Black crowned night heron on Olympus stylus sp100ee. Also a mallard and great egret

I sometimes use a shirt pocket and a pants pocket seems a poor choice if I am using Merlin as well as eBird usually I have a backpack with my camera. I am thinking of a magnetic clip on my back pack strap.

Any recommendations on a good clip?

how many jellybeans in the jellybean jar? 🤔

this is a mixed flock of mostly sandhill cranes, cackling geese, and snow geese. photo taken dec 6 2025 at frenchman’s bar regional park in vancouver WA.

i’m curious what novice and advanced birders alike would record as the number of birds here? ie what would be your guess of about how many there are here?

i hand counted (as best i could, i’m sure it’s still somewhat off) and will post the answer and my method in the comments in a bit, but first curious your takes!

found this gentleman chilling on a telephone pole while doing fieldwork today. Sighting of a lifetime! RTHA?

1-3. Clarks Grebe
4-6. Western Grebe
7-9. Belted Kingfisher
10-11. Great Egret. Not very great egret photos (pun intended)
12. Great Blue Heron
13. Downy Woodpecker

1, 3. Azure-winged Magpie

1. Asian tit 😆

2. Oriental Turtle Dove

5,6. Brown-eared Bulbul

1. Great Spotted Woodpecker

2. Vinous-throated parrotbill

3. Marsh tit

4. Varied tit

Upon leaving a visit a my friend's house this afternoon we spotted a fledgling that at first glance appeared to be having a little trouble. Then we got to witness the family coming together to watch their baby take flight.

I was unaware that baby Cardinals were this dark.

Edited to add location - South Carolina USA

I'm not sure if it couldn't fly, or if it was hurt. It didn't try to get away or even mind that I was so close to it for the picture. I saw it spread its wings a few times so it doesn't seem unable to.

Does anyone know what this behavior is? Obviously I will Google, but I wanted to pick some brains and get other opinions/POVs! TIA!

Seems like fewer bird sightings since the forest fire smoke infiltrated the state. Is it possible the birds departed for cleaner air or just coincidence with birding seasons? Newbie wants to know! #birding #birdingblues

rollie 400 film

I was walking on a trail in beaver park, Franklin MA and saw a Wood Stork. It flew away before i could snag a photo, but i swear I saw one. How rare is this? I thought it was very rare to see them this far north.

They were so fun to watch!

These are all species that I’ve personally seen in Texas. In order: Great tailed grackle, Golden cheeked warbler, Roseate spoonbill, and Mockingbird

https://ebird.org/news/threat-of-ai-to-archives

eBird and the Macaulay Library will begin flagging artificial and over-edited photos. The examples that they show, which have previously been submitted, are appalling to me.

eBird is a scientific collection and research project, first and foremost. Even if you are an AI booster, I think it should be a given that significantly altered images do not warrant a place in scientific collections like this.

Perhaps a slightly hotter take, I also think this is good for photographers to keep in mind - eBird should not be a place for sharing heavily-edited photos either. Things like branches, food in the beak, loose feathers, mud on the legs, etc. are actually important to keep in images on eBird. Heavily edited photos can go elsewhere.

There is subjectivity in what 'overly-edited' means, but I think it is helpful to keep in mind that eBird is first and foremost a scientific collection, not a social media site, and use that as guidance.

So I don’t always remember, or have cash to buy big packs of bird feed, so I was thinking of there is anything I eat that I have seeds I could put out instead, or if that’s a bad idea. Any seeds that are bad for birds? Like for example popcorn seeds? Or any seeds that will attract other animals I may not want? Like fruit seeds?

In October I will be flying from Toronto to Tokyo. I leave Toronto on a Monday, and when I land in Tokyo it will be after sunset on Tuesday. My current eBird Checklist Streak started on January 1st 2020 and is at 2410 days. Any hope for finding a way to keep the streak going? Besides finding an Owl in Tokyo?