It's fun. I'm macho about weather - like, "give it your best shot, winter, let's see what you can do..." but I have to say that this one is pretty wild.

If it's really headed east, well, enjoy it, folks.

Hi, Brian, back atcha.

well, it's not really a whirly-head, more like I'll punch you out if you talk to me before I've had my tea. I mean it, I can punch you out if you talk to me before I've had my tea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeA9gH_iWXY  Lou 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8DHGmi3NAQ&feature=related

Grackle

From the Cornell lab of Ornithology
Common Grackles are blackbirds that look like they've been slightly stretched. They're taller and longer tailed than a typical blackbird, with a longer, more tapered bill and glossy-iridescent bodies.

since the "G" has resurfaced, look at what I've just found out: Male grackles of many species are pretty much as described above; but the females are entirely different. I had no idea. This is a female great-tailed grackle, photo from wikipedia.

dale

Here's the scrub jay I photographed in Big Sur this Sept.
Alone in the first shot, and backed up by some steller's jays in the second.

Ginha -

Have a terrific birthday!!! Health and joy to you!!

Dale

A few photos of white animals wandering around in polluted Arctic areas

http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2010/12/26/arctic-is-in-trouble/

I know I'm to late but I found this one,Zonotrichia Leucophrys
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-crowned_Sparrow/id
Greetings Carla

That's a lovely white sparrow, Carla!! 
Its Latin name sounds like about five diseases, but what a pretty animal!!

As for "too late," well, whoever finds a great bird should just enter it into its thread!
I see no reason to have an expiration date on them!

Have a good and safe holiday, all!!

It seemed tired and disoriented, but glad to have found an island.
Paul

 - sounds like me, except that I haven't found an island yet, but I'd be glad to find one, too.
A warm and relatively dry one, please.

I don't know about Big Ick...I'm thinking more Big WTF!   Ei   

Yeah, I noticed that a number of the comments "broke house rules" and were blocked or deleted. I took a look at the rules. Those comments must have been "racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive or otherwise objectionable."   
Maybe all of the above.

It's a VERY lucky take-off shot.

OK, I thought it was from above, but it's so wild. The wingtips are just exquisite. That's definitely suitable for framing.

Ei - that first shot - on the snow - that's insane! Explain the angle, please.
What a very nice and strange picture.

whoa, mole!

Annette beat me to the zebra finch! I'll just again post a link to the Barbican Center's installation where zebra finches got to play electric guitars:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZQ4VmicDeM

and here is the other, rarer kind of zebra finch that does not play guitar:

dale

Ours is a rat-rat, Dale... you want it?  

rat-rats I like to see, not own. I don't so much like seeing them near things I own, either.
But thank you for your generous offer