Brian Hoffman

@buzzhoffman

College professor and archaeologist

722 Folgt396 Follower227 Posts

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Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· 1d

Here’s a #PeekABoo Swamp Sparrow for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme. #Birds #nature #photography #EastCoastKin

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· 6d

A metallic green sweat bee hovering near Russian Sage blossoms on my campus. This plant is a great pollinator attractor. I’m always grateful to our university landscape staff for creating these great #nature spaces. #insectphotograpy #bees #flowers #macro #eastcoastkin

This photo captures a bee in mid flight as it hovers near a flowering plant. The bee’s wings are a blur, its body is bright green, and its legs are golden color. The plant is a single stalk with little purple flowers regularly spaced up the length of the stalk. The background is an out of focus green.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· 10d

Thanks Sharon. I was birding in the Rice Creek preserve area near Lino Lakes on a the trail between Marshan and George Watch lakes. I usually can’t wander too far into the swampy areas without wet feet until last week. Also spotted this Lesser Purple Fringed Orchid. Made for a good day.

Orchid with a straight stem and dozens of small purple flowers at the top. Thick wetland vegetation in the background.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· 10d

I chose this Common Yellowthroat clinging to a branch for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme, #BestOfJuly. It has been a very dry month in #Minnesota, so I was able to work my way deep into a swamp and then just wait for the birds to fly near me. Fun day #photography #wildlife #birds

A small bird with pale brown head and back, yellow throat, and white belly clings to an upright dead branch. The bird’s tail is spread and its wing lifted slightly as it balances on the branch.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· 17d

For my #birdoftheday contribution in the #CHE theme (cormorants, herons, egrets), I’m posting this Great Heron flying against a grayish sky. I normally try to get some other element into my bird shots, but I like the graphic quality of this photo. #birds #nature #photography #Minnesota

A white heron flies across an empty white sky. The bird’s wings are extended and its long, black legs and feet dangle behind. The only bit of color is its sharp, yellow beak.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· 19d

A backlit Halloween Pennant in Reservoir Woods. #Dragonflies #Nature #Photography

A dragonfly perched on a twig viewed from its side. The light is flowing through the wings highlighting the amber color, dark patches, and the maze of veins.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· 28d

For today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme, #Birds&Flowers, I have a photo from this spring of a #Bay-breastedWarbler in a flowering crab apple tree. I was looking unsuccessfully for a rare Minnesota bird, but was pretty happy to get this nice shot instead.

A small bird in a tree full of white flowers and green leaves. The bird has a reddish crown, throat, breast, and flanks. Otherwise the bird is mostly grayish brown on top with a whitish belly.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Jun 27

By pure luck I’m traveling through England for the first time in my life. Here’s a shot from Grassington, North Yorkshire. I only saw this because of your well-timed post. Thanks.

Wispy blue and white clouds in the night sky. Dark storm clouds and Grassington rooftops are silhouetted against the sky.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Jun 8

For today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme, celebrating #WorldOceansDay, I’m offering this photo I took of an early morning #PelagicCormorant flying past #SegulaIsland in the western #AleutianIslands of #Alaska. #NorthPacificOcean

Silhouette of a long necked bird. The background is a series of dark and light layers - dark clouds at the top, bright sunlight shines underneath the clouds, a steep volcano rising above the ocean is slightly darker than the bright sky. The ocean has a thin band of bright water where the sunlight hits, then a dark band at the bottom of the frame where the clouds block the light. Overall the light areas are a slightly golden color from the morning sun.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· May 9

Great shot. I just learned about Rose-breasted Grosbeaks having this extra splash of color yesterday when one came to our feeder (a first for our yard). I stuck my camera out our door until I got this shot.

A male grosbeak at tube style bird feeder. It has a black head and wings with a white breast speckled with black dots and a rosy triangle below the neck. It’s flapping its wings to steady itself while it feeds, exposing more rose colored feathers under the wings.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Apr 14

An American Robin surrounded by Willow buds in a classic sign of early spring in #Minnesota. #BirdOfTheDay #Robins #Birds

A bird clings to a tree stump. In the background are a maze of shrubs with fuzzy buds on the branches.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Apr 12

Here’s my contribution to today’s #BirdOfTheDay #juveniles theme, a pair of fluffy #GreatHorned owlets checking out their world. #birds

Two extremely fluffy owlets sitting side by side, both staring intently in the same direction. They’re in a nest of brown leaves stuffed in the branches of an old oak tree.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Apr 9

I like today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme #ManMadePerch because it makes me think of how I frame #bird photos to exclude human artifacts while also aware of the complexity of our natural and cultural worlds. I appreciate photographers who help me consider this complexity. White Wagtail in Kandestederne DK

Closeup of a slightly disheveled white, black, and gray songbird perched on a “shark fin” antenna on top a dew-covered, black car.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Apr 4

My contribution to today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme, #SmallBirdsInFlight, is this tiny #Golden-crownedKinglet gleaning insects from our neighbor’s Tamarack tree during fall migration. #Birds

This photograph captures a small grey bird in mid flight. The bird is stretching its beak towards the green needles of a Tamarack tree branch. The rest of the tree is out of focus in the background of the photo.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Mar 21

This Common Buzzard was definitely #LookingAtMe in #Rotterdam #KralinseBos, a beautiful lake and park with lots of interesting birds. #BirdOfTheDay #Birds #photography

Side view of a brown hawk with its head turned so that it is looking straight at the camera. A few out-of-focus green leaves partially obscure the hawks legs and tail.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Mar 14

A Glaucous-winged Gull on the #Oregon coast. Heceta Head Lighthouse is in the background. I thought its grey wings added to the overall #GreyDay of today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme.

