Dickcissel

Spiza Americana

Brown Booby — Image 2

Sula Leucogaster

Another image of the rare brown booby that has been discovered in upstate South Carolina. For about four days, it has be continuously seen roosting, fishing, and freewheeling around Furman University's Swan Lake.

Gray Catbird

Dumetella Carolinensis

Palm Warbler on Wire

Setophaga Palmarum

The Pondering Green Heron

Green Heron
Butorides Virescens

Huntington Beach State Park
South Carolina

Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea Ajaja

Cape May Warbler — Image III

Setophaga Tigrina

Cardinal in the Rain

Northern Cardinal (female)
Cardinalis Cardinalis

Blue on Blue

Great Blue Heron
Ardea Herodias

At first light, a great blue heron feeds in the shallows of Lake Hartwell, South Carolina.

Palm Warbler in Fall

Palm Warbler
Setophaga Palmarum

Horned Grebe

Podiceps Auritus Lake Hartwell Townville, South Carolina In the heavy fog of morning, it was nice to spot the ruby eye of this horned grebe. Watching this small creature swimming across the vast lake reminded me of the closing lines of Mary Oliver's poem, "Wild Geese": Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -- over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

Tricolored Heron

Egretta Tricolor

Huntington Beach State Park
South Carolina

Field Sparrow

Spizella Pusilla

Palm Warbler in October

Palm Warbler
Setophaga Palmarum

American Kestrel (Male)

American Kestrel
Falco Sparverius

Image made on backroads of Clemson University's Simpson Research Station, Pendleton, South Carolina.

The Cardinal in Autumn II

Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis Cardinalis

Song Sparrow

Melospiza Melodia

Red-shouldered Hawk

Buteo Lineatus

Pine Warbler

Setophaga Pinus

Northern Cardinal (female)

Cardinalis Cardinalis

Watching You Watching Me

Grasshopper Sparrow
Ammondramus Savannarum

Song of the Grasshopper Sparrow

Grasshopper Sparrow
Ammodramus Savannarum

Great Blue Heron

Ardea Herodias

Return of the Dickcissels

Dickcissel
Spiza americana

After spending the winter in South America, the Dickcissels are now returning to their breeding territories, including upstate South Carolina, where I live.

Peregrine Falcon

Peregrinus Falco

Harbinger of Spring

Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis Cardinalis

Eastern Meadowlark

Sturnella Magna

Great Egret

Ardea alba

EASTERN TOWHEE (MALE)

Eastern Towhee
Pipilo Erythrophtalmus

Grasshopper Sparrow

Ammodramus Savannarum

Blue Grosbeak

Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

Dickcissel

Spiza americana

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia Albicollis

Prairie Warbler

Setophaga Discolor

Barred Owl (Owlet)

Strix Varia

This very large Barred Owlet emerged from a tree cavity next to our house about 15 minutes prior to the making of this image. This was its first look at the world outside of the nest in which it was born. Branching was delayed longer than usual because the owlet had to deal with red-shouldered hawks who were protecting their own new offspring about 40 feet from the owl's nest.

American Goldfinch

Spinus Tristis

Swamp Sparrow

Melospiza georgiana

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Eastern Meadowlark

Sturnella magna

The Art of Preening

Dickcissel
Spiza americana

Just Looking for Something

White-Rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis "All my life I have lived and behaved much like the sandpiper — just running down the edges of countries and continents, "looking for something." Elizabeth Bishop

The Art of Preening

Dickcissel
Spiza Americana

The Unfolding of Spring

Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis Cardinalis

The Morning Bath

Field Sparrow
Spizella Pusilla

Brown Booby — Image 1

Sula Leucogaster

The brown booby is a large tropical seabird that is rarely observed in the coastal areas of southern Florida and southern California. It is almost unheard of for the booby to be seen in the inland United States. And, yet, that is what has happened this week in upstate South Carolina. This immature brown booby has been seen the past few days around Furman University's Swan Lake, near the city of Greenville.