Ken Goering
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kengoering.bsky.social
Ken Goering
@kengoering.bsky.social
630 followers 880 following 300 posts
We live in a fifth-wheel to see the sights and sites of the United States, and now find ourselves in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unless otherwise noted, all bird photos taken with a Canon R7, 100-400mm f/5.6-8 lens, and 1.4x extender. https://talesofthegoddard.com/
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kengoering.bsky.social
Ken Goering @kengoering.bsky.social · Sep 25
We spent some pleasant hours strolling about Back Basin in Yellowstone National Park’s Norris Geyser Basin earlier this month, and I had some recollections of the spectacular sights and sulfurous smells. #nationalparks #wyoming

talesofthegoddard.com/2025/09/24/b...
Back Basin at Yellowstone National Park
Norris Geyser BasinSeptember 12, 2025 Norris Geyser Basin, located in the northwest quadrant of Yellowstone National Park, is one of the most active hydrothermal regions in the park and contains ra…
talesofthegoddard.com
kengoering.bsky.social
I was happy to see this loggerhead shrike on a visit to Clark County Wetlands Park last week. As with a few other birds I saw, it was far away enough that I didn't know what it was until I came home and began resizing photos. #birds #lasvegas #nevada #murderbird
A small bird is perched at the very end of a slender tree branch. The bird has a grayish-white chest and neck, a gray head, and a black stripe from its black beak across its eye. It is in side profile. The bird's beak has a distinctive sharp point at its end.
February 12, 2026 at 4:06 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
An American coot patrols the shoreline of the Las Vegas Wash; photo taken at Clark County Wetlands Park earlier this year. #BirdOfTheDay #WaterBirds #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A duck-sized water bird with a gray body, black head, red eye, and whitish bill is swimming in water close to the shoreline. The bird is pictured in side profile and facing to the left side of the image.
February 11, 2026 at 3:29 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
A white-crowned sparrow takes in the sights and sounds at Clark County Wetlands Park, southeast of Las Vegas, late last week. There are a lot of these birds at the park – they're fun to see and hear themselves. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A small bird with a mostly brown body, gray head, black stripes behind the eye and on top of its head, and a subtle white stripe between the two black ones is perched on a dry shrub. It is looking back over its left wing to the left side of the image.
February 10, 2026 at 5:42 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
Great blue herons seem out of place when they're perched in trees, but I guess they know what they're doing. This one was in Clark County Wetlands Park, southeast of Las Vegas, last week. That's a bridge going over the Las Vegas Wash in the mid-background and #LasVegas hotels in the far back. #birds
A very tall and slender bird is perched on a tree branch. The bird has a long neck with a slight S curve. The bird has a bluish-gray body, brown neck, and a mostly white face with a yellow beak. An out-of-focus brown metal bridge is in the mid-background, and out-of-focus tall buildings are in the far background.
February 9, 2026 at 4:14 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
This ring-necked duck hen was chillin' in the Las Vegas Wash, southeast of the city, earlier this week. I've noted before that female ducks just give off a calming vibe; I love watching them. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A brown and white duck is standing in shallow flowing water. The bird's head is tucked in tightly to its body. It has a gray-blue bill, with a white ring near the tip which is itself black. The duck's eye is brown.
February 7, 2026 at 3:53 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
For #birds&berries today, here's an American robin I photographed last summer at Devils Tower National Monument in northeastern Wyoming. The plentiful chokecherries were attracting a lot of robins. #birds #nationalparks #wyoming
A mostly gray bird with a red chest and belly is in side profile, its mouth open while it secures a dark-red and small fruit. The bird is perched in a leafy shrub.
February 6, 2026 at 1:38 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
I photographed this crissal thrasher yesterday at Clark County Wetlands Park near Las Vegas. It was so far away that I didn't realize what it was until I began resizing photos at home: a nice surprise! This was one of 15 birds species I saw at the park (listed in ALT text). #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A large gray bird, with a long and curved bill, is perched in a shrub. It's in three-quarter profile, looking to the right side of the image. Bird species I saw yesterday at Clark County Wetlands Park near Las Vegas, Nevada: Say’s phoebe, northern flicker, greater roadrunner, Anna’s hummingbird, red-shouldered hawk, red-winged blackbird, great blue heron, black-crowned night heron, spotted sandpiper, American coot, ring-necked duck, verdin, crissal thrasher, northern mockingbird, and loggerhead shrike.
