Dark morph (Cory’s) Least Bittern Note: I have never personally seen a living Cory’s Least Bittern. In fact, only six or so have been seen during my lifetime. Most of what follows is based on a very thorough 1996 research paper by Ron Pittaway and Peter Burke (see References below). The illustration shown below is […]
The mysterious dark Least Bittern Read More »
I have donated the painting shown at right – an Osprey carrying a small Striped Bass – to The Nature Conservancy’s Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island, New York. It will be auctioned at their annual Dinner Dance fundraiser on July 30th. If you’re in the area you might want to drop in and check it
Osprey painting at auction Read More »
Last winter’s Common Moorhen in Newfoundland, given the likely split of New World and Old World moorhens into separate species, led me to try to determine the origin of the Newfoundland bird. That study of photos turned up a few small differences in bill color and shape, but nothing fully reliable. Now I have finally
The Newfoundland Moorhen was an American based on back color Read More »
In these two very similar species, the head plumes of adults provide the single most obvious and reliable distinction. The brief descriptions in field guides fail to convey the fundamental differences in these feathers, so a detailed description is given here to clarify those differences.
Differences in plumes of Little and Snowy Egret Read More »
When considering impressions of shape and size as in Optical illusions and bird identification or More on illusions of size, one important aspect that I’ve mentioned only in passing is relative size. Consider the two birds in the sketches below, which one has the longer bill? I suspect that viewers will say either “They’re about the
Relative size and proportions Read More »
This is a follow-up to my recent post about Optical illusions and bird identification. While working on some heron studies the other day, I found a good example of an illusory bill size comparison. Compare the bill in the two images of Reddish Egret shown below. To my eye, at least, the bird on the
More on illusions of size Read More »
UPDATE Feb 2021 – I’m taking a break from commissions, and will post here whenever they are available again. An opportunity to own an original painting of your favorite bird With a little spare time between book contracts, I have decided to take on a limited number of commissions for new paintings of birds. You choose
Now accepting commissions for new art Read More »
I’ve been aware of some variation in songs of Blackpoll Warbler for many years, and now an interesting post by Andrew Spencer at Earbirding prompted me to check into it a little more closely. Many years ago Will Russell pointed out to me that the birds nesting in Alaska all sang a more rapid series
Does Blackpoll Warbler have song dialects? Read More »
In a footnote here I mentioned that blackish feathers can appear gray because of powder down, and now I will offer a little more explanation.
Powder down and the Black-crowned Night-Heron Read More »
On 18 May 1987, while birding at Cape May, NJ, I came across a small group of Cattle Egrets foraging in a field. Accompanying them was the bird in the photos below. In shape and behavior it was identical to all of the other Cattle Egrets, but its head and neck were mostly dark grayish.
Does Cattle Egret have a dark morph? Read More »