Brian Smith

@briansmith-photos

Keen photographer, nature, birds and landscapes All photos my own - except re-posts Retired. In the Bay area. FujiFilm X-T5 and OM System OM-3 🇺🇦 #IStandWithUkraine More photos here and

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Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jul 18

For the #BirdoftheDay theme of #ScreenFiller, this one from a couple of days ago immediately came to mind. A Snowy Egret, looking as big as possible. #Birds 🪶 #eck

A snowy egret, Egretta thula, shakes its feathers on a rocky shoreline covered in green algae in San Rafael, California.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jul 17

One for the alt theme for #BirdoftheDay too, #BlueSky, and also from yesterday's early morning walk - a Caspian Tern out for a breakfast cruise over the harbour. #Birds 🪶 #eck

A Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) in flight against a clear blue sky over Marin County, California, identifiable by its large size and bright orange/red bill.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jul 17

#Corvidae is the #BirdoftheDay theme today, and this young American Crow was definitely giving me the morning-after-the-night-before vibes on my early morning walk yesterday. #Birds 🪶 #eck

A juvenile American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) standing on a rocky shoreline covered in bright green seaweed in San Rafael, California.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jul 16

Going with the alt theme of #RSVP for #BirdoftheDay, for this Song Sparrow, which for once I caught not singing and winging. #Birds 🪶 #eck

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jul 15

One for the alt theme of #NewLife and #BirdoftheDay. More fresh Mallard ducklings yesterday evening as we went for a walk. So cute! #Birds 🪶 #eck

A pair of Mallerd ducklings on a pond with the green of the vegetation reflected in the ripples of the water. Sun catching their eyes as they feed near a pickleweed. Two more duckling and mother just out of frame.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jul 15

#Birds&Flowers is the #BirdoftheDay theme, alt is NewLife, and this was on yesterday's walk, a lesser (aka fun-size) Goldfinch. More interested in the seeds than the flowers I suspect. Keeping just one thistle ahead of us down the path. #Birds 🪶 #eck

A Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) perched on a thistle plant in Marin County, California.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jul 14

#PerfectPoise is the #BirdoftheDay theme, and this Snowy Egret is perfectly poised to make a stabbing, with that pointed bill. Afternoon snack coming up! #Birds 🪶 #eck

A snowy egret (Egretta thula) stands amidst tall marsh grasses and pickleweed, looking for a snack. It is distinguished from the great egret by its smaller size and a black bill with a yellow lores area.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jul 14

One for #TideOutTuesday, and with the new moon just passed, this was nearly as low as it gets. #eck

A wide view of muddy tidal flats and green salt marsh grasses in San Rafael, Marin County, California, with distant misty hills in the background.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jul 1

#LivingLandscapes #BirdoftheDay and a small part of the big landscape as a Lesser Goldfinch feasts on some grass seeds. #Birds #eck 🪶 Maybe #TheArtofSurvival too - as the even littler ones were nearby, waiting.

A Lesser (or fun-sized) Goldfinch, perched on a grass stem, moving in the wind and making a hard targer, feasts on the head of a grass nearby.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 29

Rob's #BirdoftheDay theme is #BestofJune26 and I'm going for the Violet-green Swallow, from a trip to Mono Lake earlier in the month. #Birds #eck 🪶

A Violet-green Swallow, perched on Tufa at Mono Lake. Sunny day, shadow of forked tail going down the tufa behind it, and a edge of blue sky to the left.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 29

A Snowy Egret, from the right angle, is indistinguishable from Mr. Bean. #Birds #eck 🪶

A Snowy Egret, turned and looking almost towards the camera, perched on a log, looks a little like Mr Bean (at least in my eyes - and I can't un-see it).

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 28

It was actually waiting for the bait man. This was just a few minutes later, and the car was actually reversing...

A Black-crowned Night Heron, standing on the tailgate of a reversing truck (the bait man arriving with something interesting).

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 28

#LifeintheBalance is the #BirdoftheDay theme, celebrating birds captured in precarious or unexpected positions. #Birds 🪶 #eck. What bird is behind that wing? Answer in alt text, but I'm sure most won't need it.

A Black-crowned Night Heron, standing on a post, on one leg with its left wing out covering most of its body. The bill is visible.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 28

Aerial ballet with Belted Kingfishers! #Birds 🪶 #eck, and the sky is almost #bluesky for #BirdoftheDay too.

