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Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris cactophilus) male.

Couldn't decide what photo was best so I picked these two.

The "horns" are actually occipital feather tufts which are usually raised in males and flattened in females. Tufts are flattened in this individual. Horned Larks prefer open country with sparse vegetation. They are the only native lark species breeding in North America. They have declined...

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Myrtle variety A Warbler with a large head, sturdy bill, and long, narrow tail

Huntington Beach State Park

Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia: Violaceae)

The short, stocky looking little herons that seem to have no neck at all, reveal that they actually have quite a long neck hidden inside those feathers when they perch on a branch or reed over the water and stalk a fish

The monk parakeet, aka quaker parrot, is one of Florida's more colorful and noisy invasive species...I can't say I ever mind seeing them, even though they're not supposed to be here - every time I spot one it transports me to the Caribbean!

Northern Shovelers (Spatula clypeata) female and male.

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus lineatus).

Trying to have a little afternoon nap on a warm day, this yellow-crowned night heron would open one eye to watch people pass by from about 12 feet away - once determined to not be a threat, the eye would close again.

This is a female lacking the red nape of the male. Notice the all white outer tail feathers without the black baring of the similar but smaller Downy Woodpecker. These two woodpeckers are not actually each others closest relatives. Here in California where the two overlap, the Hairy prefers...

Snowy Egret

The California Thrasher has a set of lungs and loves to show it off.

Mexican Primrose-willow (Ludwigia octovalvis: Onagraceae) An obligate wetland species.

Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata: Carabidae) 1.2-1.4 cm (0.47-0.55 in) long. A wide spread and common species.

Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus prosopidicola) Male. A dreary and drizzly day but this chap did not let it dampen his spirits.

At Huntington Beach State Park, SC

Showing how it uses that long, barbed tongue to probe holes in the bark to pull out bugs and larvae