February 6, 2026 at 1:32 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
This great-tailed grackle was perched upon a travel trailer's wifi antennae for quite some time this morning in our Las Vegas campground – long enough for me to take the dog out for his morning walk, return to our trailer, and get my camera. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
An all-black bird, with some green iridescence showing on its body, is perched on some hardware on a pole. Great-tailed grackles are sized between an American robin and an American crow. This bird, which has a bright yellow eye and a fairly flamboyant long tail, is in side profile and looking back over its left wing. The Nevada sky in the background is clear and blue.
February 5, 2026 at 8:31 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
Rummaging through some old photos this morning, I came across my one and only photo of an American kestrel. This picture was taken near Ririe Reservoir in southeast Idaho a couple of years ago. Kestrels are absolutely beautiful little falcons. #birds #idaho
A small falcon is perched upon a wooden utility pole. It has a multicolored body, mostly tan-to-white, with black spots on its chest and russet-brown and blue markings on its wings. The bird is in three-quarter profile and the Idaho sky in the background is clear and bright blue.
February 1, 2026 at 5:50 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
This American widgeon hen was paddling about a pond in Albuquerque's BioPark a couple of years ago. I really appreciate the calming vibes that female ducks give off -- very serene ladies. #birdoftheday #ducks #birds #newmexico
A mostly gray duck, with brown feathers toward the bottom of her body, is swimming in a body of water. She has a light-blue bill with a black tip. She's in side profile and looking toward the camera.
January 31, 2026 at 6:10 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
I saw my first greater roadrunner of the year at Clark County Wetlands Park, just southeast of Las Vegas, last Friday. It was running on a road. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A larger bird, perhaps the size of a small domestic chicken, is in side profile on a dirt surface and in front of a gray-green shrub. The bird is mostly shades of brown, with a bright white and red stripe behind its eye. It has a relatively long and gently curved beak.
January 27, 2026 at 2:00 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
One of my favorite #paddling birds, a pied-billed grebe, on the Las Vegas Wash last Friday. It was a mostly overcast day, but the sun came out for a little bit to highlight this little water bird. #birds #lasvegas #nevada #birdoftheday
A paddling mostly brown bird, swimming in water. It is in side profile and facing the right side of the image. It has a dark-brown to black eye, and a grayish-brown short and stout bill. These little birds are 12-15 inches (31-38 cm) in length. They are absolutely adorable.
January 26, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by Ken Goering
danwoodswriter.bsky.social
Laissez Faire Christianity is a hell of a drug.
January 25, 2026 at 1:52 AM
kengoering.bsky.social
Looking positively prehistoric, this double-crested cormorant is drying itself on a rock in the Las Vegas Wash. Photo taken last week at Clark County Wetlands Park, southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A large black and gray bird is standing on a rock in the middle of a river. The bird has a long neck, a turquoise-colored eye, and a long orange bill that is sharply curved at the end. The bird has black webbed feet, and its wings are folded in.
January 23, 2026 at 2:57 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
This male house finch was enjoying the sun at Clark County Wetlands Park earlier this month. He was in a group of fairly chatty finches – it was good to hear. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A small bird is perched on a tree branch. It has red feathers on its head and chest, and a streaky brown and gray body. The bird's beak is short and stout, and it is in side profile.
January 22, 2026 at 3:24 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
A backlit black phoebe perches on a four-wing saltbush near the Las Vegas Wash at Clark County Wetlands Park earlier this month. All of the blurry spots around the bird are flying insects, which this flycatcher surely appreciated. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A mostly black bird is perched, with its back to the camera, on a shrub with many light-brown leaves. The bird is looking to its left. There are several blurry light-colored spots surrounding the bird; they are out-of-focus flying insects.
January 21, 2026 at 3:33 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
A couple of double-crested cormorants sunning themselves in the middle of the Las Vegas Wash, under close observation by a common merganser. I saw 10 different bird species (list in the ALT text) on or above the water during my brief visit there last week – great diversity. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A large black bird is standing on a rock in a river with its back to the camera and its wings spread wide. A bird of the same species is in the background, also standing on a rock with its back to the camera but its wings are tucked in. A duck with reddish-orange feathers on its head, a white chest, and a light-gray body is swimming between the two. (Species seen on or over the water: American white pelican, American coot, ring-necked duck, bufflehead, common merganser, pied-billed grebe, great blue heron, black-crowned night heron, black phoebe, double-crested cormorant.)
