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Bird of the Day, theme 'Wings Open Not Flying'

natureOct 4, 202623612,277

Today's Bird of the Day theme is Wings Open Not Flying, a prompt asking for birds photographed or depicted with wings open while not flying. Contributors are posting wildlife and backyard photography showing wing displays, stretches, sunning, or shaking after bathing, often in natural settings. Standout examples include an immature rufous hummingbird stretching its wings, a Mallard Duck shaking down after a bath, and a puffin stretching its wings while sunning. Look for other entries like a brown pelican about to take off, a Eurasian Blue Tit bathing, and a Ruddy Shelduck splashing for alternative interpretations.

Lecia Michelle
@leciamichelle.bsky.social

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #WingsOpenNotFlying. A great blue heron. #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky

Great blue heron flapping its wings as it stands in the grass, its back to the camera. Bird has dark blue feathers on the edges of its wings and lavender feathers on the rest.
5645d ago
Hippomancer102

"... and the fish I caught was *this* big!" Great photo!

firstfish144.bsky.social1

This bird was my Mom's camp nickname all my growing up years, and is therefore one of my favorites. We now live in a watershed where they hunt all day long and those stretched out wings can easily be 6-7 feet - belied by their slim and silent stalking stance most of the time. Great photo.

JonSam1

Bird Photography Contest Links www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/e... www.allaboutbirds.org/news/macaula... www.audubon.org/magazine/202... The 2027 Audubon Photography Awards will open for entries on January 13, 2027. www.audubon.org/photoawards-...

SeaLevelOslo
@sealeveloslo.bsky.social

"I'm the king of the world!" #BirdOfTheDay #WingsOpenNotFlying

A cormorant spreads its wings while standing on the corner of an old floating dock that looks like it is about to sink.
5625d ago
cookslikejamie2

and who are we to argue! Epic shot.

Colin Dunn 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿1

"Top of the world, Ma. Top of the world."

Helen Bennett 🌿1

Wonderful capture, Slo 👏 🤎

BelleAB1

Fabulous shot and caption, SLO!!

Doug Engstrom1

That's a cool shot. Lots of attitude from that bird.

Kort Duce
@kortduce.bsky.social

A double-crested cormorant dries its wings at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. #BirdofTheDay #WingsOpenNotFlying #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #birdwatching #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Photo by Kort Duce A double-crested cormorant dries its wings at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. In this horizontal color photograph, a double-crested cormorant perches on a tree branch jutting out of the water from a partially submerged tree in the left half of the frame. Seen from behind with its head in left profile, the cormorant spreads its wings wide, drying them after diving underwater in search of fish. Rippled pond water stretches across the image, reflecting the blue sky overhead with scattered clouds. Tangled around the tree branch near the center are fishing line and a couple of discarded fishing lures; one bright orange and the other a blue fish-shaped lure covered in white residue. In just a week or so, this perch will be underwater again as the city continues filling the pond following an 18-month construction project. The St. Vrain Resiliency Project widened and improved the creek bank to increase its capacity to handle floodwaters. A beautiful moment of a double-crested cormorant drying its wings in the wetland environment so vital to its survival.
5566d ago
bhbehemoth.bsky.social1

Once had to rescue a cormorant that had fishing line wrapped around it. The easiest way to stop it from going crazy was to just jam my hand into it's mouth and let it bite me while someone else got the hook out of it's leg. Cool bird. Bites hard.

This Jane says1

I watched them when I lived on a bayou. Their underwater swimming ability is pretty impressive!

Marjo Slingerland-Boks1

What a wonderful photo Kort🤍

autumn4444.bsky.social1

That is a beautiful photo. It should be submitted to the Audubon Society. 💙

Geeves1

That's a DOUBLE double-crested cormorant then.

Dave
@albatrossity.bsky.social

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #WingsOpenNotFlying — birds with their wings open when not flying. The Alt theme is #Blue — any bird with Blue in its plumage. Here's a twofer. Lilac-breasted Roller, Tanzania 2018 #Birds #NaturePhotography #Nature #Wildlife #Tanzania #Africa

Bird on bare ground, with brownish back, green head, and various shades of electric blue on its open wings
4096d ago
Norman Yolk2

"Look at me, I'm an airplane!!"

willfulchipmunk.bsky.social2

Wow, some birds are just off the charts beautiful!

Marie Antoinette's Porcelain Milk Pail2

#Blue #WingsOpenNotFlying not open, barely blue

PacBirds1

Beautiful 😍, my spark bird!

PacBirds
@pacbirds.bsky.social

A rufous hummingbird (immature) for the #WingsOpenNotFlying theme of #BirdOfTheDay #birds #nature #photography #ECK #stunday

Immature rufous hummingbird has landed on a twig with its wings behind it. It is perched on a spider flower plant with red flowers and bright green pinnate leaves. Based on vocalizations, and images of the tail feathers it is not an Allen’s which are very rare in our inland area.
3256d ago
Aj d'Wit (Audrey)1

Outstanding photo. Great photography. It truly is a beautiful photo. 😍👌🏼

Aintright
@aintright.bsky.social

Barry the Blue Tit #BirdOfTheDay #Blue #birds #photography #ECK

3065d ago
happyfeed.bsky.social2

What a beautiful photo – thank you very much. It was my mother's favorite bird; she passed away exactly a year ago today. 💛🩵

