evenings

My tanager, who would always sing as my alarm in the morning

My hummingbirds, which I’ve recognized year after year

My woodpecker, who eats all the jelly and pushes the hummingbirds around

My orioles who yell at me from the trees when I’m outside

My yellow breasted chats, who I have yet to hear here

My wren, who patrols the back porch and into the potted plants, looking for bugs and grasshoppers to eat

The birds I’ve sat with after hitting the windows, who I hope recognize me

The skunk and raccoon that clean up any dropped seed at the end of the day

The insane amount of biodiversity we have just outside the doors

Even the feral cat who stops by and tries to eat my birds

And yeah, I can go back at hear them and see them, but it’s the prospect

[backyard-birding]

And I’m already finding new friends. I may not have the sheer volume of hummingbirds, but I’ve seen one already.

I’m listening to a wren sing

Theres a family of bluebirds feeding their fledglings

The inca doves root around in the goat pen, finding leftover food

Theres a parula who sings both across the highway and within the property

Theres a woodpecker that I’ve seen flying around

I ACTUALLY have a chance to get jays now

I’ll make new friends but I’ll really miss my old ones

[backyard-birding]

No because I AM crying because I moved to a place just down the road with birds and nature but also I left behind my friends

My thrasher, who I could count on singing as loud as he could in the mornings and evenings

My tanager, who would always sing as my alarm in the morning

My hummingbirds, which I’ve recognized year after year

My woodpecker, who eats all the jelly and pushes the hummingbirds around

My orioles who yell at me from the trees when I’m outside

My yellow breasted chats, who I have yet to hear here

My wren, who patrols the back porch and into the potted plants, looking for bugs and grasshoppers to eat

The birds I’ve sat with after hitting the windows, who I hope recognize me

The skunk and raccoon that clean up any dropped seed at the end of the day

The insane amount of biodiversity we have just outside the doors

Even the feral cat who stops by and tries to eat my birds

And yeah, I can go back at hear them and see them, but it’s the prospect

[backyard-birding]

I truly think the art of noticing is so underrated. Until about a year ago, I thought green anoles had all hut disappeared from my area. I stopped going outside to catch them. Now, I find green anoles everywhere! Theres at LEAST three at my office! I find them more at the waters edge. Now I know where to find them!

[backyard-birding]

ITS LIZARD TIME BABEY

Specifically, Common Spotted Whiptail time. Wow! I love these guys. They're so different from the green anoles (whom i love) I usually dont see these guys until they run. The top two (THE CUTIES!!) were about a foot from me in the grass before they suddenly ran and spooked me. I snuck around the tree and got that cute pic. The second one kept getting spooked down my little walking trail. Not the best picture of a whiptail ive ever gotten, but good enough for me. The last one was on a little piece of concrete just in front of a cabin. They tend to hang out in the flowerbeds right in front of the cabins, where a toooon of bugs and butterflies hang out probably also a really nice and cool place to hang out to escape the harsh sun.

Whatever the occasion of catching these beautiful lizards, I LOOOVE them. Ive only got to hold a whiptail once. They're too fast and I'm too slow.

Common Spotted Whiptail Aspidoscelis gularis May 11, 2026 Texas, USA

[backyard-birding]

A cutie pie dragonfly! This little guy perched on a little blade of grass. I don't know much about the dragonfly's in my area, especially since there's so many blue ones! I think I'm partial to all the blue ones. They're just so pretty. I associate these little dragonfly's with water, so its so fun to see them a (in all honestly, meager) distance from the water's edge.

Blue-ringed Dancer Argia sedula May 11, 2026 Texas, USA

[crapbirdphotography]

Honestly, it isn’t as bad as I thought. You can very clearly see the DEFINING feature of this bird

[backyard-birding]

Possibly a new favorite quote.

[backyard-birding]

I tried my best to make the first photo reminiscent of 2015. You know the pictures. All gold, lens flares, boho aesthetic. Idk how to edit, but I feel like this ash-throated got it down for me. Just wish they had been looking towards me.

A cutie patootie Ash-throated Flycatcher! I just found out that we have two flycatcher nests on the property (at least). Not sure if they're both Ash-Throated or if it's Brown-Crested and Ash-Throated. This guy always hangs out down by my walking path. Them and the Eastern Wood-Pewee. I think these flycatchers look a little goofy.

Their eyes are so far back on their head. But they're cute, and they sound pretty, anyway!

Ash-Throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens Texas, USA May 16, 2026

[backyard-birding]

I have found that it is very important to set an intention when you go birding.

