Bird of the Day, theme 'Longlegs'

natureAug 6, 202620711,412

Bird of the Day is a daily community event with today’s main theme Longlegs and an alternate theme Borb. Contributors shared long‑legged species and chunky birds in natural settings, with many herons, egrets, stilts, flamingos, sandhill cranes, and a few roly‑poly robins and blackbirds. Standouts include a great blue heron with partially missing toes scratching an itch, flamingos racing at Amvrakikos Wetlands in Greece, and a Black‑winged Stilt photographed at Potteric Carr. Look for herons preening by rivers, sandhill cranes flying to roost at dusk, and one‑legged displays from egrets under the Longlegs tag and Borb entries of puffed‑up garden birds.

Amy Gann

@amygann.bsky.social

A great blue heron with partially missing toes scratches an itch. For the #birdoftheday theme of #longlegs #birds #heron #greatblueheron #protectnature #EastCoastKin

102315h ago

Oskareel3

Perfect match for the theme!

Neil Cameron2

Nicely done, as always, Amy.

Alan Duncan1

A fledgling Blue Heron outside my house the other day. There are 3 around here.

spirit-man1

Dinobird - majestic beast with startling calls.

John M.1

You work with what you have.

Mark Coupe Photography

@mcoupephotography.bsky.social

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #LongLegs, any bird with long legs. While you wouldn't expect it from looking at them I think a great grey owl counts. Check out those legs! #owls #birds #greatgrey #mcoupephotography

Great grey owl landing on a post with its legs outstretched.

6278h ago

invertedflag.bsky.social2

Looks Like he could squat about 50 pounds!

Christina Baron2

Great pic. Assume the owl landed successfully?

steve sumner: nation of many nations2

tail rudder down for a quick stop.

eddiephotos.bsky.social

@eddiephotos.bsky.social

#BirdOfTheDay I'm afraid that our main local heath has been burnt down over 100 hectares gone. That means no wildlife there for some time, birds like this Dartford warbler will not exist there anymore until it gets established again if it does.

39710h ago

froure.bsky.social2

I'm so sorry that's happened

ciaranshaman.bsky.social2

That's so sad, I'm sorry to hear that Eddie. Here's hoping it grows back quickly and stronger than ever 🤞

Alanwino1

That’s terrible, hopefully it will regenerate and come back stronger than ever👍🏼

Mick Lister1

A beautiful shot of a rare bird Eddie. I read about Dunwich Heath being completely devastated but hadn't realised it was where you took a lot of your photos when you referred to your local heath. The loss of a habitat for rare species like these and others is heartbreaking.

Alan H

@alan678.bsky.social

I had to buy myself some time with my first #BirdOfTheDay entry as I knew I had just the #Borb but couldn’t find it. 😁 The Borb 😂 #birds #photography #Ireland #ECK

Close-up portrait of a female Eurasian Blackbird standing on fresh snow. The bird faces left, showing rich chocolate-brown plumage, a finely streaked pale brown breast, and a distinctive yellow eye-ring surrounding a dark, alert eye. Tiny crystals of snow cling to the tip of her dark bill, adding a wintry touch. One reddish-brown leg is visible against the snow, while the background fades into a smooth blur of muted purple and grey tones that keeps the focus on the bird’s detailed feathers and calm expression.

32816h ago

Marjo Slingerland-Boks1

I bet you have a lot more cute and lovely Borbs in your archive Alan ✨️ this is so cute ❤️

Neil Cameron1

Pretty sure that The Borb walks around telling other birds that they will be assimilated into the collective. It certainly doesn't fly around much. Or enough.