Two Belted Kingfishers doing some aerobatics.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 21

My two favourite #RedBeaks for #BirdoftheDay, and a Black Oystercatcher and Caspian Tern. #Birds 🪶 #eck

A Black Oystercatcher, close up showing head and red/orange bill, along with yellow eye and red/orange rim. Water behind. Shows well that their heads are blacker than their brown bodies.

A Caspian Tern, after a dive, just getting airborn again.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 18

#Black is the #BirdoftheDay, and a female Brewer's Blackbird fits the bill. At South Tufa, Mono Lake. #Birds 🪶 #eck

A female Brewer's Blackbird perched on tufa, calcium carbonate rock formation formed underwater - now many meters above.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 16

One for #BlurBirds, the alt theme for #BirdoftheDay, and I was out trying slow exposures when panning flying birds, to get one of those sharp heads but blurred wings type shots. Not quite what I was after - but I did like this happy accident with a Great Egret, landing. #Birds 🪶 #eck

A blurred Great Egret, landing with some Snowy Egrets already on the ground. Blurred as I was shooting at a 1/30s at 400mm - panning as the bird moved along, but not quite capturing anything sharp.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 16

#InFlight for the #BirdoftheDay theme gives me another chance to show the Violet-green Swallow. This time one of the few in-flight shots I got. #Birds 🪶 #eck

A Violet-green Swallow in flight over Tufa at Mono Lake, California.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 12

A short render I did a few years ago when playing around with Cinema4D, inspired by David Hockney's swimming pool paintings. RIP David. #ArtYear

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 12

#BirdoftheDay theme is #Stripes, and this Wilson's Phalarope has a stripe through the eye and those rufous stripes down the back. #Birds #eck 🪶 A new lifer too!

A Wilson's Phalarope, at South Tufa, Mono Lake, feeding on the lakeside flies. Shallow water, bright sunlight.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 11

Rob has given the #BirdoftheDay theme as #Nesting, and I watched this Osprey come in from a distance - not sure what they were carrying, but it certainly didn't look like a fish. Something fancy for the nest! #Birds #ecl 🪶

An Osprey carry nesting material, which looks like a branch covered in leaves, held in its claws, trailing behind as the bird is set against a blue sky.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 10

#BirdoftheDay theme is #Geese, and certainly getting the eye from this Canada Goose. #Birds #eck

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 8

For #WorldOceanDay, and Alan and Rob's #BirdoftheDay I'm going with the Caspian Tern, and I've been fortunate to see them quite regularly in the Bay area. #Birds #eck

Caspian Tern looking our for food over the Bay.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 7

#Branchingout is the #BirdoftheDay theme for today. Here is a Dark-eyed Junco and an array of branches. #Birds #eck

A Dark-eyed Junco on a branch amongst other lichen covered branches.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 6

#BorrowedPlaces is the #BirdoftheDay theme set by Alan H, and these two herons look like they own the boat and car rather than just borrowing them. A boat behind a car on the slipway. #Birds 🪶 #eck

A Snowy Egret and a Black-crowned Night Heron perched on a car and boat on a slipway - calm blue water beyond.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 6

I hadn't seen the #NewLife alt theme for #BirdoftheDay when I posted the duckling video, but they were the smallest duckings I think I've ever seen. At one point they were grouped in a perfect 3x3 diamond - worthy of the red arrows. Of course I missed the shot - but close. #Birds #eck 🪶

A group of ducklings following the mother Mallard. Someone else admiring them, out on one of the pontoons in the harbour, is reflected in the water.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 5

Timeline cleanse, and some freshly minted ducklings out in the harbour today! #Birds #eck 🪶

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 4

#BadFeatherDay is the #BirdoftheDay theme from Alan H, and this Great Blue Heron just couldn't do anything to get them to lay flat. #Birds 🪶 #eck

Close up of a Great Blue Heron's head with the feathers on its crown sticking up, maybe caught by the wind from behind.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 4

A late entry for #FoodinBeaks, and a gull for #BirdoftheDay, struggling with a crab. #Birds 🪶 #eck

A gull struggling to work out how to eat a crab.

Brian Smith@briansmith-photos· Jun 2

#HiddeninPlainSight is the #BirdoftheDay theme, and if I hadn't seen this Black-crowned Night Heron fly into the tree I don't think I'd have expected to see it there. #Birds 🪶 #eck