Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • The black-crowned night heron is one of the most elusive species of heron in North America, and can be found throughout most of the world on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Active primarily at night and nearly invisible during the day, these ambush hunters fish the water's edge for fish, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mussels, clams, small rodents and anything else they can overpower. This one was found stalking its prey in the early evening in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black-crowned Night Heron
  • The black-crowned night heron is one of the most elusive species of heron in North America, and can be found throughout most of the world on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Active primarily at night and nearly invisible during the day, these ambush hunters fish the water's edge for fish, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mussels, clams, small rodents and anything else they can overpower. This one was found stalking its prey in the early evening in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black-crowned Night Heron
  • The black-crowned night heron is one of the most elusive species of heron in North America, and can be found throughout most of the world on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Active primarily at night and nearly invisible during the day, these ambush hunters fish the water's edge for fish, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mussels, clams, small rodents and anything else they can overpower. This one was found stalking its prey in the early evening in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black-crowned Night Heron
  • The black-crowned night heron is one of the most elusive species of heron in North America, and can be found throughout most of the world on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Active primarily at night and nearly invisible during the day, these ambush hunters fish the water's edge for fish, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mussels, clams, small rodents and anything else they can overpower. This one was found stalking its prey in the early evening in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black-crowned Night Heron
  • Eastern kingbird seen in the Big Cypress National Preserve. It kept landing near us and seemed to want to be photographed!
    Eastern Kingbird
  • This strikingly beautiful member of the tyrant flycatcher bird family was seen protecting its territory and small family group of four individuals in a tree overlooking a pond in the Warm Springs State Wildlife Management Area near Anaconda, Montana. Eastern kingbirds are known for their aggression towards other birds and other animals and will often dive-bomb intruders, like this one did to me while getting this photograph.
    Eastern Kingbird-1
  • This strikingly beautiful member of the tyrant flycatcher bird family was seen protecting its territory and small family group of four individuals in a tree overlooking a pond in the Warm Springs State Wildlife Management Area near Anaconda, Montana. Eastern kingbirds are known for their aggression towards other birds and other animals and will often dive-bomb intruders, like this one did to me while getting this photograph.
    Eastern Kingbird-2
  • The black-crowned night heron is one of the most elusive species of heron in North America, and can be found throughout most of the world on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Active primarily at night and nearly invisible during the day, these ambush hunters fish the water's edge for fish, reptiles, insects, crustaceans, mussels, clams, small rodents and anything else they can overpower. This one was found stalking its prey in the early evening in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Black-crowned Night Heron
  • Common throughout most of the United States and Canada (except the Southeastern states) the horned lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a passerine songbird that holds an enormous range of not only habitat, but also altitude. It can be found from sea level to alpine regions up to thirteen thousand feet. Wherever they may be encountered, they might be considered impossible to see, such as this juvenile that is so perfectly camouflaged in its dry and dusty home in the hills above Cowiche Canyon near Yakima, Washington that I didn't even notice it until it moved.
    Horned Lark-2
  • A protective mother wood duck hen speeds across a duckweed-covered pond with her chicks hot on her tail by Soos Creek in Kent, Washington on a hot summer day.
    Wood Duck Hen with Ducklings
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-4
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found screaming its head off in some trees next to an urban path in McAllen, Texas on a very hot summer afternoon.
    Great Kiskadee
  • The snowy egret is one of the New World's most widespread egrets, found pretty much everywhere from Southern Canada to Argentina where it is often found along just about any kind of water source, pond, lake, ocean or river where it can find food. With its distinctive bright yellow feet and lores (area in front of the eyes), white plumage and long thin necks this beautiful water bird is often curious and not terribly shy around people. This one was photographed by a lake in Southern Hidalgo County near Weslaco, Texas.
    Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
  • The snowy egret is one of the New World's most widespread egrets, found pretty much everywhere from Southern Canada to Argentina where it is often found along just about any kind of water source, pond, lake, ocean or river where it can find food. With its distinctive bright yellow feet and lores (area in front of the eyes), white plumage and long thin necks this beautiful water bird is often curious and not terribly shy around people. This one was photographed by a lake in Southern Hidalgo County near Weslaco, Texas.
    Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
  • Jive turkey pose! This noisy and unsuspecting chachalaca was found and photographed just as it noticed me with this great surprised pose and look in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in near Weslaco, Texas. At the northern tip of its range, this large upland game bird can be found from the southern tip of Texas, throughout Mexico and south to Central America. Noisy as other members of the galliform family (turkeys, chickens, pheasants, grouse, etc.), the name chachalaca means "chatterbox" - a fitting name!
    Plain Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula)
  • Of all of the neotropical songbirds of North America, the black-crested titmouse has to be the cutest of them all! A member of the Paridae family of birds (which includes chickadees and other titmice), these little passerines are found in forests and riparian environments where they hunt for seeds, nuts, berries, insects and insect eggs from Central Mexico north through Central and Western Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This adorable little one was found flitting among the trees in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus a..tus)
  • With its muted yellow coloration with a hidden orange crown, the orange-crowned warbler is one of the most drab of the North American wood warblers but an exciting find nonetheless. This songbird may be small, but it has an enormous range in North America, from Guatemala north to Alaska and the Canadian Arctic, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans! This one was found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco, Texas hopping along the ground and peering into nooks and crannies of tree bark in search of food.
    Orange-crowned Warbler (Leiothlypis ..ata)
  • Shockingly beautiful and lightning fast, the buff-bellied hummingbird is found along the Gulf of Mexico from the Panhandle of Florida to the just south of the Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and into Belize. This incredibly colorful male was found and photographed in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco, Texas was visiting several wildflowers in search of nectar.
    Male Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazi..sis)
  • Shockingly beautiful and lightning fast, the buff-bellied hummingbird is found along the Gulf of Mexico from the Panhandle of Florida to the just south of the Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and into Belize. This incredibly colorful male was found and photographed in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco, Texas was visiting several wildflowers in search of nectar.
    Male Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazi..sis)
  • One of the 14 native doves to North America, the white-winged dove is one of the larger species and is rapidly spreading out of its native range in the desert of the American Southwest, Mexico, Central American and the Caribbean northward into American cities as it adapts to encroaching human development and disappearing natural habitat. These gorgeous doves are easy to spot with the white edges of their wings and the bright blue area around the eyes. This one was found and photographed new Weslaco Texas, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border.
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
  • Rather drab compared to some of the other tropical and subtropical doves, the white-tipped dove has a beautiful reddish-pink eye ring and live primarily in South and Central America, but can be found as far north as the very southern tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. This one was seen and photographed foraging for seeds near Weslaco, Texas in Hidalgo County near the Mexican border.
    White-tipped Dove (Leptotila verreauxi)
  • One of the 14 native doves to North America, the white-winged dove is one of the larger species and is rapidly spreading out of its native range in the desert of the American Southwest, Mexico, Central American and the Caribbean northward into American cities as it adapts to encroaching human development and disappearing natural habitat. These gorgeous doves are easy to spot with the white edges of their wings and the bright blue area around the eyes. This one was found and photographed new Weslaco Texas, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border.
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • Black-bellied whistling duck is one of the coolest and most beautiful southern dabbling ducks that visit the southern United States, with their tricolor black, tan and brown plumage and bright orange bills and feet.  Widespread from the southern tips of Texas and Arizona to nearly all of Central and South America, their range is creeping northward and they have been seen more and more frequently in more southern states including Florida and the Caribbean. This pair was just two of hundreds found and photographed in a pond near Weslaco, Texas on a late winter morning.
    Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendr..lis)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • A rare view of a tree swallow perching in a tree next to its hollowed-out nest above Soos Creek in Kent, Washington.
    Tree Swallow
  • This fascinating plain chachalaca was found and photographed in the Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo County with a number of others of its kind one the ground and in the mesquite trees. At the northern tip of its range, this large upland game bird can be found from the southern tip of Texas, throughout Mexico and south to Central America. Noisy as other members of the galliform family (turkeys, chickens, pheasants, grouse, etc.), the name chachalaca means "chatterbox" - a fitting name!
