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marsha8of9.bsky.social
Marsha8of9
@marsha8of9.bsky.social
1.6K followers 210 following 2.3K posts

Bird photographer hobbyist. Began birding to give my then 13-year-old child and I something in common. Now years later, I'm obsessed, and they could care less. All photos are my own unless otherwise noted. #exPost #exX #Ohio
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marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy #Blackbird #FeatheredFriday friends.. Rusty Blackbird wishing you a happy shopping day! #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin 🪶📷🦉
Center frame looking and facing left, a Rusty Blackbird is perched on a limb with a tree trunk in the background.
November 28, 2025 at 1:47 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Thanksgiving friends... A favorite Wild Turkey shot from '24: "Turkey's hitching a ride out of town b4 the Thanksgiving holiday". Have a beautiful day everyone--I'm very thankful you all are in my life. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature 🪶📷 #eastcoastkin #photography
The scene shows four Wild Turkey's on the right side of a road, looking at a car fast approaching on the left as if to say "Stop and get us out of dodge before they try to eat us..."
November 27, 2025 at 6:12 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy #Wrendsay friends... Came across a family of Carolina Wrens last week but only managed to get two of the four in one shot. Still, pretty cool find.
Two Carolina Wrens are featured in this photo. One is in the upper left center, while the other is in the lower right corner. Both are facing right on a jumble of leafless twigs.
November 26, 2025 at 2:13 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Tuesday friends... nothing marks the start and end of seasonal migration like sight of Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Was surprised to find a couple still in my area, while most others have left for warmer climates. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin 🪶🦉📷
Center frame, perched on leafless branch, facing and looking left. From allboutbirds.org., Kinglets are tiny songbirds with relatively large heads, almost no neck, and thin tails. They have very small, thin, straight bills. Ruby-crowned Kinglets are olive-green birds with a prominent white eyering and white wingbar. This wingbar contrasts with an adjacent blackish bar in the wing. The “ruby crown” of the male is only occasionally visible.
November 25, 2025 at 2:52 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy new week friends... Caught this Brown Creeper yesterday and enjoyed watching as they looked in every nook and cranny of the tree bark for a possible meal. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #Photography #eastcoastkin
Center frame, a Brown Creeper facing left while perched against a tree, head down, examining possible insect larvae for a meal. From Allaboutbirds.org., Streaked brown and buff above, with their white underparts usually hidden against a tree trunk, Brown Creepers blend easily into bark. Their brownish heads show a broad, buffy stripe over the eye (supercilium). Brown Creepers are tiny yet lanky songbirds. They have long, spine-tipped tails, slim bodies, and slender, decurved bills.
November 24, 2025 at 2:23 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Sunday friends... Just finished making my yearly 2026 calendar; going back through my hard drive to find 12 favorite shots w/a few more thrown in for good measure. Here's 1:90k that did not make the cut. #birds #birdingOH #nature #photography #wildlife #eastcoastkin🪶🦉📷
Three Northern Shoveler Ducks on water crossing in front of the viewer. Two females (coarsely marked brown feathers with orange bill) are in the background, while a solitary male (green head, yellow eyes with brown flanks) is in the foreground. Note their shovel-shaped beaks, aptly applied to their name.
November 23, 2025 at 3:51 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy #featheredfriday friends... Our invasive-resident species, the House Finch is wishing you a fine day and please overlook their inherent, English Accent. #birds #birdingOH #nature #photography #wildlife #eastcoastkin🪶🦉📷
A House Finch recognized by their brown striped body, with reddish colored head and breast and one wing bar is dead center in photo, on a lower leafless branch their body facing left but their head is turned to look straight at the viewer.
November 21, 2025 at 1:44 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Thursday friends... From May, I came across this lovely Common Nighthawk & took about 50 shots while they were waking up to start their evening hunt. Just a cool, camouflage-friendly bird. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin🪶🦉📷
Center frame, facing and looking right on a leafless tree limb, sits a Common Nighthawk, ruffling their feathers. From Allaboutbirds.org., Common Nighthawks are medium-sized, slender birds with very long, pointed wings and medium-long tails. Only the small tip of the bill is usually visible, and this combined with the large eye and short neck gives the bird a big-headed look.
