181. Pierrette Williams, Roanoke, Virginia

The swallows arrive with spring and start nesting under our roof. It is amazing to watch their acrobatic dance in the sky. It is a symbol of happy news. While my uncle was a prisoner during World War II he had a tattoo made of a swallow with an envelope in his beak.

In the fall I love to watch the organized gathering  on our wires  before their  “grand voyage” .

182.  Gene Seliger, Baldwinsville, New York

Taken at Webster Pond near Syracuse, NY.  Thought it told a story while sending a message. I named it, " Geese can't read"

183. Roberta Williston, Omaha, Nebraska

The eighty senior residents at Fountain View in Omaha, NE daily watch the baby residents grow in wisdom that their mother and her assistant provide.

184. Joan Abrahamsen, Catskill, New York

A frequent visitor to our yard caught having breakfast.

185.Becci Gindin-Clarke, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The first one is of one of our local pigeons in the snow. Here in Vancouver, we have had one of the worst winters in the city's history. Temperatures were down to -10 C and we had a great deal of snow. The local pigeons were undaunted, though; I took this photograph of a very sweet little bird who we have been observing for over two years now. She appears in this photograph to almost disappear into the snow. Secretly, she isn't pure white--she has a few small black feathers on the other side of her face.

I took the second photo during a very heavy downpour. The pigeons really enjoyed themselves and spent a long while bathing in puddles and lying in the grass with their wings over their heads. They were so adorable.

186.  Anna Engel, Rhinelander, Wisconsin

I've seen this bird at my bird feeder a few times along with the other birds that feast there. I thought it was cool when it showed up with it's beautiful red plumage and scared the smaller birds away. I've always enjoyed watching birds with their beautifully colored feathers, and this one caught my eye the most with its red-streaked breast. Because of that I painted a picture of this Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

187.  Jill Sell, Sagamore Hills, Ohio

I wrote the poem because I marvel at pigeons and appreciate their matter-of-fact urban attitude. City dwellers should take lessons from them.

CLEVELAND

city pigeons ledgewalk

no suicide thoughts in brain

flap through the grime

preen urban blight

watch from bridge archways

   and adapt

             #

188.  Christina Zawadiwsky, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A few years before he died my father started feeding the wild geese that came to his small pond that was located near a highway.  No one else could feed them, as they attacked everyone who tried!  One particular pair of geese loved him, had baby geese, and always brought them on-shore for him to feed.  Then each year they returned and hatched more baby geese and the process continued.  Once when I was visiting him, a few months before he died (this was in the Kettle Moraine area of Wisconsin) my father insisted that I help him feed "his" geese.  I was worried that they would fly away if I was there, but instead the baby geese walked up onto my rubber boots!  I loved this "miracle" of communing with nature and remembered that my father gave me a first similar thrill when I was ten years old and he helped me raise a baby meadowlark that we found in a nest filled with other dead babies after a storm. The meadowlark imprinted on me and went everywhere on my shoulder, flying away and then returning. My photo is art because of its design and because of the memories attached to it, but also because of the defiant and protective look of the parent goose towards its children, with which we as humans identify. Thanks for allowing me to share this with other urban bird lovers!

189.  Ryan Madison, Lansdale, Pennsylvania

"Art is much more than the skill of the artist and the interest of the viewer. Art is a lifestyle. Every artist must choose how to live their art in response to the creative problem solving instincts each possess; the same is true of these birds, choosing how to respond to my presence in such close proximity to them. The birds in these images are demonstrating 3 drastically different artistic styles. We are easily able to identify Fear, Peace, and Anger within the three birds here. Theses styles and emotions can translate into an infinitely vast pool of artistic potential and creative freedom."

190.  Lily Jorrick, Oceanside, California

"When I saw these two pelicans, I was so amazed by how such beautiful creatures could just hang out around so many humans, yet still be so obviously wild, that I had to capture it with the camera."