RaggaMog (Morri-Arty)1

She's beautiful! A wonderful shot. 🌿

Rob Crank Photography

@robcrank68.bsky.social

Good morning folks. Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #LongLegs, any bird with long legs. The Alt theme is #Borb, any bird appearing larger than it should be. The latest Alt Txt Stories have landed. #birds #photography #ECK #CanonR5mkii #ukbirding #birdphotography @rspb.bsky.social #BirdLife

Gary Grey Heron was out for a walk when he was caught short, so he pretended to stand still and act like a mannequin with a 3rd leg in the hope I didn't see what was happening.
Now I did warn Gary that if he didn't pick up his waste product (💩) I would be on speed dial to Freddie Fulmar, who would be out faster than 'Streethawk' (if you know you know, if not use Google) 😂.
So Gary decided it was best to retrieve what he had dropped before flying off in disgust because he didn't have a 💩 bag, meaning his wings were a darker shade until he could was it off.

Captured at Tophill Low Nature Reserve.

27118h ago

Lorraine 🦆🦋🐝🦔🦊🌿3

I didn't realise Percy Puffin is no longer playing in Chicago 😉 Great pictures and text, Rob.

Graham Jones2

Welcome back to the birding comedy legend. Four great captures and a set of alt text captions that brings a smile to the face of a morning. I love them all but Percy in Puffin, a.k.a. the Fridge, made me laugh out loud.

Atlantic Birding2

Nice shots Rob; love the Puffin shot

Alan H2

New England Puffins. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Great captures and themes Rob.

Noah — Redshift Photography 🐦✨2

Ouuugghhghgh that puffin picture is adorable, I love them 🥹

alisonwillis1.bsky.social2

Brilliant!! 😍 Love your stories Rob 😊

Rina

@rina2012.bsky.social

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #LongLegs, any bird with long legs. The Alt theme is #Borb I'm going with a #Flamingo 🪶 #birds #birding #BirdsSeenIn2026 #spain #wildlife #photography #naturephotography #thelittlethings #ECK #ScapeS

A flamingo is standing in shallow water, searching for food. In the gently rippling water, you can see seaweed

25917h ago

Mick Lister1

Lovely shot Rina 👌. Reminds me of when my younger brother first saw one of these and called them "birds on sticks" 😀

Kort Duce

@kortduce.bsky.social

A great blue heron stretches its wing and long leg at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdOfTheDay #LongLegs #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce

A great blue heron stretches its wing and long leg at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado.

In this vertical color photograph, a great blue heron fills the frame as it perches on a large dead branch above a pond, facing the camera. Its head is turned to its left, revealing the right side of its face, while its slightly raised crown feathers add to its expressive appearance. The heron stretches its right wing outward as it extends its long right leg behind it, though the leg is mostly hidden by the outstretched wing. The background is softly blurred vegetation along the opposite shoreline, creating a pleasing contrast that draws attention to the bird.

A beautiful portrait of a great blue heron displaying a natural stretching behavior in the wetland habitat that is so vital to its survival.

26310h ago

tree-bee1

looks like the final reveal of an olde tyme vegas burlesque fan dancer “A great blue heron stretches its wing and long leg at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado”

CaryJo1

This is a great shot

ℙ𝕚𝕏𝕖𝕝𝕤&𝔸𝕝𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕪 📸1

Great catch of a wonderful pose, Kort!

Rob Crank Photography1

Great capture and pose Kort.

SeaLevelOslo

@sealeveloslo.bsky.social

Closeup, white wagtail by the sea #BirdOfTheDay #LongLegs #Borb #birds #photography #sea

A white wagtail standing on a floating finger pier. The blurry background is the sea surface with colors created by reflection of the sky and shadowed land.

2417h ago

Robyn1

Aww, so cute! Great shot.

Aj d'Wit (Audrey)1

A truly wonderful photo of a beautiful little bird. Well done. 👌🏼

HLK

@hlkfotos.com

I went with #Borb. #BirdOfTheDay 📷🌿🪶

A close-up photo of a barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) perched on a metal cable against a plain sage-green colored background, looking puffed up and round. It's a small bird with glossy deep-blue crown, back, and wings, rufous-orange forehead and throat, white patches on its shoulder, and warm buffy-orange underparts. It has dark eyes, a short, thin black bill, and small feet that grip the cable. A few miniscule beads of water are just visible on the bird's feathers.

