SWFL Eagles - The ORIGINAL LEGACY OF HARRIET, M15 & HIS NEW FAMILY

 For those who consider the title of this post (and the name of the Facebook Group) to be incomprehensible gibberish, allow me to introduce you to the superstars of the Southwest Florida eagle cam. First there were Ozzie and Harriet, the original pair of mated bald eagles, observed all the way back in 2006. In 2013, a hidden camera was first installed in their tree-located nest, just in time to observe a brood of 8-week-old eaglets. To have called them little, even at that stage, might have been an understatement. They were already over a foot high, with almost adult-sized beaks, at reported in the very first nest notes. After Ozzie vanished, Harriet welcomed a new "husband" to her home, M15, and by now, Harriet too is gone, and the feathered-Mrs-in-residence is now dubbed F23. Earlier this year, this dignified pair suffered the loss of their youngest to avian flu, but they remain resilient. One of the most fascinating episodes of this long-term project has been when M15 did his stint as solo eagle dad, after Harriet's disappearance, raising two young eaglets on his own, before choosing a new companion. For regular updates or even livestreams on the private lives of these magnificent birds, you can visit their website or check out the Facebook Group for highlights. There will also be news and footage from other raptor families in different locations. 

Members: 55.1k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: Nature is nature.

Go here to visit or join. 

Birding, Nature & Wildlife Diaries of World

Birds in the World

Feather Identification Worldwide

Birds with Threatening Auras

Feather Identification Worldwide

Legend has it that when you encounter an angel, he will leave a perfectly white feather nearby to be taken as a sign of his presence. But that doesn't mean that the multi-patterned feathers posted in this Facebook group for crowd-sourced answers are any less special. Ideally, besides a photograph optimized to illustrate size, a post should also feature details about the region and general habitat type where a photograph was found. Although the group is international, there is an abundance of plumage from Australia, which makes it even more interesting. There are feathers shown from ibises, hawks, pheasants, egrets, ducks, owls, cockatoo, ravens, kestrels, peacocks and even humble pigeons. A great space for birding enthusiasts, if you want to play along and have something to show.

Members: 7.2k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

Related Posts:

Birding, Nature and Wildlife Diaries of the World

Birds with Threatening Auras

Birds in the World

Image credit: Cairomoon at Pixabay

Birds in the World

There are many, many regional groups dedicated to bird watchers in a particular country, province, state, region or even town, but this one celebrates the global reach of avian species. The photography is really exceptional. Photographs often include the name of the species as well as the location where it was taken. Occasionally the camera used also gets a mention. Come here to see a northern Goshawk in Spain, an eclectus parrot from the Solomon Islands, Peafowl from India, storks nesting in Romania, a silver-breasted broadbill in Thailand, a woodpecker in Brazil, a Baya weaver in Bangladesh and many, many more.

Members: 147.6k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

Birds with Threatening Auras

As any Hitchcock fan might tell you, it's at your own peril that you ignore the potential threat of Birds and their ilk. In this Facebook group, you will meet a colorful cast of feathered fiends, ranging from birds who turn their beaks to kleptomaniac pursuits, and waterfowl that don't tolerate intruders in their ponds. There are memes and cartoons. Footage of birds that use photo-bombing to intimidate. Real life angry birds. And speculation about the true intelligence of crows, of course.  

Members: 461,7k, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: Not for persons with ornithophobia.

Go here to visit or join.

Birding, Nature & Wildlife Diaries of World

For World Animal Day, this awesome community shares the wonder of birds animals and nature.

What makes this Facebook group different? It's in the details. The main focus is on birdwatching, which is why you will see spoonbills, kites, ibis, heron, bunting, water hens, egret, cormorant, stork, hawk, crows and shrike (amongst others) captured in London, Portugal, USA, India, Italy, Brazil, Bangladesh and the Netherlands. There is a directive to share at least some information about the location and the species captured, but some posters are even more generous than that, chronicling details of the encounter and sometimes even the equipment used to capture. Besides avians, there are also rabbits, red deer, black bears, chipmunks, elephant and wolves. Some images capture the subject matter in exquisite detail (there's that word again) while others show unique moments. 

Members: 17.8k, at the time of writing.

Trigger warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

(Photo credit: Alexas Fotos on Pixabay)

Birds!

If you love watching things with wings, then check this out. Threads on the discussion board include 'Favorite Birds!', 'BIRD ID', 'What type of bird is this?', 'Feeding Birds - Advice please!!!', 'weird things birds do' and 'A great website for all things bird!' There are almost 3000 images of birds in the gallery, including such rarities as an albino peacock and red flamingos. There are also links to bird related videos.

What's great about this group: it allows you to indulge in plenty of indoor bird-watching.

Update (16 April 2024)

There are plenty of groups dedicated to birds or bird watching. Many are regional. Several are called Birds.