Birds

March 14, 2022

Photographer Befriends the Birds in Her Backyard and They Become Her Best Models

Photographer Jessica Kirste‘s work proves that you don't need to go to an exotic location to take incredible photos of wildlife. Her own backyard is fertile ground, and she made good use of it in 2021 to capture the birds that call it home. After slowly earning their trust, she was able to transition from photographing them through a window to joining them outside. That's when the magic really started.

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February 3, 2022

Male Same-Sex Foster Penguins Are Proud Parents of an Adorable Newborn Chick

Congratulations are in order for two male Humboldt penguins at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York. After adopting an egg last year, Elmer and Lima—the same-sex foster couple—successfully incubated an egg and became parents to the new hatchling on January 1, 2022. Elmer and Lima formed a “pair bond” for the current breeding season and are the first same-sex foster couple at the zoo.

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December 14, 2021

Photographer Sets Up Camera to Reveal the Big Little World Beneath Her Bird Feeder

Wildlife conservation photographer Carla Rhodes loves to feed the birds. Every winter in the Catskill Mountains of New York, she hangs a feeder outside her home and watches as birds and mammals of all kinds come to feast on her offerings. Being a photographer, she turned the arrival of her feathered and furry friends into a spectacular series of images called Beneath the Bird Feeder.

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November 3, 2021

Beautiful Blue Jay Still Has Half of Its Baby Feathers as It Transitions Into Adulthood

Adolescence is an awkward time for all of us, but it’s not just people that go through physical changes—animals do too. In a photo posted on Reddit, a “teenage” Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is captured transitioning between having its fluffy, gray baby feathers to sporting its vibrant blue adult plumage. With gray down feathers up top and sleek, blue feathers on its lower half, this little bird seems to have a split personality.

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