I’ve updated my events page with lots of new book-signings and other things for the spring, mostly related to the release of my new book “What It’s Like to Be a Bird“. More events and updates will be added so keep checking there to see what’s going on. About 40 of the original paintings from …
I always enjoy studying Herring Gulls, just looking at variation and trying to categorize the birds into age, sex, and regional groups. Last winter I was watching the gull flock at Turners Falls, MA, paying special attention to when the adults molted into breeding plumage. My thought was that the early-molting birds would be from …
The head shape of Herring Gulls seems to change seasonally Read More »
My newest book becomes available April 14th, in bookstores everywhere. You can read a little more about it at these links: here in my web store An excerpt is available at my publisher’s website and a starred review has been published in Library Journal I’ll be posting more in the coming days, stay tuned, and …
12 days until “What it’s like to be a Bird” goes on sale, with a starred review! Read More »
Molt is the process of feather replacement. All birds do it; they have to grow new feathers once or twice a year to stay warm, dry, and airborne, and in many cases they grow differently colored feathers at different seasons to match their surroundings or to impress others of their species. Among the small songbirds, …
The annual plumage cycle of a male American Goldfinch Read More »
North Country Public Radio – October 10, 2003 David Sibley led a group of North Country birders along Clarkson University’s nature trails last fall. Martha Foley went along. The Diane Rehm Show – May 30, 2001 (scroll down) David Sibley: The Sibley Guide to Birds NPR Science Friday: December 22, 2000 Annual Audubon Christmas Bird …
The Sibley Guide to Birds Focus: bird identification Region covered: North America north of Mexico Species covered: 810 The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior Focus: understanding the behavior and ecology of birds Region covered: North America north of Mexico Species covered: over 800, information is summarized by bird family, with species mentioned as …
Feb. 10, 2005 In late October 2004 I was privileged to visit the Nature Conservancy’s spectacular Santa Cruz Island preserve off the coast of Southern California. This island, along with the other California Channel Islands has been called the “Galapagos of the North” and has long been the focus of biological studies, but became more …
Illustration of the Red-footed Falcon perched. The smooth gray color is unlike any North American Falcon. Old juvenal wing and tail feathers are slightly brownish and barred, while adult feathers will be uniform blackish. Juvenal feathers are obvious on the outer tail, the primaries (molt reveals the boldly barred inner web of one outer primary), …
Identification of the Martha’s Vineyard Red-footed Falcon Read More »
October 7, 2004 One of the most significant changes for birders in the 45th supplement of the AOU checklist (Banks et al., 2004) was the split of Canada Goose into two species. While widely anticipated – the highly variable Canada Goose has often been considered more than one species in the past – the split …
p 143 – Pacific Golden-Plover: on adult male breeding the labels pointing to undertail coverts and flanks are reversed. p. 252 – White-throated Swift: name is incorrect, Whited-throated Swift p. 279 – Greater Pewee: map is a duplicate of Buff-breasted Flycatcher map. The summer range of this species should extend slightly farther north in Arizona, …
Updates and Corrections for the Sibley Western Guide Read More »