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 »
Thanks to all who donated (and to Audubon California for facilitating), the Sandpiper Information Center at Pak Thale is ready for its grand opening on 26 June! The center will be managed by the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand and will provide information about Spoon-billed Sandpipers and other rare species for visiting birders and local
Thailand Sandpiper Info Center – Grand Opening Read More »
I’ve just posted a complete list of French names for North American birds. This is the first step towards adding French names to the eGuide. Please let me know of any corrections. Thanks!
Bird names in French Read More »
23 Jun 2011 – Concord, MA Sitting at my desk today I was roused by a bird call that I did not immediately recognize. This is a very rare occurrence for me, especially at my house where I spend many hours every day, and I know the birds that are here very well. As the
No more Dendroica? If you’re connected to the birding grapevine, you’ve probably already heard that the AOU has rearranged the species of Wood-Warblers (Family Parulidae) and that the genera Parula, Wilsonia, and Dendroica are gone, merged into other genera. ((These changes won’t become official until published in the next month or so, but it’s unlikely
The new Wood-Warbler taxonomy Read More »
On 9 Jun 1987 I was leading a WINGS tour group at Churchill, Manitoba, and we chartered a small boat to go out on the river for an hour or so to see Belugas and look for birds. During this trip I spotted a distant loon on the water, which struck me as being large
An apparent hybrid Yellow-billed x Common Loon Read More »