Atlantic Birding
@atlanticbirding.bsky.social

🪶 Rob has chosen #WingsOpenNotFlying as #BirdOfTheDay theme; birds with their wing open when not flying Alternative is #Blue, birds with blue in their plumage - I’ll go alt with a Blue Tit perched on a small branch in shade #birdphotography #ECK #birds #birdsofbluesky #naturephotography #Stunday

A Blue Tit perched on a small, diagonal willow branch, which comes from the bottom right of the shot and ends in the upper left hand corner. The bird is right of centre of the shot, facing the camera with its head turned to the right so the right side of its head is shown. The bird has a bright blue crown on its head, its cheeks are white with a black/blue border and eye stripe as well as a line under its short bill. Its underbelly is lemon yellow and its back is green with blue on the wings and tail. Its feet are a bluish grey. The light on the bird is muted a bit but there is still a shadow of a small branch visible down the centre of the bird. There are three other, out of focus branches in the back ground in the top left, and two towards the bottom right. All follow the direction of the branch the bird is in, more or less. The background is out of focus grass and vegetation, giving a green and white hue.
2886d ago
Marjo Slingerland-Boks1

They are always so cute and lovely to see in the garden here. What a lovely photo and wonderful background AB✨️

Brian Smith
@briansmith-photos.eurosky.social

#WingsOpenNotFlying is the #BirdoftheDay prompt and this Great Blue Heron just landed with a splash ang getting it's balance. #Birds #eck 🪶

A Great Blue Heron lands with a splash against a calm blue water background. Wings still spread and head high and pointed slightly up.
2425d ago
defeline.bsky.social1

What a fantastic photo! I love the stop-mo water droplets!

wizard prang1

Looks like he's leading a symphony orchestra tbh.

Mstreefrog1

Gorgeous capture, Brian. Brings to mind a sun salute 🌞🫡

Darth Hippy1

See a lot of these here in Oregon in the fields looking for stuff to eat.

Birding Ralph 🐦🦆🦉🦋🐞📸
@birderbro.bsky.social

Common Sandpiper with #WingsOpenNotFlying for #BirdOfTheDay // #BirdsSeenIn2026 🇩🇪 This bird hatched this year and is heading for its first fall & winter. Good luck, little friend, on your journey south! #birds #photography #nature #naturephotography #birding #fall #autumn #waders #shorebirds

2406d ago
Martin Lévesque 🇨🇦1

Please come back! Beautiful photo.

Perry Smale1

Looks more like a Ringed Plover.

Diane Traenkle 💙✊🏾🌈
@dtrenk.bsky.social

#WingsOpenNotFlying Great Egret #BirdOfTheDay

2345d ago
Michael R Photography 🌿
@msriffle.bsky.social

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #WingsOpenNotFlying. It was just before takeoff for this brown pelican. It had been feeding in the shallows of a pond near the Gulf of Mexico. #photography #wildlife #ECK #birds #birders #birdsky #conservation #biodiversity #nature #ecology #pelicans

2076d ago
Jan1

Your patience rewards ALL of us who see your amazing photos. As always THANKS SO MUCH

Fraggs Photography 📸🦊🦉🦋🦔 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
@fraggenstein.bsky.social

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #WingsOpenNotFlying, birds with their wings open when not flying set by @robcrank68.bsky.social - a backlit Cormorant drying its wings on Radyr Weir - Forest Farm Nature Reserve - South Wales 😍🪶🦉 #birdingwales #ukbirding #ECK

1805d ago
Amy Gann
@amygann.bsky.social

A fall morning on the river. For the #birdoftheday theme of #blue #birds #heron #protectnature #EastCoastKin #autumn

A great blue heron stands among some fallen branches on a small island in the river. Behind it are some leaves on a tree thay have turned yellow with the season.
1636d ago
Neil Cameron3

Great minds think alike in terms of shots, although I'm not going to use mine for BotD. This one was VERY late in leaving for the south.

Marjo Slingerland-Boks1

So lovely and beautiful Amy in this wonderful light ✨️ 💙

HLK
@hlkfotos.com

Early morning Anna's hummingbird. #BirdOfTheDay #WingsOpenNotFlying 📷🌿🪶

A photo of a young male Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) perched on a thin branch with its wings spread and its head tilted up. Its long black bill reaches toward a cluster of tiny pink flowers and green berries on a snowberry shrub (Symphoricarpos albus) as it feeds. It is a very small bird with a gray-green body and a speckled throat that shows a small patch of bright red gorget feathers just coming in. A few slender brown twigs frame the scene, and the background is a soft blur of tan and green.
1626d ago
Neil Cameron1

Superb image, Heather. Love how sharp, bright, and shiny the eye is!

Valarie Smith1

Not a big hummingbird fan but wow, that’s an amazing photo.

Birdfolio1

Love the open wings! Fun fact: this bird is named after Anna Masséna, Duchess of Rivoli. Her husband, a bird collector with 12,500 specimens, got one too: Rivoli's Hummingbird. Gould's top bird has a few red throat feathers like yours. John Gould, A Monograph of the Trochilidae (1849–61)

julielfrost.bsky.social
@julielfrost.bsky.social

A great blue heron for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme, #WingsOpenNotFlying and the Alt theme is #Blue. #Birds #BirdPhotography #Herons #wildlife #Nature

A great blue heron is perched on a fallen branch, leaning slightly forward with its wings partially open.
1696d ago
LaffingKat1

Beautiful shot, and a nice twofer!

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