    Plain Chachalaca 1
  • An incredible find! Swallows are among the most difficult birds to photograph because they are so secretive, fast, low-flying and extremely erratic in flight. Not to mention they are very small and almost never land where you can see them. Tree swallows? Even more impossible. I found this tree swallow only after I just happened to notice it fly out of a nearly-invisible hole in a dead tree. I waited and waited in the wetlands of Soos Creek in Kent, Washington until it came back to its nest.
    Nesting Tree Swallow 1
  • A great blue heron silhouette with a fiery, extraordinary and spectacular sunset over Pensacola Bay, Florida.
    Great Blue Heron Silhouette 2
  • A great blue heron silhouette with a fiery, extraordinary and spectacular sunset over Pensacola Bay, Florida.
    Great Blue Heron Silhouette 1
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting among the trees insects in Southwest Florida's Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, in Fort Myers on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-7
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting among the trees insects in Southwest Florida's Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, in Fort Myers on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-6
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-5
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-3
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-3
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-2
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-1
  • One of many bald eagles actively hunting over Lower Klamath Lake on a sunny late winter day in Northern California.
    Bald Eagle
  • Although this isn't widely known, the big, black & white "ugly" ducks seen in parks and cities around the United States, Canada, Europe and parts of Australia and New Zealand called Muscovy ducks are actually a native of the New World, despite their "Russian-sounding" name. They are found natively from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas south all the way to Uruguay and Northern Argentina. A very large duck, it was already domesticated in pre-Columbian times by the Aztecs before Europeans arrived in North America, who spread them around the world as a food source. This impressive drake (male duck) was found and photographed in its native range near some nesting trees in McAllen, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Muscovy Duck
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found screaming its head off in some trees next to an urban path in McAllen, Texas on a very hot summer afternoon.
    Great Kiskadee
  • The snowy egret is one of the New World's most widespread egrets, found pretty much everywhere from Southern Canada to Argentina where it is often found along just about any kind of water source, pond, lake, ocean or river where it can find food. With its distinctive bright yellow feet and lores (area in front of the eyes), white plumage and long thin necks this beautiful water bird is often curious and not terribly shy around people. This one was photographed by a lake in Southern Hidalgo County near Weslaco, Texas.
    Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
  • The long-billed thrasher is a boldly patterned member of the mimid family (mockingbirds, catbirds, etc.) and is found roughly in a triangular territory that includes all of South Texas and runs south to Monterey and Veracruz in Eastern Mexico. Like other thrashers, it gets its name from its habit of "thrashing" the ground and kicking up leaves and branches in search of food. Interestingly, the long-billed thrasher has a bill that is somewhat ordinary in length compared to some of our other longer-billed native thrashers. This one was found sneaking along the undergrowth in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo County, Texas near the US-Mexico border.
    Long-billed Thrasher (Toxostoma long..tre)
  • Of all of the neotropical songbirds of North America, the black-crested titmouse has to be the cutest of them all! A member of the Paridae family of birds (which includes chickadees and other titmice), these little passerines are found in forests and riparian environments where they hunt for seeds, nuts, berries, insects and insect eggs from Central Mexico north through Central and Western Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This adorable little one was found flitting among the trees in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus a..tus)
  • The desert woodpecker! This small woodpecker is often seen throughout the American Southwest where it hunts among the cactus and mesquite for insects, larvae and cactus fruit in the one place you might not expect to find woodpeckers thriving. This secretive woodpecker can be found anywhere from the dry American states south to Central America, but you'll most likely hear them rather than see them. Patience afforded me this unexpected sight in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in South Texas near the US-Mexico border.
    Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Dryobates ..ris)
  • One of the 14 native doves to North America, the white-winged dove is one of the larger species and is rapidly spreading out of its native range in the desert of the American Southwest, Mexico, Central American and the Caribbean northward into American cities as it adapts to encroaching human development and disappearing natural habitat. These gorgeous doves are easy to spot with the white edges of their wings and the bright blue area around the eyes. This one was found and photographed new Weslaco Texas, in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border.
