In December 2010 I had the privilege of birding in Kenya with the incomparable Brian Finch, and on 14 December we stumbled upon an interesting small sandpiper at Lake Nakuru. We had talked about the possibility of Dunlin (only a few Kenya records) and were looking through the many Ruffs, Curlew Sandpipers, and Little Stints […]
Possible hybrid sandpiper in Kenya Read More »
A shrike present on Long Island NY October-November 2010 was originally (and understandably) identified as a Northern. it received wider attention after Shai Mitra questioned the ID in late November, and for several days generated quite a bit of debate over its identification. Most concurred that it was a Loggerhead, but the reasons were mostly subjective
A perplexing shrike Read More »
Posters Several new posters have been released by Scott & Nix, including Backyard Birds of the West, Waterfowl, Hummingbirds, Owls, and Raptors of North America. Notecards Notecards will be available soon from Scott & Nix. T-shirts Liberty Graphics has produced three new t-shirt designs featuring art from the Sibley Guides, and more are on the
There are five subspecies of White-crowned Sparrow, and in most parts of North America it is possible to see more than one subspecies during part of the year. Identification of subspecies is covered in the Sibley Guide to Birds and in Dunn et al. 1995. Maps of band recoveries (from the Canadian Atlas of Bird
White-crowned Sparrow subspecies – Where? Read More »
Android eGuide now available! The Sibley eGuide is now available in the Android market. Some info is here. Please let me know of any concerns, questions, or comments. These can be reported at this forum, by leaving a comment on this post, or by using my contact page.
Android eGuide now available! Read More »
The European Starling is often ignored, or worse, by North American birders, but if you can get past the fact that it’s aggressive, very good at living with humans, and has been in North America “only” since 1890, it’s a fascinating bird. As I looked up some other maps in the Canadian Atlas of Bird
Questions about Starling migration Read More »
Work is almost finished (really) on the Android version of the Sibley eGuide to Birds of North America, and we hope to have it available within days. In the meantime, I’ve been adding some new bird identification pages on this website: Vaux’s Swift Eastern Wood-Pewee Cave Swallow Bendire’s Thrasher Curve-billed Thrasher White-throated Sparrow
Android eGuide and other updates Read More »
In the Sibley Guide to Birds I illustrated Pacific and Atlantic/Gulf populations of Brown Pelican, showing different colors on the throat pouch (red on adult Pacific and olive on immature Pacific; always dark gray on Atlantic birds) and suggesting that these colors could identify the two populations. It turns out that Brown Pelicans in Texas
Red pouches on Brown Pelicans Read More »
A selection of my original art is now available for sale at this page. The pieces offered include gouache portraits of birds, many of which were printed in a weekly New York Times syndicated newspaper column from 2002 to 2005. Some were also printed in the book Bright Wings in 2009, as well as in
Original Sibley Art for Sale Read More »
For most observers the identification of these two species is simple, and is based entirely on location, with Vaux’s in the west and Chimney in the east. It is extremely rare to see the two species together, which means that few observers ever have the chance to study them in direct comparison, and therefore few
Identifying Chimney and Vaux’s Swifts by wing shape Read More »