November 20, 2025 at 2:41 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy #Wrensday friends... I caught a Winter wren last Friday during my cemetery walk, but the photos were lousy... so I've reached back to Oct. '24 for a better photo to share. A very feisty kind of cute. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin
Center left, a Winter wren is standing on a thin branch, suspended over dead trees, covered in moss. Standing and facing right. From Allaboutbirds.org., The Winter Wren is a plump round ball with a stubby tail that it usually holds straight up. Its bill is small and thin, in keeping with its diminutive appearance. In the dark forest understory, the Winter Wren appears brown overall. With a closer look, you’ll see darker brown barring on the wings, tail, and belly. It has a pale tan eyebrow stripe above the eye and a plain brown cap. Its unmarked throat and barred belly are pale tan, paler than the back.
November 19, 2025 at 3:40 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Tuesday friends... working through my hard drive and found this Wood Stork from my visits to Myrtle Beach over the years. A bird who's beauty is unique only unto themselves. #birds #birdingSC #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin
Center frame on a spat of sand, surrounded by water and oyster shells, stand a Wood Stork. A tall, lanky bird, with beautiful white wings with black tips, a bald head and face with a dagger like bill. From Audubon.com., A Huge and long-legged, with mostly white body, naked gray head, heavy bill. Juvenile has yellow bill and dusky head. In flight, black and white wing pattern.
November 18, 2025 at 1:54 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy new week friends... the great thing about fall migration is, you never know who might show up--like this Common Loon who took a break at an area cemetery pond. Very cool indeed. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin 🪶🦉📷
Lower center frame, on a very cloudy day, a nonbreeding or immature Common Loon is seen floating merrily along on the waters of a retention pond. From Allaboubirds.org., Common Loons are large, diving waterbirds with rounded heads and dagger-like bills. They have long bodies and short tails that are usually not visible. In flight, they look stretched out, with a long, flat body and long neck and bill. Their feet stick out beyond the tail (unlike ducks and cormorants), looking like wedges.
November 17, 2025 at 3:36 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Sunday friends... One bird I don't photograph often is the Mourning Dove, primarily because I'm not looking for birds near feeders. Nevertheless, I caught this beauty just chilling on the forest floor and thought, why not? #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography 🪶🦉📷
Center right in frame sits Mourning dove in borb form, looking and facing right. From allaboutbirds.org., Plump-bodied and long-tailed, with short legs, small bill, and a head that looks particularly small in comparison to the body. The long, pointed tail is unique among North American doves. Mourning Doves often match their open-country surroundings. They’re delicate brown to buffy-tan overall, with black spots on the wings and black-bordered white tips to the tail feathers.
November 16, 2025 at 3:07 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Saturday friends... while birding Friday, I ran into a chorus of White-throated Sparrows gleefully beeping and singing. Love our winter residents! #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin 🪶🦉📷
Center left of frame, a White-throated Sparrow is perched on a thin, diagonal branch, facing and looking left--leaving us a profile of the bird. From Allaboutbirds.org., The White-throated Sparrow is a large, full-bodied sparrow with a fairly prominent bill, rounded head, long legs, and long, narrow tail. White-throated Sparrows are brown above and gray below with a striking head pattern. The black-and-white-striped head is augmented by a bright white throat and yellow between the eye and the bill, which is gray. You’ll also see a less boldly marked form, known as “tan-striped,” with a buff-on-brown face pattern instead of white-on-black.
November 15, 2025 at 3:22 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy #FeatheredFriday friends... 1st time I saw a Sandhill Crane was at Yellowstone in 2016. Came home, went to the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Curtis, OH and was shocked to see they lived there too. Oh, what a blessing! #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin 🪶🦉📷
Four Sandhill cranes in flight. From Allaboutbirds.org., Sandhill Cranes are very large, tall birds with a long neck, long legs, and very broad wings. The bulky body tapers into a slender neck; the short tail is covered by drooping feathers that form a “bustle.” The head is small and the bill is straight and longer than the head. These are slate gray birds, often with a rusty wash on the upperparts. Adults have a pale cheek and red skin on the crown. Their legs are black. Juveniles are gray and rusty brown, without the pale cheek or red crown.