    White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica)
  • The green jay is one of the most spectacularly colored birds outside of the parrot family. A relative of crows, magpies and blue jays, the green jay is a very intelligent species of corvid and is known to use stick tools to pry insects out from loose tree bark. They are found throughout parts of Central and South America and their northern range just reaches just to the southern tip of Texas, where this one was found in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Green Jay (Cyanocorax luxuosus)
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • There is no mistaking the presence of a great kiskadee. It has a sound like the cross between a monkey and a parrot, and it is LOUD! The great kiskadee is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family and is related to other flycatchers and kingbirds, and just reaches the United States in the southern tip of Texas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and is common as far South as Argentina. It can be found in nearly all of South America except along the Pacific Coast. This one was found flying through the foliage near Weslaco, Texas and just happened to land long enough for this shot.
    Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus)
  • Found all across nearly all of the Northern Hemisphere and Southeast Asia and common in many parts of Africa and India, the northern shoveler is a dabbling duck that has a large, spade-like bill that it uses to filter out tiny plants, seeds and invertebrates from the water. This beautiful drake (male duck) was found in a pond in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge near the Texas-Mexico border.
    Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
  • Easily one of the prettiest of all of our native North American woodpeckers, this stunning male landed on this branch as I was trying to photograph some migratory warblers and completely stole the show. This species can be found in most of Central America and north to Southern and Central Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This one was photographed in a park in Harlingen, Texas  in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Golden-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpe..ons)
  • Very common and easily recognized across most of the eastern half of North American and along most the US/Mexico border, excluding California, the red cardinal (and in particular - the bright red male as seen here) one of our most common backyard birds. They are often seen in pairs searching for seeds and insects in bushes and on the ground, or frequenting bird feeder. This one was a surprise for me, because I've been unsuccessful in getting a decent shot of a nice bright red male for 20 years until last week in South Texas. This one suddenly landed right in front of me and stayed there for about 5 minutes while I had a blast photographing him from different angles.
    Northern Cardinal
  • The green jay is one of the most spectacularly colored birds outside of the parrot family. A relative of crows, magpies and blue jays, the green jay is a very intelligent species of corvid and is known to use stick tools to pry insects out from loose tree bark. They are found throughout parts of Central and South America and their northern range just reaches just to the southern tip of Texas, where this one was found in the Rio Grande Valley.
    Green Jay
  • Common throughout most of the United States and Canada (except the Southeastern states) the horned lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a passerine songbird that holds an enormous range of not only habitat, but also altitude. It can be found from sea level to alpine regions up to thirteen thousand feet. Wherever they may be encountered, they might be considered impossible to see, such as this juvenile that is so perfectly camouflaged in its dry and dusty home in the hills above Cowiche Canyon near Yakima, Washington that I didn't even notice it until it moved.
    Horned Lark -1
  • A mallard drake (male) with paddles around in Soos Creek on a chilly Pacific Northwest winter day in Kent, Washington.
    Mallard Drake
  • A mallard hen swims in Soos Creek in Kent, Washington on a bright summer day.
    Mallard Hen
  • An American robin pauses in the early summer evening while hunting for insects along Soos Creek in Kent Washington.
    American Robin
  • This fascinating plain chachalaca was found and photographed in the Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo County with a number of others of its kind one the ground and in the mesquite trees. At the northern tip of its range, this large upland game bird can be found from the southern tip of Texas, throughout Mexico and south to Central America. Noisy as other members of the galliform family (turkeys, chickens, pheasants, grouse, etc.), the name chachalaca means "chatterbox" - a fitting name!
    Plain Chachalaca 3
  • An incredible find! Swallows are among the most difficult birds to photograph because they are so secretive, fast, low-flying and extremely erratic in flight. Not to mention they are very small and almost never land where you can see them. Tree swallows? Even more impossible. I found this tree swallow only after I just happened to notice it fly out of a nearly-invisible hole in a dead tree. I waited and waited in the wetlands of Soos Creek in Kent, Washington until it came back to its nest.
