A2Z- Birds – Oriole

Featured Photo of the Baltimore Oriole by David Mark Physical Description: Orioles have black, yellow, and orange plumage; the female is duller than the male. The bird measures approximately 7 to 9 inches long, has a wingspan of approximately 10 inches, and a weight of 1 ¼ ounces. The oriole has a long slender beak…

A2Z – Birds – Nuthatch

Featured Image of White Breasted Nuthatch by Nick Saunders Physical Description: The nuthatch is a small, stocky bird with a white face, a buff or rusty breast, bluish-grey back, dark crown, and flashes across its eyes, and ark feathers in the wings. The tail and neck are short and the head is comparatively large with…

Intermission & Snapshots

Hello! Happy belated mother’s day! I am blessed with so many mother figures in my life. I needed a break, so I painted a rock for the kindness rock garden at the park. While waiting for a restaurant table, I listened to my boyfriend chat about a sibling and past hurts while watching the clouds….

A2Z 2021 – Birds – Magpie

Featured Image by 👀 Mabel Amber, who will one day from Pixabay Physical Description: A striking bird, the magpie has the deep, glossy black plumage of a crow or raven, with a white chest and white blazes across the top of the wings. The primary flight feathers also have white on them, as can be…

A2Z 2021 – Birds – Lark

Featured Photo by Dimitris Vetsikas Physical Description: The horned lark is a small brown bird with a buff chest, a black mask, and a black patch surrounded by pale yellow on its throat. This bird has two small feather crests on either side of the top of its head, giving rise to its name. Larks…

A2Z 2021 – Birds – Kingfisher

Image by Timo Schlüter from Pixabay Physical Description: A small bird with a long pointed beak, the belted kingfisher has a slate-blue head with a crest, a slate-blue back, a white front, and a white collar around its neck. The female has additional rust-colored markings along her chest and sides and is more brightly colored…

A2Z 2021 – Birds – Juan Fernandez Firecrown

Featured Photo by Héctor Gutiérrez Guzmán  Physical Description: The male is 11.5–12 cm long and weighs 10.9 g. Its color is mostly cinnamon orange, excepting dark grey wings, black bill, and iridescent gold crown. The female is 10 cm long and weighs 6.8 g. Its underparts are white with a dappling of very small green and black…

A2Z 2021 – Birds – Ibis

Image by ❤️A life without animals is not worth living❤️ from Pixabay Physical Description: The ibis is a wading bird with a long narrow neck and head, and a downward-curving thick beak measuring an average of 26 inches long. The ibis shares visual similarities with the heron, but the ibis’s beak is curved, whereas the…

A2Z 2021 – Birds – Heron

Featured Image by wal_172619 from Pixabay Physical Description: The heron is a large, thin bird with a long, narrow neck that can be pulled back into an S shape. The legs are delicate with four-toed feet, three pointing forward and one back. Herons look similar to egrets, but are much bigger. The great blue heron…

A2Z 2021 – Birds – Goldfinch

Featured Image by Michael Murphy Physical Description: The goldfinch is a small, stubby bird measuring about 4.5 inches long, with a wingspan of approximately 8 inches and a weight of roughly .5 ounce. The bird’s plumage is mostly bright yellow, and it has a black blaze above the beak, black wing edges touched with white,…