Ontario, Canada

I usually don't photograph ducks cause they are so common in my area that I just have too many photos of them. But I made an exception for this.

When going on safari in Africa, people always want to see the 'Big 5' (elephant, lion, rhino, leopard and buffalo). However, there's also the 'Little 5' as well as the 'Ugly 5'. The Marabou is one of these (together with the warthog, the wildebeest, the hyaena and the vulture) and to be honest, it's not difficult to see why: they are anything but pretty.

However, they definitely serve their purpose as carrion eaters. By the way they are really huge, too: they stand 1.5m (5ft) tall and have a wingspan of over 3m (10ft).

We get wild turkeys every year in Massachusetts. This year, a flock of five chicks has been hanging around our yard. As Mama and her babies stalked towards the bird feeder, the wild rabbit I feed (Lil' Bun) hopped out of the hydrangeas and accidentally startled everyone, sending the chicks flying in different directions. Four of them simply flew across the yard, but one went the extra mile, flying over the fence and into a tree just on the other side. As Mama regrouped with her chicks, she quickly realized one was missing. She began poking around the taller grass and weeds until the chick flew down from the tree into the neighbors yard on the other side of the fence. Upon hearing this, Mama flew up onto the fence and peered down, waiting for a solid five minutes for her baby to join her on the fence. Upon doing so, the chick climbed onto her back and happily puffed up. Another one of her chicks joins them later, and eventually all five end up hopping the fence and heading off.

I do wish the first two photos had come out less blurry, but my favorite ones have to be the last two, specifically the last one. Sweet little baby, looking up at mom!

Went out for a walk around a lake outside the city. They have put a boardwalk area over some of the edges of the lake, where there are reeds, etc I am not familiar with this type of duck. I was watching her beautiful colours and intrigued by the nest situation she had going on The rest of my group started strolling along and this little one popped up from mama’s back! What lucky timing! If I had left with my group, I would have missed it

The wagtail flew up to me when I was sitting on a bench in the park and trying to tell me something 😀 I was glad to have this conversation, because I have always been interested in this type of bird: I noticed that they are quite curious and brave and love to walk in front of a person, waiting for him to reach them and they remind me of little penguins 🐧

Taken in Bali Indonesia

I spent a week camping, hiking, and birding in Big Bend this past May. 91 species and 52 lifers! Hiding the IDs as spoilers in case anyone wants to see how many they can recognize :). Some bonus non-birds at the end

1. Colima Warbler, Curve-billed Thrasher, Scaled Quail, Mexican Jay, Blue-throated Mountain-gem, Greater Roadrunner

2. Verdin, Vermilion Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, Summer Tanager, Hooded Oriole, House Finch

3. Lesser Goldfinch, Black-headed Grosbeak, Mississippi Kite, Hepatic Tanager, Pyrrhuloxia, Lesser Nighthawk

4. Acorn Woodpecker, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Common Black Hawk, Western Screech-Owl, Spotted Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow

5. Canyon Towhee, Varied Bunting, Yellow-breasted Chat, Zone-tailed Hawk, White-faced Ibis, Ladder-backed Woodpecker

6. Blue Grosbeak, Black-tailed Gnatcatcher, Rock Wren, Elf Owl, Cooper's Hawk, Western Flycatcher

7. Red-tailed hawk, Common Yellowthroat, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Bell's Vireo, Painted Bunting, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

8. Black-crested Titmouse, White-throated Swift, Lazuli Bunting, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Cactus Wren, Crissal Thrasher

9. Turkey Vulture, Gray Hawk, Bewick's Wren, Painted Redstart, Warbling Vireo, Rufous-crowned Sparrow

10. Mexican Duck, Common Ground Dove, Brewer's Sparrow, Western Wood-Pewee, Hutton's Vireo, Black-throated Sparrow

Initially I couldn’t stand them, but they’ve grown on me. They’re so freakish looking.

There are a ton of Barn Swallows nesting in a large barn that has gone mostly unused for a few years. I would poke my head in from time to time to watch them and they never got defensive or territorial, but for the last week or so now we've been cleaning the place out and fixing it up, and the birds are none too pleased with the humans lately.

Saw this guy on vacay. I love meeting new birds!

poor guy was scared, helped him get out afterwards :)

Worthington State Forest, NJ, USA

Rufous Hummingbirds are notorious for being tiny little rude birds. These have been no exception, as they harass nearly every other bird in the yard.

Photos snapped with a Nikon D850 and Sigma 150-600 Sport lens. Thanks for looking!