25310h ago

Pete Geller2

That's definitely a big borb, HL 😂

Eremita Gregário2

Oh my God, my algorithm understands colors.

Graham Jones1

Looks like that Swallow swallowed more than any of the others in the nest. 😄

Barrie Cull1

That’s a superb photo HLK 👏 The colours are lovely.

Neil Cameron1

Gorgeous! I don't think I've seen a swallow doing a borb before.

SeaLevelOslo1

Terrific shot! ✨ How long lens did you use?

Den 🇮🇪

@denterrick.bsky.social

A little Robin #Borb #Photography #10MinutesFromHome #Birds #BirdOfTheDay #EastCoastKin #Ireland

A quick snap of a European Robin standing on a park path, looking cute and probably wondering why I don't have any food to share.

26513h ago

Marjo Slingerland-Boks1

Awwe Den this so cute and lovely 😍

BelleAB1

Such a cutie! Great shot!

Marjo Slingerland-Boks

@marjosl.eurosky.social

Good morning all, Rob have set the themes for #BirdOfTheDay to day on #LongLegs and #Borb This pigeon was all puffed up so he could fill the bird bath😅 #ECK #Birds

You see a lovely pigeon that is puffed up its feathers in the bird bath. Behind him are the yellow ftowers from the kokorade plant in full bloom.

22717h ago

Adrian Milliner2

lovely pigeon you captured there! #PigeonSky

Robyn1

So great, Marjo! Borbing out!

StaceG1

I love this! What a fluffy cutie! #bird

Nicole1

Oh my, I’ve never seen such a puffy pigeon 😍 Great capture, Marjo!

Kis Brink1

Great shot. I keep having to convince myself my current ways of supply birds with water and even dirt for the dirt bathers (between fires in BC and those in the US and the heat I try to make it easy for them ) are effective and economical but one of these days...

NOYJ1

We had this view recently too 😃 While he sat there he also slowly in turn stretched each wing upwards to its full extent and aired it: never seen that before…

Mike Melton

@mikemelton.bsky.social

My #longlegs contribution for #birdoftheday is the glorious Secretarybird from #SouthAfrica. These birds walk through the grasses hunting for snakes which they pummel with their long, strong legs. #birds #nature

A tall gray bird with long black legs and a red-orange face stands on a grassy hillside beneath a vivid blue sky.

1747h ago

Pete 🇬🇺2

Five highly endangered secretarybird chicks hatch at Chester Zoo | Chester Zoo share.google/yJxPYBVTPZlN...

R. S. Mot1

My favorite kind of bird 😍

John T1

I love secretary birds. I had a D&D character with a pet griffon that was secretary bird front and cheetah back.

julielfrost.bsky.social

@julielfrost.bsky.social

A family of #LongLegs. Sandhill cranes. #BirdOfTheDay #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #Wildlife #Nature

A sandhill crane colt pictured as it stands on a gravel path between the legs of its parents.

16912h ago

nar adam1

how innocent it is and cute

DWebster🇺🇦🇨🇴🇨🇺🇲🇽🇨🇦🌎🦜1

Beautiful! I love SHCR’s but have never seen a chick!

Lori Batchelor🇨🇦

@lorichirp.bsky.social

Here's a (North) American Robin for the Alt theme of #BirdOfTheDay #Borb! #birds #photography #ECK

1679h ago

mark (and his) dope devices 🇨🇦1

Turdus migratorius Heh.. turdus… It’s actually a thrush, not a true European “robin”. Birds!

Pirritin1

Cute and definitely a borb 😍

linda2.bsky.social

@linda2.bsky.social

The flamingos at the start of a race at Amvrakikos Wetlands in Greece! #BirdOfTheDay #birds #longlegs #amvrakikoswetlands #flamingos #wildlifephotography

A view of flamingos taking flight. They start wirh a run across the water before taking to the air. One flmanigo starts and the rest follow.

15816h ago

Tony Beales1

Fabulous shot Linda, it has everything - light, colour, motion, and such brilliant flamingo captures! I love how you've got the nearest flamingo with both feet just out of the water!