This is going to be a twofer post – one post, two related topics: Some shots of some of the neotropical migrants I took during the pandemic Falls of 2020 and 2021 and why my Olympus kit’s mobility is integral to my Fall migration birding preferences. Integral to the getting the shot and keeping it […]
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I admit that I have a thing for raptors. They are magnificent creatures. They all have a look, life history, and abilities that are jaw-droppingly astonishing. A perfect blend of artistry and purpose-built ‘engineering’. Kites, and especially Swallow-tailed Kites, are a top-of-the-marquee example. In my opinion. Let’s start with looks. How about I just let […]
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It is judiciously, only when not banned at the birding site, and always within ethics guidelines published by National Audubon Society (https://www.audubon.org/news/how-use-birdcall-apps), American Birding Association (https://www.aba.org/aba-code-of-birding-ethics/), David Sibley, and other authoritative sources that I come across. To illustrate, here is how I applied guidelines to get the shots on this page. I do not use […]
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Bluebirds have been symbols of happiness, good health and hope across cultures for ages. Chinese, Europeans, especially the French, Russians, indigenous Americans, and many other peoples have all included bluebirds in uplifting folklore, literature, music and images. Ranging from fairy tales in oral history traditions, to Maurice Maeterlinck’s play “The Bluebird” (one of the works for […]
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And I think they are a great choice. Not because they’re colorful. Or, cute. Or, somehow exotic. I think the school children of Georgia, in 1928, followed many years later in 1970 by the legislature, made the right choice because Brown Thrashers are tough, good looking in a rough and ready kind of way, and […]
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For a long time I thought color was simple. I saw something and I knew its color. Why wouldn’t I? I had been taught my colors in kindergarten. This was reinforced in my feral childhood. A Northern Cardinal was clearly red. Sparrows were ‘little brown jobbies‘. Pine Warbler’s were bright yellow spots amongst the green […]
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Irruption years are a good news, bad news, good news story. The first good news is masting in the northern boreal forests. Masting is when a tree species food source has an abundant+ crop. For example, conifers. This allows the bird species that rely on that food source to have a great breeding season – […]
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This pair of Cedar Waxwings (a species of bird that seems to be a fan favorite based on number of Likes & comments on my Facebook posts) were sitting in an old mulberry tree at the edge of our driveway. The behavior seems to be courtship dancing, but the timing is very odd this being […]
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And they’re cheaper than suet 🙂 We have a bumper crop of Chinese Holly and Carolina Cherry-laurel berries in our yard. One of the few upsides of 2020. The hollies are so full that the limbs are bending perilously downward. The part-time and full-time berry eaters are loving it. Chines Hollies are not native (duh, […]
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We have Eastern Towhees living and nesting in our yard – strikingly marked large sparrows that call on us to “Drink Your Tea!!”. This is not unusual for our part of Georgia. They are considered to be numerous, even though their population numbers declined 49% between 1966 and 2015, according to the North American Breeding […]
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