This week’s Sunday Stills photography challenge focuses on wings. Any set of wings will do, whether they belong to birds or insects, are man-made, or…
Birds On the Wing
“Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings.” — Victor Hugo
Several feeders in my backyard allow me to see a wonderful variety of birds up close. I have to celebrate this new-to-me bird: a Red Crossbill, a member of the finch family.
If you look closely, crossbills literally have a crossed bill. I had taken several photos and kept seeing what looked like a stick in its beak. Nope, upon closer inspection, the “stick” is the crossed end of their beaks! The female of this mated pair has pale yellow coloring.
“A fascinating finch of coniferous woodlands, the Red Crossbill forages on nutritious seeds in pine, hemlock, Douglas-fir, and spruce cones. Their specialized bills allow them to break into unopened cones, giving them an advantage over other finch species.” Source/All About Birds
Funny Finches
Aside from these beautiful Crossbill finches, our other finches are not short of antics when it comes to hanging around the feeders. These finches simply ignore me once the food is refreshed!
Dirty looks abound when too many flock to the feeder!
The Western Phoebes must have migrated onward, but not before this one snacked on an unlucky winged moth.
Do Hummingbirds Have Wings?
I ask because it’s darn near impossible to capture them in flight. Mostly, their wings are implied!
“The hummingbird competes with the stillness of the air.”– Chogyam Trungpa
Once in a while, I manage to capture a wing or four. Sorry for the noisy image.
Public Art Wings
“Art is the set of wings to carry you out of your own entanglement.” – Joseph Campbell
Spokane, Washington, has a very healthy public art life. We don’t visit the downtown area that often, but once in a while, I get lucky. This first image was taken at a freeway entrance.
I caught this very tall totem pole a few years ago when I visited Spokane before we moved here.
This must have inspired me back then when I took the opportunity to buy a 6-foot wooden totem two years ago and paint it in the native tradition of the Pacific Northwest Indian Tribes.
Wings of the Six-Legged Kind
“Butterflies are self-propelled flowers.” – Robert A. Heinlein
Our backyard is also home to many winged insects. The Western Phoebes and Swallows LOVE our area for its insects (see above). The insects are attracted to flowers and wildflowers.
Dotted blue butterflies are about the size of a thumbnail.
*** In case you’re wondering, a hummingbird moth is the featured image. ***
Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders
The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.
- Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
- Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
- Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
- Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
- Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
- I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.
Sharing this week for Cee’s FOTD, Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday and Lens-Artists: Pairs
“Wings are not only for birds; they are also for minds. Human potential stops at some point somewhere beyond infinity.” ~ Toller Cranston
I can’t wait to see how you interpret this week’s theme! Creativity is encouraged, so please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme. Join me next week as we explore the theme “AFLOAT.”
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