November 14, 2025 at 1:51 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Thursday friends... we are anxiously awaiting a "finch irruption" to our area. Having found some Pine Siskins last month, who else could be close behind🤞🤞? Until then, enjoy this winter visitor, the Pine Siskin. 🪶🦉📷 #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin
Center right of frame, a Pine Siskin is perched upon a mossy tree branch, facing and looking right. From Allaboutbirds.org., Pine Siskins are very small songbirds with sharp, pointed bills and short, notched tails. Their uniquely shaped bill is more slender than that of most finches. In flight, look for their forked tails and pointed wingtips. Pine siskins are brown and very streaky birds with subtle yellow edgings on wings and tails. Flashes of yellow can erupt as they take flight, flutter at branch tips, or display during mating.
November 13, 2025 at 1:30 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy #woodpeckerWednesday friends. While this is not a "yard bird" for me, Pileated Woodpeckers are native to my area and can be found at all of our area Metroparks--where seeing and photographing one is always a treat! #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin 🪶🦉📷
Center right of frame, a Pileated woodpecker is found in a vertical position, parallel to the tree they are perched, inspecting every nook and cranny looking for Carpenter Ants--their favorite snack. From Allaboutbirds.org., Pileated Woodpecker's is a very large woodpecker with a long neck and a triangular crest that sweeps off the back of the head. The bill is long and chisel-like, about the length of the head. In flight, the wings are broad and the bird can seem crowlike. Pileated Woodpeckers are mostly black with white stripes on the face and neck and a flaming-red crest. Males have a red stripe on the cheek. In flight, the bird reveals extensive white underwings and small white crescents on the upper side, at the bases of the primaries.
November 12, 2025 at 2:43 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Tuesday friends... one of the "usual" suspects I enjoy seeing is the White-breasted Nuthatch. Their laugh-like call makes them easily identifiable, and they usually pause for photos. A nice, hearty-year-round bird. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photograpy #eastcoastkin 🪶🦉📷
Center frame perched on tree bark facing downward, but their upper body is pushing off away from the tree. This is likely a female due to the light gray coloring on their head, other than the male's striking dark blue. From Allaboutbirds.org., A common feeder bird with clean black, gray, and white markings, White-breasted Nuthatches are active, agile little birds with an appetite for insects and large, meaty seeds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal yammering will lead you right to them.
November 11, 2025 at 2:51 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy new week friends... another surprise find from February is the elusive Gray Ghost aka Northern Harrier male. Heavily cropped and edited, I was surprised it turned out as well as it did. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin
Center frame. A male Northern Harrier in flight. Light brownish gray above, white below, brownish wingtips. Sometimes known as the Gray Ghost due to it's distinctive gray coloring. From Allaboutbirds.org., The Northern Harrier is distinctive from a long distance away: a slim, long-tailed hawk gliding low over a marsh or grassland, holding its wings in a V-shape and sporting a white patch at the base of its tail. Up close it has an owlish face that helps it hear mice and voles beneath the vegetation. Each gray-and-white male may mate with several females, which are larger and brown. These unusual raptors have a broad distribution across North America.
November 10, 2025 at 3:28 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Sunday friends... Paring down my hard drive is a tedious game, but rediscovering shots long forgotten-is a reward. From Feb, @ Kildeer Plains Wildlife Area in Wyandot Co., a beautiful American Kestrel, allowed a few photos. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin 🪶🦉📷
Perched on a presumed telephone wire, a male American Kestrel sits pensively, center frame; presumably looking down into the ditch in search for some yummy Vols. From Allaboutbirds.org., The slender American Kestrel is roughly the size and shape of a Mourning Dove, although it has a larger head; longer, narrow wings; and long, square-tipped tail. In flight, the wings are often bent and the wingtips swept back. American Kestrels are pale when seen from below and warm, rusty brown spotted with black above, with a black band near the tip of the tail. Males have slate-blue wings; females’ wings are reddish brown. Both sexes have pairs of black vertical slashes on the sides of their pale faces—sometimes called a “mustache” and a “sideburn."
