Tags:   Eared Grebe bird Nashville Nikon D500 Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF

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This poor bird made a terrible navigation error on the way to Mexico and somehow ended up in my backyard in the Nashville area. I'd say that makes this bird a male :) However, sadly, I must confess I believe it to be a she.
She showed up in late December and stayed nearly a month. It's a very rare bird for this area of the country and I (she?) had a LOT of visitors. It had been almost 40 years since one was in the greater Nashville area.
Since there aren't a whole lot of BHGR's that winter in an area with snow, it gave me the chance to get an uncommon photo.

Tags:   Black-headed Grosbeak Nashville Bird winter rarity Nikon D500 Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF

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While the official name of this bird is a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, they are affectionately known as Grospigs here in Nashville. Once they find your feeder, they very quickly will eat you out of house and home. They're pretty fiesty too! Had one pulling on the tail of a Mourning Dove to get it to move out of the way.

Tags:   Rose-breasted Grosbeak bird Nashville Nikon D500 Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF

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While the calendar may still say Winter, the birds are clearly getting a jump on Spring. Bluebirds are checking out my nesting boxes, ditto with the Chickadees. And a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers have been, let's just say, romantically inclined. They've picked a spot close to my feeders for their nesting cavity. Sadly, there is about zero percent chance they'll get to keep it as the Starlings have been checking it out.

Tags:   Red-bellied Woodpecker Nest Building Birds of Tennessee Nikon D500 Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF

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"They're so cute!" .. . I must have uttered that 100 times on my Michigan trip. So many breeding plumaged Spotted Sandpiers.

Tags:   Spotted Sandpiper Michigan Shore bird

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