    Nesting Tree Swallow 2
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting among the trees insects in Southwest Florida's Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, in Fort Myers on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-5
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-4
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-2
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-1
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-11
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-8
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-7
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-10
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-9
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-6
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-5
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-3
  • Recently, the western scrub jay was split into two distinct species: the California scrub jay (which is a brighter blue and is found in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest) and the Woodhouse's scrub jay (which is a duller blue and found in more interior regions away from the coast.) Much like any jay or other corvid, these often loud and very inquisitive birds will eat just about anything they can overpower or steal. These California scrub jays are easy to recognize from their neighboring cousins by the distinct blue "collar" around the neck. This one was found screeching in a maple tree in Southern King County, Washington on a chilly afternoon.
    California Scrub Jay
  • Recently, the western scrub jay was split into two distinct species: the California scrub jay (which is a brighter blue and is found in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest) and the Woodhouse's scrub jay (which is a duller blue and found in more interior regions away from the coast.) Much like any jay or other corvid, these often loud and very inquisitive birds will eat just about anything they can overpower or steal. These California scrub jays are easy to recognize from their neighboring cousins by the distinct blue "collar" around the neck. This one was found screeching in a maple tree in Southern King County, Washington on a chilly afternoon.
    California Scrub Jay
  • Of all of the neotropical songbirds of North America, the black-crested titmouse has to be the cutest of them all! A member of the Paridae family of birds (which includes chickadees and other titmice), these little passerines are found in forests and riparian environments where they hunt for seeds, nuts, berries, insects and insect eggs from Central Mexico north through Central and Western Texas and just barely into Oklahoma. This adorable little one was found flitting among the trees in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus a..tus)
  • Shockingly beautiful and lightning fast, the buff-bellied hummingbird is found along the Gulf of Mexico from the Panhandle of Florida to the just south of the Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and into Belize. This incredibly colorful male was found and photographed in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Weslaco, Texas was visiting several wildflowers in search of nectar.
    Male Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazi..sis)
  • The Inca dove is one of the prettiest doves found in the New World. Not because it has brightly colored plumage or is large and showy, but because this small dove has feathers that very much resemble fish scales and make for a very intricate and high-contract pattern, which in turn makes for excellent camouflage in the their native habitat. Native to Central America to the Southern United States from Texas to California, this pair was seen foraging for seeds in near the Mexican border near Weslaco, Texas.
    Inca Doves (Columbina inca)
  • Largest of our North American wrens, this stocky and practically fearless songbird actually makes its presence known instead of hiding in the cacti where it makes its home. They are found across the American Southwestern US border from California to The Gulf Coast, and can be found as far south as Central Mexico. This was one of several found in a huge prickly pear patch in Mission, Texas, near the Mexican border.
    Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunnei..lus)
  • The smallest of all of North America's woodpeckers, the downy woodpecker is also one of the most widespread with a range covering most of the continent except for the most arid parts of the American Southwest. This adult female was found actively hunting for insects in the trees above Ingalls Creek in Washington's Cascade Mountains on a very cold, snowy January afternoon.
    Downy Woodpecker
  • This fascinating plain chachalaca was found and photographed in the Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo County with a number of others of its kind one the ground and in the mesquite trees. At the northern tip of its range, this large upland game bird can be found from the southern tip of Texas, throughout Mexico and south to Central America. Noisy as other members of the galliform family (turkeys, chickens, pheasants, grouse, etc.), the name chachalaca means "chatterbox" - a fitting name!
    Plain Chachalaca 2
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-4
  • The uncommon and coldwater-loving American dipper is a secretive dark bird often found perched on exposed rocks in fast-moving mountain streaks and rivers. I've personally seen them in Colorado in the summertime, the Pacific Northwest in the springtime and even in Banff National Park in the middle of January with temperatures around -20°F! What's particular about this strange little songbird is that it can actually  walk underwater, thanks to its incredibly strong toes and feet. This was one actively dipping its head under the water catching small aquatic insects on the edge of the Cle Elum River in Washington State on a very chilly fall morning.
    American Dipper
  • This tiny little songbird is constantly on the move. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before. I was lucky enough to catch this one during it's 2-3 second rest in Fort Myers, Florida.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
  • A pair if white ibises search the shallows of the Sweetwater Strand for aquatic insects and other invertebrates in SW Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve.
