Male cardinals are very pretty, no matter what time of the year it is.

I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to view, fave or comment on my photo. It is very much appreciated.

Katmandu

A male Mountain Bluebird hunting insects!! Photot taken in Bickleton, Washington, known as the Bluebird capital of the world. The Bluebirds migrate to Bickleton each Spring after wintering in Mexico and California.

In Devon

I was driving back from Fingeringhoe reserve with no success, when I spotted a few Linnets on a wire fence! It's amazing how close you can get when your sitting in the car! Luckily the background was ok too! First one I've photographed for a few years!

Male Song Sparrow

Male Hawfinch - Norfolk

Many thanks to all those who fave or comment always very much appreciated

Maple Lodge NR , UK

Seeing one of these handsome birds is always a thrill, particularly as I never see them where I live, in rural Suffolk. The colours are just stunning, aren't they?

This bird was photographed on Cavenham heath.

A male Ruffed Grouse displaying for three hens perched up in a Balsam Fir Tree in the Hersey Lake Conservation Area located in the Township of Tisdale in the City of Timmins Northeastern Ontario Canada

Description

The scientific name for the Ruffed Grouse is Bonasa umbellus. Both terms are from the Latin: Bonasa means good when roasted and umbellus, a sunshade. This refers to the ruff or dark-coloured neck feathers that are particularly large in the male. When he is in display before the female, these are erected and surround his head almost like an umbrella. By nodding his head and ruffs, and spreading his tail and strutting, the male identifies himself to the female and encourages her advances.

The male Ruffed Grouse is about the size of a bantam chicken and weighs about 500 g. The females are smaller. Unlike the chicken, the grouse has a broad flat tail that is usually held down but that may be erected and spread into a half circle.

The dappled and barred plumage ranges in colour from pale grey through sombre red to rich mahogany. In the east, most grouse are predominantly grey, although some are red. Greys are in the majority in the central parts of the continent, and on the west coast most grouse are reddish brown.

The colours worn by the grouse are related to their habitat: the dark-coloured grouse inhabit dark forest, as on the coast; grey grouse live in lighter bush. This camouflage helps protect the grouse from their predators.

Males are hard to tell from females at a distance, but they are larger with larger ruffs and a longer tail. In the male the broad band of dark colour in the tail is usually unbroken.

The Ruffed Grouse is frequently called the “partridge.” This leads to confusion with the Gray, or Hungarian, Partridge, which was introduced to Canada from Europe. The Ruffed Grouse is only distantly related to the Gray Partridge, which is a bird of open areas, not woodlands.

Source: Hinterlands Who's Who

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Male Mandarin Duck on the banks of Loch Lomond, Scotland Uk

In a garden in Cornwall

Orthetrum cancellatum

Male Yellow Finch Bird.

Closeup view of a Male House Sparrow in the backyard.

Male Eastern Bluebird.

I'm off line for a few days, here's one on my favourite shots from 2022.

View LARGE

Many Thanks for all your views, faves and very kind comments.

a male stonechat singing on the top of a tree

Photo done during a very hot day this summer (>40°C)

Zoom in 2x for more details (4K)

Sony A7R-III

Tamron 150-600 G1

LA-EA4 Adapter

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As I was photographing the Hummingbirds feeding on the Red Hot Pokers, this male House Finch flew in and posed for a few photos!

Close up view of a Male Mallard Duck.

Thanks so much for all of the comments and faves!

Male House Sparrow Bird.

Male American Goldfinches Bird.

Male Baltimore Oriole Bird.

In Cornwall

Taken at Rutland Water

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Thanks for the visits, faves and comments its greatly appreciated.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands.

Male house sparrows in the snow.

WITH A NIKON TC-20EIII TELECONVERTER

The orioles are gone for migration in my area I am gonna miss them for sure they summer bright colors and the sweet song every day at my feeder. Have a good trip beauties I'll wait for you next year! :)

A bit quieter and much smaller version of the Main Square but with as much beauty and charm the Mały Rynek, or Small Square, is another spot to enjoy.

Located right behind Saint Mary's Basilica this is a great spot to hear the Trumpeter play without the crowds of the Main Square.

From the 16th century onward sellers of antiques also made a home for themselves on the square, when it was known as ‘Forum Antiquum’ (the Old Market), though the locals liked to call it ‘Tandeta’ (the ‘tacky market’) or - in a rhyming pun related to the grisly meats on display - even ‘Wendeta’ (Vendetta).

Serving as an intermediate point between the nobility of the Main Square and the impoverished denizens living near the city walls, Mały Rynek also housed a soup kitchen for the poor and the 13th-century School of the Virgin Mary, which predated the founding of the square.

Maly Rynek, Kraków, Poland