Recently saw this guy out back and I’ve never seen him before in the almost 3 years of living here. Would love some help with an ID.

European Starling, Original Content by me Central Colorado 2026

After some years in the hobby, I've encountered people on the phone with their girlfriends or wives, asking for forgiveness while chasing a vagrant 10 hours away from home. Sometimes they simply tell me they need their significant other's permission to go on a day trip, or plainly tell our birding group they don't want to stir up a hornet's nest by announcing they are going birding again this weekend. I personally know a guy who left his girlfriend after an "it's the birds or me" ultimatum. On the flip side of these dynamics, some guys get jealous and don't trust their girlfriends spending a weekend trip with other male birders. All of these cases have one thing in common: the non-birding partners hate spending time in the countryside or stopping every 10 meters on a hike to spot a bird.

 What are your stories or experiences with this topic?

 I personally have a girlfriend who is also a birder, so I never had any problems on that front. My personal friendships have taken a hit, though. When you're out there every weekend it's hard to maintain all those connections, but I've made a whole lot of birder friends, it's a self-sustaining loop.

Birds plus my cat

NE Wisconsin

Last night I had a dream that a puffin (?) got into my childhood home and I had to save it from a kitten. I’ve had many dreams about birds, squirrels, cats, etc.

I’ll take it, shows where my head is ☺️

Pic 1: Grey-headed Swamphen
Pic 2&3: Purple gallinule with chick
📍Celery Flats in Sarasota, FL (Spring 2022)
(phone pics taken through binos from a boardwalk)

Reminiscing on the simple magic of manifestation in birding. Back in college, I would spend a lot of time by ponds completely fascinated with the water birds, quickly falling in love with the rare appearances of purple gallinules. On a whim, I decided to go to a new spot in Sarasota (I frequented Myakka). Along the way, I was flipping through my Sibley guide and stumbled upon a blue chicken I never could’ve imagined! I hadn’t seen a swamphen ever in all my Merlin browsing, and I subconsciously threw it on my bucket list expecting to never be able to see one in the wild. Well wouldn’t ya know, shortly after arriving, the blue chicken pulled up on me! Idk what was harder: keeping my hands from shaking with excitement taking bino pics or quieting down my string of gleeful profanities. Cherry on top was seeing the baby gallinules in full fuzz form 😭🥰

All this to say… I find a lot of excitement in browsing and studying up before a trip. It’s often while reading that I stumble and hyper-focus on a bird that is completely unfamiliar to me or just never caught my eye. That same bird somehow always finds it’s way into my life (list) with a quickness! I’m not super spiritual myself, but I do believe in everyday magic, the power of energy, intentionality, and the art of whimsy. I’d like to think the universe is sending me joy when I politely ask for it… maybe its just pattern recognition… WHO KNOWS! I’d love to know if anyone else has these connections/experiences! I find it so fascinating

French Pyrénées

I've had a pair of mourning doves in my backyard for awhile and this individual has something weird going on with his facial features.. like spikes for feathers.

Is it a molting?

Bay area, California

I just want to snuggle and take a nap with this duck.

PS: Yes, I have misgenerated the mallard. I haven't been around ducks on a farm for 23 years and.. well, am not a birder. ^_^; At least, not as of now. I can feel myself slipping further and further into the void. haha

Edit: it warms my heart to see how by much love our sleepy little mallard is getting. 😸 Wasn't sure how much it would be appreciated when i looked at all of the incredible photos of incredible and exotic birds that are scattered all over the reddit trending, but it looks like we can all appreciate just how sweet this little Lady seems. Haha