January 20, 2026 at 4:05 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
This was a lifer for me last week: a black-crowned night heron, on a bank of the Las Vegas Wash in southern Nevada. As is its wont, an American coot is also on the scene. Yes, the wash is polluted with human trash from upstream but it still seems to support wildlife. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A small heron, white with dark-gray feathers on its wings and the top of its head, is hunched on a riverbank. It has a bright red eye. A smaller black water bird is seen swimming in the foreground. Some sort of blue trash can be seen behind the heron.
January 19, 2026 at 2:39 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
Here was a bit of a surprise on our visit to Clark County Wetlands Park near Las Vegas yesterday: this coyote stood on the concrete path and stared at us for a bit, and then trotted onto an adjoining dirt trail. We had previously seen sign of them but never one directly. #wildlife #lasvegas #nevada
A wild canine is standing in side profile on a concrete path, looking forward. Most of its body is in shadow. The fur is gray and reddish-brown. The same wild canine is pictured on a dirt trail, standing away from the viewer with its head turned over its left front shoulder and looking toward the camera. It again is mostly in shadow.
January 16, 2026 at 4:41 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
My dog and I returned to Clark County Wetlands Park yesterday and saw 13 different bird species. We enjoyed seeing two different individuals of verdins. These little birds are _tiny_: about 4 inches (10 cm) long and weighing .2 oz (6 grams) -- smaller than a chickadee. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A mostly gray bird, lighter in the chest and neck while darker on the wings, with dark-yellow feathers on the face. The bird has a very short beak. It is perched on a slender branch in side profile and looking to the right side of the image. The Nevada sky behind is clear and blue.
January 16, 2026 at 4:21 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
Using its mighty peculiar lobed feet, an American coot launches itself into the Las Vegas Wash last week at Clark County Wetlands Park. The waterway transports treated wastewater and runoff from Las Vegas back to Lake Mead about 20 miles downstream from where this photo was taken. #birds #lasvegas
A water bird with a black head, gray body, red eye, and an off-white bill lowers itself from a waterside rock into a stream. The bird's feet are pale yellow and lobed, with no webbing. It is pictured in side profile and facing to the left of the image.
January 15, 2026 at 2:17 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
This northern mockingbird was hanging out on a mesquite tree at Clark County Wetlands Park near Las Vegas, Nevada, last week. I didn't hear it make any calls, but I'm sure it has an impressive repertoire. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A bird about the size of an American robin is perched on a thorny branch. The bird is varying shades of gray, darker on the wings and back while lighter on the neck and chest. It has a fairly long tail and a gently curved beak. It is pictured in side profile and is looking to the right side of the image.
January 13, 2026 at 2:42 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
I made my first visit of the year to Clark County Wetlands Park near Las Vegas last week and saw several different bird species, including this pretty female house finch. She was among several other finches flitting about in the trees, happily chirping away. #birds #lasvegas #nevada
Pictured is a small and mostly gray bird with lighter-colored streaks of feathers on her chest and belly. Her beak is short but stout; she is pictured in side profile, perched on a bare tree branch, and is looking to the left side of the image.
January 12, 2026 at 4:38 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
This Anna's hummingbird hangs out on the regular next to the dog park in our Las Vegas campground. Seeing it in the same spot every morning is a great start to my day (and probably my dog's as well). #birds #lasvegas #nevada
A small bird, with the volume of a ping-pong ball and the mass of an American nickel, is perched on a tiny tree branch. It has a long and slender beak, and is pictured in side profile looking to the right of the image. Most of its body is covered in iridescent green feathers, and the feathers on its forehead an chin are nearly black. The Nevada sky in the background is clear and blue.
January 9, 2026 at 4:00 PM
kengoering.bsky.social
A well-camouflaged mourning dove patrols the grounds outside the Lake Mead National Recreation Area Visitor Center on December 27 last year. This is the last bird photo I took in 2025; I saw 96 different avian species during the course of the year. #birds #nationalparks #lasvegas #nevada
A mostly gray and light-brown bird, with dots of black and blue-ish gray, is pictured among mostly gray and light-brown rocks and shrubs. The bird, pictured in side profile, has a bright blue circle around its eye.
January 8, 2026 at 3:10 PM