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Rob L

@pops.pictures

From New Year's Day, my first photo of the year.

Happy New Year, my friends!

American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea), Middle Grounds, Toledo, Ohio, USA, January 2026. ©2026 #birds #nature #photography #naturephotography #toledo #ohio #winter

A very small gray and brown bird with a tiny, brown and yellow beak, a brown streak behind its eye, and brown, white and gray striped wings clutches a dry plant and looks upward – perhaps contemplating life, or maybe just thinking about bugs – in front of a blurred, golden background of dried foliage on a cold but sunny winter's day.

January 6, 2026 at 10:58 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

A smallish hawk with streaked light brown and white feathers on its chest, gray and black wing and tail feathers and an orangish eye is perched high in a bare tree on a cold, winter day.

December 30, 2025 at 10:57 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

A very small slate-gray bird with a white belly and tiny beak is perched on a bare tree branch in the late afternoon on a very cold, snowy day.

December 24, 2025 at 10:12 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

Completely off-topic for me, but the music app on my phone seemed eager for me to share this list, and this is the only social medium I use, so here are the top 10 bands I listened to while driving this past year ... (my at-home playlist would look much different)

December 20, 2025 at 3:02 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

Twofer. I was surprised when the Downy hopped in from the other side of the tree!

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) and Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), Middlegrounds Metropark, Toledo, Ohio, USA, December 2025. ©2025 #birds #nature #photography #naturephotography #toledo #ohio

On the left side of a tree trunk is a medium-sized Red-bellied Woodpecker with a light gray belly, black and white barred wings, a red-topped head and prominent beak. On the right side, a bit lower, is a Downy Woodpecker – a tiny light gray woodpecker with black and white wings and a small beak. The day is cold and gray.

December 14, 2025 at 6:38 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

Cropped a lot tighter than I would've liked, but was so excited to get even this close to the duck I'm showing you anyway …

Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) on Swan Creek, Middle Grounds, Toledo, Ohio, USA, December 2025. ©2025 #birds #nature #photography #naturephotography #toledo #ohio

A very small brown, white and black diving duck with a black bill, gleaming orange eye and distinctive large, raised black and white crest on his head appears to look coyly over his shoulder while floating on a muddy creek on a very cold, very nearly winter afternoon. While the bird's breeding plumage is nearly complete, he still shows some non-breeding plumage, notably on his chest.

December 8, 2025 at 9:46 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

A very small slate-gray bird with a white belly and tiny beak is perched on a bare tree branch in the late afternoon on a very cold, snowy autumn day. Towering above it is the blurred, blue bottom of the Anthony Wayne Bridge.

December 4, 2025 at 12:11 AM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

A tiny light gray woodpecker with black and white wings and a distinctive red bar on the back of his head plucks a seed from a thin, bare tree branch on a gloomy autumn day.

November 30, 2025 at 3:41 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

WHAT⁉️

Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), Middlegrounds Metropark, Toledo, Ohio, USA, October 2025. ©2025 #birds #nature #photography #naturephotography #toledo #ohio #autumn

A close-up of a wild turkey's looking directly toward the camera. The large brown bird has a bluish head and neck with scattered pinkish bits, including the wattle hanging directy beneath its beak. Behind it is a blurred background of dry, brown fall foliage.

November 27, 2025 at 2:15 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

Another seasonal visitor to this region. I believe it's an …

American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea), Middlegrounds Metropark, Toledo, Ohio, USA, November 2025. ©2025 #birds #nature #photography #naturephotography #toledo #ohio #autumn

A very small gray and brown bird with a tiny, brown and yellow beak, a brown streak behind its eye, and brown, white and gray striped wings perches on a thin branch with a few dried brown leaves remaining in front of a background of dried, brown foliage on a sunny autumn day.

November 25, 2025 at 2:40 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

I love seeing these cool characters show up after most of the other little birds have left for the winter.

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), Middlegrounds Metropark, Toledo, Ohio, USA, November 2025. ©2025 #birds #nature #photography #naturephotography #toledo #ohio #autumn

A very small slate-gray bird with a white belly and some tiny seeds stuck on its bill is looking to its side while perched on a bare tree branch in the cold autumn sun.

November 21, 2025 at 3:32 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

A large brown bird with a bluish head and red wattle hanging from its neck st andsin front of sunlight, drying leaves in early autumn.

November 19, 2025 at 2:08 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

Working on my bird-in-flight photos …

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Howard Marsh Metropark, Curtice, Ohio, USA, November 2025. ©2025 #birds #nature #photography #naturephotography #toledo #ohio #autumn

A bald eagle – a huge, dark brown raptor with a white head and tail – soars gracefully against a clear blue sky on a sunny autumn day. The bird is clutching unidentifiable prey in its huge yellow talons, trailing vegetation that the prey appears to have been clinging to when snatched up.

November 15, 2025 at 6:24 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

Commerce and Recreation on the Mighty Maumee (Captured a few days ago, before the temperature dropped).

Middlegrounds Metropark, Toledo, Ohio, USA, November 2025. ©2025 #photography #maumeeriver #toledo #ohio #autumn

A huge red and off-white bulk carrier – likely loaded with grain – is being guided up the Maumee River toward Lake Erie by two tugboats, one in front and one behind. It dwarfs a couple rowing a double scull beside it on a sunny autumn day.

November 11, 2025 at 10:08 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

Each time I think I've seen the last bloom for the season I am pleasantly surprised …

Purple Aster (Sympyotrichum patens), Middlegrounds Metropark, Toledo, Ohio, USA, November 2025. ©2025 #nature #photography #naturephotography #flowers #flowerphotography #bloomscrolling #toledo #ohio #autumn

A tiny purple flower with a yellow center blooms proudly on a drying and fading plant on a sunny autumn day.

November 9, 2025 at 6:15 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

A tiny light gray woodpecker with black and white wings and a distinctive red bar on the back of his head sits on a bare branch on a sunny autumn day.

November 7, 2025 at 4:14 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

Am I to believe that I saw a Cattle Egret in Ohio in November?

Western Cattle Egret (Ardea ibis), Howard Marsh Metropark, Curtice, Ohio, USA, November 2025. ©2025 #birds #nature #photography #naturephotography #toledo #ohio #autumn

A smallish, white wading bird with black legs, a yellow eye and golden beak is perched on a fence in front of blurred golden, rust and fading green autumn foliage as the sun prepares to set.

November 3, 2025 at 12:25 AM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

🧛‍♂️ Happy Halloween! 🎃

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), Howard Marsh Metropark, Curtice, Ohio, USA, July 2025. ©2025 #birds #nature #photography #naturephotography #toledo #ohio

A medium-sized black bird with prominent red and yellow patches on his shoulders is perched in green-leafed tree on a sunny day, preening the inside of his wing, ostensibly looking somewhat like a classic Dracula with a cape draped over his face with one arm.

October 31, 2025 at 2:08 PM

Rob L

@pops.pictures

Large Milkweed Bugs (Oncopeltus fasciatus) on – you guessed it – Milkweed (Asclepias). Middlegrounds Metropark, Toledo, Ohio, USA, October 2025. ©2025 #insects #insectphotography #nature #photography #naturephotography #plants #plantphotography #toledo #ohio #autumn