We were strolling through New York’s Central Park at dusk, just after Thanksgiving, when we spotted this group of people below who appeared to be looking skyward at something through telescopes.But when my husband approached them, he discovered they were peering through long camera lenses and binoculars at a Great Horned Owl way up high in a tree! […]
I spotted this Red-Shouldered Hawk surveying his surroundings from a perch on a bare tree this morning. Red-Shouldered Hawks are monogamous, solitary nesters, and return to the same nesting spot year after year, sometimes generation after generation. The Hawk’s average life span is less than 5 years, but “the oldest-known Red-shouldered hawk was at least 22 years, 5 months […]
What a thrill to watch an amazing murmuration of Starlings and Grackles right here in our local preserve the other evening! As I snapped photo after photo, my husband remembered to also take some video, a clip of which can be seen here:This magical event has been occurring every evening at sunset for a week […]
The Pine Warbler has to settle for these cypress forest branches when in Florida, though he is “overwhelmingly a bird of the pines” in his normal range (Peterson Field Guide to Warblers of North America, p. 343). The Yellow-throated Vireo favors a similar habitat, and has very similar coloring. I found this crouching behavior above amusing, as this tiny […]
There is just something about Woodpeckers . . . I blogged about the wonderful Pileated Woodpecker featured above a couple of months ago. Since that time, a variety of other Woodpeckers have caught my attention. There is a collection of stories about varied types of Woodpeckers on Bird Note, a great resource. One of the most common Woodpeckers is our […]
I almost missed this beautiful Barn Owl . . . Just before we turned around to head out of the preserve before sundown, there he was overhead. What a special moment!
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 […]
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 […]
Birder's Journey 