We often consider male songbirds more beautiful and striking than females, since their feathers are usually showier and more colorful. Yet Smithsonian published an article last year about some fascinating research, which now reveals that Drab Female Birds Were Once As Flashy As Their Male Mates. [A great, short read!] The authors describe new studies […]
Author Archives: Birder's Journey
Osprey are so unique that they are are no longer considered to be one of the fish hawks, but rather their own distinct family (https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/osprey). We spied this Osprey sitting atop a dead tree and couldn’t resist stopping to watch him as he preened, fluffed himself up, and whistled – but he never left his perch. Osprey were […]
Although their range covers almost the entire southern half of North America, I had never seen a Loggerhead Shrike before last spring. Over the past two weeks, though, they seemed to be everywhere, sitting atop scrubby perches, surveying the landscape for some tasty prey. Also known as ‘Butcher Birds‘, Loggerhead Shrikes are unusual in that they […]
A graceful Cormorant luxuriates in the morning by the waters’ edge. . .
After listening to his melodious chorus for many long minutes, I decided to videotape this cheery Northern Mockingbird. He surprised me by suddenly becoming quiet, looking curiously right and left, up and down. I wondered if he was looking at me! And then, after about half a minute, he started to chirp a new medley. Mockingbirds are great […]
Green Herons are such characters, so fun to photograph! I decided to write this post in honor of my husband’s really cool Green Heron captures this week. He snapped the featured photo above of a heron peering out intently across the pond. . . When all of a sudden, his new Green Heron friend started […]
My goal this year is to learn more about the very small birds that come to our wetlands. Some, like the male Painted Bunting above at the preserve’s feeder, are easy – his brilliant multi-colored feathers are so distinctive that he’s hard to miss. The Ovenbird, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and the Black & White Warbler were three new, distinctive little […]
Blue Jays are so common throughout the eastern and central United States and southern Canada that I tend to forget that not everyone is familiar with them. The Audubon site is a rich source of information about the history, behavior, and many varied calls of this showy and raucous bird. Blue Jays are known to be […]
Last year, advocates for a family of Burrowing Owls that had made their home in a local school athletic field were successful in protecting them. The burrows were roped off and marked, and the district re-scheduled games scheduled for that field to a new location.This year the Burrowing Owls are back! They are a ‘species of special concern’, “protected from harassment and/or […]
Did you ever have one of those moments when something happens so quickly that you have no idea what settings you have on your camera – you just point and shoot?Well, this morning, I was chatting with some folks about a Wood Stork in the pond, when all of a sudden I spotted this Great […]
Birder's Journey 