You WILL see that bird you’ve been wanting to see for forever.

But, it’s just as important to set an extremely specific intention. If you’re out there with the intention of photographing birds, you have to make sure your intentions include that you will see and capture incredible pictures of the bird you want to find.

Otherwise, you might just end up seeing or hearing 10 to 12 of the birds that you went out looking for specifically and only get a picture of one, a young one that doesn’t have his adult feathers yet.

So, just… Correctly sent your intention before your journey 

[backyard-birding]

In honor of presently being stuck in jury duty, here is a scheduled post I made while procrastinating taking off my walking shoes last night

Buggies! I’ve really found an enjoyment in photographic insects.

They’re a little more conspicuous than birds.

Shoutout to that tarantula hawk wasp that I thought was 100% a mimic moth until I got close to them and was like “not a moth but idk what it is!”

I’m sorry I’m simply not feeling up to searching for the id’s of the buggies. I’ll do my best

Dusky something. Mounful duskywing? He’s a mourning fella

Vesta crescent (?)

Queen

Queen

Carpenter bee (I’ve forgotten if eastern or western)

Mournful duskywing again

Paper wasp (I think fine-backed? The paper wasp folks will know)

Friends I have no clue

Gulf fritillary (how do you pronounce it? Frit-illary or frtill-ary. Heard a gentleman say he can tell where you’re from based on how you pronounce it (south vrs not south) I go with Frit-illary because nobody spoke it to me and I just figured thats how it’s pronounces)

Tarantula hawk wasp

[backyard-birding]

Okay got a handful of new lifers for Global Big Day. BUUUT at the end of my wonderin’ time, I spotted a cottontail. I paused to let them pass, then appeared a second cottontail, so I sat and let them do their thing. Which was the best idea, because…

A little cottontail family! Look at them touching their little noises together! This will be a new dusk obsession. The little kit was adorable. they hopped around, stood up on their back legs (first picture) then dashed back into the brush. Never got the whole family together. Dad (presumed, second picture) went ahead and chomped away across a little dirt road. Mom (presumed) and baby sat on my side. once baby left, I kept my distance and walked between mom and dad.

A wonderful Saturday full of amazing animals!

[cyanocittaa]

hi chat what are you doing even!! yellow-breasted chats are so very strange I love them. why did he land directly in front of my car.

[backyard-birding]

Its chatposting season again get ready for me to be insufferable >:)

[backyard-birding]

Okay sorry my new favorite sounding bird is white tipped dove. Why haven’t more people used it in a song??? Are you kidding me?? It sounds gorgeous

[backyard-birding]

Life is good when you have two separate people tell you about birding opportunities you may be interested in within 2 hours

[backyard-birding]

This little guy sat on the railing while I stood a few feet away snapping pictures of him. There was another Barn Swallow diving at me. Thats okay <33

I attempted to get pictures of these guys flying around, but no such luck at this session

Some things about this guy

- I love his lil pantaloons

- thats all. He’s cute

Nikon D7500

March 31, 2026

Texas

Hirundo rustica

[backyard-birding]

Literally just boasted about how we don’t have house sparrows at the house and I SAW one on the bird bath grr

[backyard-birding]

All bats were handled by professionals. Please don't go around picking up bats; that's a really bad idea.

omg bats!! wow!! bats are the coolest!! I love their little faces and big ears and nose omg

For living so close to a colony of bats, I rarely go to see them. Which is a shame. Not only is watching millions of bats soar out of a cave just a few feet above your head amazing, but there's also really good hawking at bat caves. That will come later. My goal with this trip was to take work photos, and I totally forgot to do any of that when the little bat got tumbled onto the ground and had to be helped up. Also, once the hawks appeared. Luckily, as mentioned, this is relatively close by, so I can just keep going back.

What I loved most about getting to see a bat up close was the veins! How cool is it to see their veins through their wings? It makes total sense, but you just don't think about it. Their little wing hair is adorable, their little tail is adorable, their angular wings (when folded) are REALLY cool! Ugh!

Bats!

I didn't learn anything new about bats, but I hope to this year. I'm hoping to take part in a bat acoustic project (if responsibilities don't get in the way) and I hope to learn about bats that way.

Most, if not all, of these bats are female, as the colony is a maternity colony. Go little bat queens!!

Mexican Free-tailed Bat/Brazilian Free-tailed Bat Tadarida brasiliensis April 23, 2026 Texas, USA