    White Ibises
  • A prairie falcon streaks past, pivots and dives while hunting along a large cliff in Northeastern Califonia in rural Modoc County. Very similar yet only slightly diminished in size and speed as its distant cousin, the peregrine falcon, the prairie falcon makes its home in the wide, open prairies and arid deserts of the American West interior.
    Prairie Falcon in Flight
  • A red-breasted nutchatch perches in a maple tree on a warm spring Pacific Northwest day in Kent, Washington.
    Red-breasted Nutchatch
  • Also known as the Mexican grackle, the great-tailed grackle is a member of the new world blackbird family (Icteridae) and is very common from the American Great Plains, the American Southwest and all of Mexico south to also include all of Central America. This glossy blue/black male was first noticed making an awful commotion with a number of other males and females in a tree in rural Van Horn, Texas.
    Great-tailed Grackle
  • The California gull is a medium-sized, common migratory gull found across most of the western half of North America. Primarily feeding on fish, insects and eggs, it is a well-known scavenger of trash and garbage. It breeds far inland as far as Colorado north to Canada's Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, but it always returns to the Pacific Coast in the winter. This one was among many found in Los Angeles, California near Del Rey Lagoon on a warm, sunny springtime afternoon.
    California Gull
  • Often seen diving to depths of more than 40 feet (suspected at going even deeper to 150 feet or more), the Brandt's cormorant is found along North America's Pacific Coast from Alaska to the Gulf of California in Mexico where it hunts for fish above the ocean floor. It is often associated with sea lions. This one was seen near Los Angeles' Del Rey Lagoon on a sunny California spring morning.
    Brandt's Cormorant
  • Often seen diving to depths of more than 40 feet (suspected at going even deeper to 150 feet or more), the Brandt's cormorant is found along North America's Pacific Coast from Alaska to the Gulf of California in Mexico where it hunts for fish above the ocean floor. It is often associated with sea lions. This one was seen near Los Angeles' Del Rey Lagoon on a sunny California spring morning.
    Brandt's Cormorant
  • Smallest of all the world's loon species, this red-throated loon in non-breeding plumage found here close to the Del Rey Lagoon in Los Angeles, California winters regularly in California and south, but will spend most of its life in the arctic where it breeds.
    Red-throated Loon
  • Smallest of all the world's loon species, this red-throated loon in non-breeding plumage found here close to the Del Rey Lagoon in Los Angeles, California winters regularly in California and south, but will spend most of its life in the arctic where it breeds.
    Red-throated Loon
  • Close-up of a very curious glaucous-winged gull photographed above Ruby Beach on Washington's Pacific Coast, just south from Forks.
    Glaucous-winged Gull
  • A wild male California quail hunts for seeds and insects in a disturbed field outside of Yakima, WA in Cowiche Canyon. Although it is California's state bird, this native quail is found from Canada to Mexico along the West Coast in dry, arid habitats.
    California Quail
  • A great blue heron catches a northwestern garter snake in the wetlands in the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge just outside of Olympia, Washington on a beautiful springtime afternoon.
    Great Blue Heron - Dinner for One
  • A close-up of a massive gaggle of Aleutian cackling geese in the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge between Tacoma & Olympia, Washington. Until 2004 the cackling goose was considered same species as the Canada goose, but is the size of a duck, has a very short bill, and has a much higher-pitched honk. The Aleutian cackling goose subspecies breeds in northern Alaska and Canada in the tundra near water, and travels south to California in winter. Making a comeback from near extinction, it has now been removed from the endangered species list.
    Aleutian Cackling Geese
  • The American coot is a very common water bird found throught North America. Often found among ducks, it is actually not a duck at all, but a member of the rail family. This one was photographed near the base of the Nisqually River as it joins Washington's Puget Sound.
    American Coot
  • This (possibly hybrid) glaucous-winged gull was seen on the shore of the Puget Sound as it bathes and splashed in a shallow pool. This noisy large gull has a large bill with a bright red spot - characteristics helpful in distinguishing it from other similar-looking gulls.
    Glaucous-winged Gull
  • A pair of baby Great Egrets standing on a branch with their nest deep in a Florida swamp.
    Baby Great Egrets with Nest
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