My time in Arcata, CA, taking part in the annual Godwit Days Festival, just wrapped up. The birding was fantastic, the weather could not have been better, and the people were outstanding. Thanks to everyone for making it happen. I only have a few photos to share, since photography was definitely not a priority for […]
Two new paintings for auction
I’ve just posted two more paintings for auction, a Bewick’s Wren and a Black-throated Green Warbler, adding to the two auctions that will be ending in the next few days. You can see the full listing of current auctions here, and more original art and prints are available for sale here.
New! Revised Eastern and Western Field Guides
More information about the Western Guide and the Eastern Guide After two years of work, the completely redesigned and revised editions of my Eastern and Western Field Guides will go on sale March 29, 2016. The new editions are the same size as the 2003 versions, but the layout has been changed to match […]
New quizzes on estimating numbers
I have just created a large set of new quizzes designed to test your skills at estimating numbers. You can enter the site at SibleyBirds.com, and you will also find a brief discussion of the art of estimating numbers. This is very much a “beta” version, so thanks in advance for your patience if anything doesn’t […]
White flickers
This beautiful and striking bird is a partial albino Northern Flicker, photographed in Massachusetts in Sep 2015 by Michael Beagan. A second, very similar, bird had been photographed nearby in 2012 by John Harrison, and – besides being very attractive birds – the two provide a good opportunity to discuss some of the details […]
Underwing pattern in Cory’s Shearwater
If you keep up on the news of subspecies, you will have heard of Scopoli’s Shearwater. It’s the Mediterranean breeding population of Cory’s Shearwater, overlapping very little with populations nesting on Atlantic Islands, and many authorities have split the two into separate species recently. Both populations occur off the Atlantic coast of North America, although Cory’s in […]
Peregrine Falcon raiding the tern colony
While I was at Great Gull Island, New York, July 3-5, two different Peregrine Falcons were passing through the tern colony. I never saw one catch a tern, but they were definitely hunting as they rocketed over the island low and fast with about a hundred screaming terns right behind, then turned and made another […]
A very young sandpiper
This image is for sale in an auction here Identification of downy young sandpipers can be a real challenge in the arctic, where multiple species occur, but I saw and sketched this one on Great Gull Island, New York, last weekend. At that latitude only a few other species are possible, and most are easily eliminated […]
Juvenile chickadees
The artwork shown here is available for sale, click here to view current auctions After being nearly invisible for weeks, the local chickadees here in Massachusetts are suddenly everywhere. This is their typical pattern, and it’s common to many species. Nesting pairs become very quiet and secretive while they have eggs and young in the […]
‘Tis the season for baby birds
The artwork shown here is available for sale, click here to view current auctions Birds are busy this time of year, trying to raise a family (or two or three) and then get ready for fall migration, and it all goes so fast. The young birds are full-grown just a few weeks after they hatch, […]
