Eric Gofreed
Well-Known Member
It’s Winged Wednesday, where feathers, flutters, and flight steal the show—theme or no theme. Whether they’re diving for fish, sunbathing on a branch, or just showing off for the camera, we celebrate them all.
This week, I’m skipping the storyline and just sharing five photos that deserved their moment. No common thread. No clever connection. Just birds being birds—and me finally catching up on editing.
Sometimes the only theme you need is “because I liked it.”
American Harvester Ant (Winged)
You don’t often see Harvester Ants with wings—unless it’s nuptial flight season. Once a year, colonies release winged males and virgin queens for a synchronized airborne mating event.
These "alates" take to the sky in a swarm, meet midair, and if successful, the queen will shed her wings and start a new colony. The males? They complete their life’s work in one flight and never return.
Green-crowned Brilliant
Found from Costa Rica to Ecuador, this high-elevation hummer lives in cool, misty forests. He’s nearly twice the size of your average hummingbird—and twice as confident.
He snacks on insects when nectar won’t cut it, and his wings hum with a low buzz you’d expect from something much bigger.
Honestly, “Green-crowned Brilliant” is a bit modest. They should’ve called him the Emerald Overlord.
Brown Noddy: Beachcomber with a Mission
The Brown Noddy breeds in huge colonies on remote islands like the Dry Tortugas—the only place they nest in the continental U.S. This one wasn’t just out for a coastal cruise. He was scanning the beach for nesting material, flying low and focused like a seabird with a to-do list. They may glide like philosophers, but when it’s nesting season, every feather and twig counts.
Barn Swallow:
Barn Swallows are built for speed and style—long tails, pointed wings, and a flight path that laughs at autofocus. They’re found across most of North America in summer, often nesting under bridges and barn eaves. This one gave me just enough mercy to catch it midair before darting off like a tiny aerial daredevil late for a bug buffet.
Sagebrush Sparrow: A Winter Guest in the Desert
Sagebrush Sparrows breed in the Great Basin, but many winter in the Southwest—quietly slipping into desert scrub like they’ve booked the off-season rate. I found this one in Sedona, foraging under a creosote bush. They seem to go for the seeds, but mostly they act like they don’t want to be noticed.
If you’re not looking carefully, you’ll miss them. Which, I suspect, is the whole point.
This week, I’m skipping the storyline and just sharing five photos that deserved their moment. No common thread. No clever connection. Just birds being birds—and me finally catching up on editing.
Sometimes the only theme you need is “because I liked it.”
American Harvester Ant (Winged)
You don’t often see Harvester Ants with wings—unless it’s nuptial flight season. Once a year, colonies release winged males and virgin queens for a synchronized airborne mating event.
These "alates" take to the sky in a swarm, meet midair, and if successful, the queen will shed her wings and start a new colony. The males? They complete their life’s work in one flight and never return.
Green-crowned Brilliant
Found from Costa Rica to Ecuador, this high-elevation hummer lives in cool, misty forests. He’s nearly twice the size of your average hummingbird—and twice as confident.
He snacks on insects when nectar won’t cut it, and his wings hum with a low buzz you’d expect from something much bigger.
Honestly, “Green-crowned Brilliant” is a bit modest. They should’ve called him the Emerald Overlord.
Brown Noddy: Beachcomber with a Mission
The Brown Noddy breeds in huge colonies on remote islands like the Dry Tortugas—the only place they nest in the continental U.S. This one wasn’t just out for a coastal cruise. He was scanning the beach for nesting material, flying low and focused like a seabird with a to-do list. They may glide like philosophers, but when it’s nesting season, every feather and twig counts.
Barn Swallow:
Barn Swallows are built for speed and style—long tails, pointed wings, and a flight path that laughs at autofocus. They’re found across most of North America in summer, often nesting under bridges and barn eaves. This one gave me just enough mercy to catch it midair before darting off like a tiny aerial daredevil late for a bug buffet.
Sagebrush Sparrow: A Winter Guest in the Desert
Sagebrush Sparrows breed in the Great Basin, but many winter in the Southwest—quietly slipping into desert scrub like they’ve booked the off-season rate. I found this one in Sedona, foraging under a creosote bush. They seem to go for the seeds, but mostly they act like they don’t want to be noticed.
If you’re not looking carefully, you’ll miss them. Which, I suspect, is the whole point.
