handmade.social is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
handmade.social is for all handmade artisans to create accounts for their Etsy and other handmade business shops.

Server stats:

39
active users

#birding

107 posts81 participants11 posts today

Scarlet and Blossom

Spring is almost here—just four days away! This image, taken last spring, showcases a northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) and a crepe myrtle flower, both vying to bring a splash of brightness to the day.

Explore stunning images of cardinals and other vibrant members of the Cardinalidae family by visiting my photo gallery here:

swede1952-photographs.pixels.c

I am especially fond of Australian birds that look like weird things happened in the creative process.

Plains Wanderers look like a medieval artist who’d never actually seen a bird got commissioned to paint one based on a description

Tawny Frogmouths look like a toy maker was told to make a muppet out of dryer lint

Rainbow lorikeets look like someone handed their design sketches and a handful of crayons to a toddler and told the toddler to colour in.

Cassowaries look like someone couldn’t decide if they wanted a dinosaur or a bird so went hard on both concepts

(Photos mine other than the Plains Wanderers which I’m yet to see in person, that pic is from Wikipedia)

Took the fancy camera down to the lake and was well rewarded with these new-to-me fancy ducks, horsing around in the water and making odd calls.

Now, I may just be a beginner birder, but I suspect that these ducks with the long tails are long-tailed ducks (_Clangula hyemalis_).

Wings Above the Wild

Look closely, and you'll notice three brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) in this image, framed by a backdrop that resembles a jungle island. I captured this shot while aboard a ship in the Port of Galveston, where brown pelicans were abundant. After taking numerous photographs, I spent this afternoon sifting through them and deliberately selected one devoid of manmade features to create the illusion of a prehistoric island. Just a bit of fun with photography.

Step into a world of untamed beauty and creative storytelling—explore my photo gallery today!

swede1952-photographs.pixels.c

One of my favorite spots for Snow Goose migration is the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in south eastern Pennsylvania( I grew up near this area so there is a long history of hiking and birding for me). This year, because of avian bird flu concerns, viewing areas were restricted, so we missed this year's migration. This shot was from several years ago when our timing was just right. We walked out between two fields on a small access path and witnessed this...

Echoes of Stillness

As I look around at the treetops, I notice the delicate interplay of light and shadow. Upon closer examination, these subtle shifts often unveil birds and other wildlife. In this instance, the treetop became a temporary haven for a group of goldfinches. Though the small flock was too distant and the morning light too faint to capture much detail, I chose to present the scene in black and white—offering a vignette-style cameo of the birds.

The photographs I share here don’t appear as vivid as they do in my Pixel’s gallery. To make them load more easily, I reduce their size and slightly lower their quality. Take a look:

swede1952-photographs.pixels.c

Good morning. ⛈️🌩️⚡

15 March 2025

Thunder crashed, shaking the house and jolting me from a deep sleep. It happened right at six, the time I usually wake up. Was it mere coincidence, or do gods conspire to control my days? After brushing my teeth and pulling on my trousers, I opened the bedroom door to find Ben waiting, alone. Clearly, he was frightened by the thunder, seeking the comfort and reassurance of our steadfast companionship. But where was Charlie? He almost always greets me at the bedroom door in the morning. I found him at the back door, anxiously waiting to go outside. The morning urge to relieve oneself is, after all, a biological necessity shared by both dogs and humans.

"As the dawn comes up like thunder." - Rudyard Kipling

"We can never have enough of nature. We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor." - Henry David Thoreau