A large gull stands on a rock wall looking out into a stormy ocean. In the out of focus background rise steep, rugged shore. A lighthouse is perched on the shore high above the sea.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Mar 13

The #WildTurkeys in my home town have adapted to humans. This one offered me great #headshots as he walked by. One of my #firstoftheyear bird sightings on a brutally cold winter day. #BirdOfTheDay

A close-up of a Wild Turkey. The head and neck are a fleshy pink skin with folds and bumps. The head is mostly bare with just a few spiky feathers on top. The eyes are brown as are the fluffy neck feathers.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Feb 27

My #BestOfTheMonth for February is this red morph #EasternScreechOwl. I am grateful to the other birders for their help in locating this pair. #BirdOfTheDay #Birds #Minnesota

A sleepy little owl tucked into a hole in a tree.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Feb 26

Osprey are amazing birds with #WideOpenWings of nearly six feet (180 cm). Thrilling to watch them dive on a fish. This #osprey was one of a nesting pair with two chicks near Centerville Lake in #Minnesota. #birds #BirdOfTheDay

Osprey soaring directly above the photographer with wings fully extended. The wings are surprisingly long compared to the bird’s relatively small body.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Feb 19

Here is a tiny Ovenbird perched in an alder thicket for today’s #BirdOfTheDay #BranchBirds theme. Spotted in #Hovland #Minnesota #birds #wildlifephotography #photography

A tiny bird with pink feet is clinging to a tree branch with smooth brown bark. Out of focus greenery shows this bird is in a dense thicket. The bird has turned its head so that it is looking at the camera with one black eye. Dark spots on a white breast are a striking plumage in an otherwise brown bird.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Jan 25

Como Lake in St. Paul

A small group of neighbors holding a candlelight vigil on an icy lake with streetlights and house lights along the far shore.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Jan 1

Today’s #BirdoftheDay theme is challenging for me. I love #B&W #photography but have always struggled taking good shots. This pair of #trumpeterswans on an icy lake seems a safe choice. The reflected swan face is my favorite element. #birds

A pair of swans rest on the edge of an open lead on an otherwise ice and snow covered lake. The scene is all white, black, and grey. The snow and swan feathers are white. The open water and swan feet/beaks are the major black elements. The ice adds shades of grey. One swan is sitting on the ice with its long neck curled so that its head is upside down as it preens its wing feathers. The other swan is standing immediately next to its mate. Its head is curled downward as if to offer an affectionate nudge.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Dec 23

A pair of #HoodedMergansers provide nice #SideProfiles for today’s #BirdoftheDay. #birds #naturephotograpy #minnesota #birddisplay

A male and female Hooded Merganser are swimming side by side but in opposite directions. The female has just surfaced from a dive and has water droplets sliding off her head and back. The male is displaying with its white and black hood standing upright. The male’s yellow eye and auburn body add a bit of color in an otherwise brown and grey early spring scene.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Dec 21

For today’s #AboutTheKids #BirdOfTheDay theme l chose this #HairyWoodpecker feeding a chick in our backyard maple tree. Sadly the tree is dying but at least we can enjoy its evolving bird habitat for a few years. #birds #wildlifephotography #nature

A close up photo of a male Hairy Woodpecker feeding its chick. The adult is clinging to the rough tree bark with its curved claws and leaning in towards the chick. The chick’s head is protruding from the nest hole. The chick’s beak is grasping the adult’s beak as it receives the food.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Dec 19

A beautiful #PaintedStork for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme of #LongLegsAndNeck. I got this flyby shot while up in an observation tower at the #PrekToal bird sanctuary on the edge of Cambodia’s #TonléSap Lake. #birds #naturephotography #birding #wildlife #cambodia

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Dec 14

Great Egret in flight at the #PrekToal bird sanctuary on the edge of Cambodia’s #TonléSap Lake. A fantastic place for birding & ecotourism. For local Khmer, the lake is a critical fishing ground providing 60% of the country’s freshwater fish #birdoftheday #heronsandegrets #birds #naturephotography

A brilliant white egret with long, trailing legs and stout yellow bill flies across water. Green, leafy water plants are in the background.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Dec 13

The Redpoll is one of my favorite #finches. Spotted this beauty in #kingsalmon #alaska this summer. #birdoftheday #birds #nature #wildlife #photography

A Redpoll clinging to an Alder branch with green leaves and brown stem. This small finch has a red throat, breast, and cap.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Dec 12

For today’s #BirdoftheDay, I’m going with the alternate theme of #hidden. I never would have seen this #GreatHornedOwl if it wasn’t for the noisy crows harassing it. #Minnesota #birds #naturephotography #owl

A Great Horned Owl is mostly obscured by green leafy branches. All that is visible is the owl’s piercing eyes and one tuft of feathers or horn.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Dec 6

For today’s #birdoftheday theme of #movement I chose this #heron photographed as it is shaking a leech before swallowing it down. I was lucky to watch this bird catch several leeches. Each one received a violent shake before it was eaten. #birds #wildlife #nature #photography #Minnesota

A Green Heron is perched on the edge of a pond covered by a thick layer of green duckweed. The heron’s head is rotated completely upside down. A leech is dangling from the tip of the heron’s open beak. The camera caught the blur of movement from the heron shaking its prey.

Brian Hoffman@buzzhoffman· Dec 4

The #BirdofTheDay theme is #Songbirds so I chose this Eastern #Meadowlark singing away while perched on a mullein stalk in eastern #Minnesota. #birds #naturephotography