On a crisp morning in 2019, photographer Katrin Swoboda stood quietly amid the stillness of Huntley Meadows Park in Alexandria, patiently observing the red-winged blackbirds as they sang their territorial songs into the cold air. As one of the striking birds opened its beak to call, Swoboda captured a fleeting, magical moment: delicate rings of condensation spiraling from its mouth, like whispers made visible by the frigid morning. These misty “smoke rings” formed naturally in the icy air, turning a simple birdsong into a breathtaking display of nature’s poetry. The image, both haunting and ethereal, earned her the top honor in the 2019 Audubon Photography Awards—a tribute to the quiet beauty that can be found when patience, timing, and nature converge! (Via: novanature) - #birdsofinstagram #wildlife #photography #history #beautiful #outdoors #explorepage