November 9, 2025 at 3:16 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
I was part of that Connecticut watch... and here's my proof...😁🤣😂 quick walkers that they are, lol
November 8, 2025 at 12:02 AM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Congrats on your Palm--I didn't see one at all this fall. I did find an Orange-crowned Warbler in late September at Side Cut Metropark in Maumee, OH and was surprised when I did. I also had the good fortune to find one at Magee Marsh in early May, just before the festival began.
November 7, 2025 at 7:29 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy #FeatheredFriday friends... we are entering the "usual suspects" zone since many of the exotics have migrated out. Still, this guy is not too shabby, albeit loud. They are also an effective warning system against predators. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin 🪶🦉📷
Center frame, perched on a leafless branch a Blue Jay sits facing and looking at the viewer. From Allaboutbirdsorg., Large crested songbird with broad, rounded tail. Blue Jays are smaller than crows, larger than robins. White or light gray underneath, various shades of blue, black, and white above.
November 7, 2025 at 7:20 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Thursday friends... yesterday several flocks of Double-crested Cormorants numbering over 21K were counted flying over the western Basin of Lake Erie. Color me WOWWED. In a quieter time, here's a pair chilling on pier pylons. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin 🪶🦉📷
Center left and right of frame, a pair of Double-crested Cormorants (immatures), are perched upon two separate pier pylons. Presumably a wooden dock plays host as the backdrop to these two birds. From Allaboutbirds.org., Double-crested Cormorants are large waterbirds with small heads on long, kinked necks. They have thin, strongly hooked bills, roughly the length of the head. Their heavy bodies sit low in the water. Adults are brown-black with a small patch of yellow-orange skin on the face. Immatures are browner overall, palest on the neck and breast. In the breeding season, adults develop a small double crest of stringy black or white feathers.
November 6, 2025 at 7:41 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy #WoodpeckerWednesday friends... Caught this Downy Woodpecker preening and pruning on a branch in the spring, seemingly unaware I was photographing him. A pretty bird species with a strong case of imposter syndrome. #birds #birdingOH, #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin 🪶🦉📷
Center frame, body facing right with their head tuned facing left., a male Downy Woodpecker in the middle of preening on a solitary tree branch. The background is a mix of green leaves and other tree branches. From Allaboutbirds.org., Downy Woodpeckers are small versions of the classic woodpecker body plan. They have a straight, chisel-like bill, blocky head, wide shoulders, and straight-backed posture as they lean away from tree limbs and onto their tail feathers. The bill tends to look smaller for the bird’s size than in other woodpeckers. Downy Woodpeckers give a checkered black-and-white impression. The black upperparts are checked with white on the wings, the head is boldly striped, and the back has a broad white stripe down the center. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head. The outer tail feathers are typically white with a few black spots.
November 5, 2025 at 3:25 PM
marsha8of9.bsky.social
Happy Tuesday friends... The leaves are dropping in earnest now, reminding me to be thankful for shots like this, where the Dark-eyed Junco may be the main character, but the supporting cast may be more stunning. #birds #birdingOH #wildlife #nature #photography #eastcoastkin🪶🦉📷
Center frame against the backdrop of orange and yellowing hydrangea petals sits a slate-colored Dark-eyed junco, perched and facing left, the bird's head slightly askew appearing to look side-eyed at the viewer. From Allaboutbirds.org., Dark-eyed Juncos are neat, even flashy little sparrows that flit about forest floors of the western mountains and Canada, then flood the rest of North America for winter. They’re easy to recognize by their crisp (though extremely variable) markings and the bright white tail feathers they habitually flash in flight. Dark-eyed Juncos are among the most abundant forest birds of North America. Look for them on woodland walks as well as in flocks at your feeders or on the ground beneath them.
November 4, 2025 at 2:40 PM