Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta Pusilla), Taken March 7, 2025, In Georgia, US

Made awkward eye contact with an Osprey flying overhead today

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), juvenile, take May 9, 2025, in Georgia, US

A little guy! I've been seeing this young fellow flying around the bird feeders for a few days and was finally able to get some good shots of him. I never see him with any parents, so I have no way of telling if he's a nest parasite or was raised by the local starlings, though the previous year the starlings raised their own babies, so I assume they did this spring as well. He's looking lively and healthy and eats on his own, so he's well on his way to becoming a strong adult!

Rufous-backed Cellophane Bees (Colletes thoracicus), males, taken April 21, 2025, in Georgia, US

More bees!! Hundreds of young bachelors are scouring the ground for ladies. The females of this species are differentiable from males by their dark orange fuzz, lack of white stripes on their abdomens, and noticeably larger size. Males are slightly variable in size, but females are always larger. Most of these pictures were taken in the same spot. I watched for 5 or so minutes as dozens of males attempted to wedge their way underneath a leaf, buzzing at each other all the while. I'm not sure if a female was hiding under there, or if it just smelled like her, but they were extremely adamant on getting under that leaf!

Nomad Bees (Genus Nomada), taken May 5, 2025, in Georgia, US

Some little red bees! These guys are always super busy unless, of course, they're sleeping like in the third image! Yesterday the bees were quite gracious with their landing times, sitting still long enough for me to actually press the shutter button lol. Normally, they're flying around constantly, searching for the burrows of other bees to lay their eggs in!

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), juvenile male, taken February 24, 2025, in Georgia, US

I believe I am in love with this beautiful fucking bird!!! Despite how pretty the males are, I might prefer the appearance of the female RW blackbird more. The brown tones and subtle red on the face are just gorgeous. This juvenile male has a combination of both sexes' best traits—intricate browns as well as a vibrant orange patch on the wing! Hopefully I'll be able to get more pictures before all of the blackbirds are gone!

Zabulon Skipper (Lon zabulon), male, taken May 14, 2025, in Georgia, US

My first skipper of the year, proudly showing his colors in the sunlight! Unlike most butterflies, this species displays very noticeable sexual dimorphism, males having bright orange/yellow blotches on their wings while females are mostly brown with some white spotting. They can often be seen perched on leaves, spreading their wings in the sunlight like little orange flowers!

Ebony Jewelwings (Calopteryx maculata), female (top) & male (bottom), taken May 22, 2025, in Georgia, US

A beautiful pair of ebony jewelwings that were fluttering around each other! I wouldn't put it past them to be flirting lol. These pictures are a great side by side comparison of the sexual dimorphism of the species. Females are a dark metallic blue/green with a bold white spot on the apex of each of their four wings, while males are a brilliant metallic green with solid black wings. There are also slight morphological differences, but those are very hard to see unless you have a camera or the insect is very still, which jewelwings are not. I've just learned to remember that white spot = female!

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), taken May 27, 2024, in Georgia, US

Just a beautiful, solid sparrow! The more I photograph them, the more I come to like sparrows. They're much more colorful than they seem from afar, and I love all of their intricate patterning! This individual sat very politely for me, what a champ.

Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), males & juvenile male (2), taken February 25, 2025, in Georgia, US

More blackbirds!! Migrating flocks are still passing through all day, so there are plenty of opportunities to get pictures. The video is of one of them shuffling around on their preferred perch, participating in the cacophony of calls. They're so much louder in person...

Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius), taken August 4, 2024, in Georgia, US

What a talented model! These guys and Zabulon Skippers often sit on the same patch of leaves in the sun and spread their wings. It makes for excellent photos since they have a really high tolerance for me getting up in their business! Clouded Skippers have some gorgeous chocolate brown wings, and this guy really wanted me to know that!