The Sibley Guide to Birds is now available in a series of eight laminated “folding guides” to birds. They can be found in many book and nature shops for $7.95 each, or ordered directly from Steven M. Lewers + Associates. The titles are listed below, clicking any of them will take you to the Steven M. […]
New Folding Guides to birds Read More »
In The Sibley Guide to Trees I refer to some species of trees as having leaves (or needles) two-ranked, and several readers have asked me to clarify the meaning of the term. In the introduction of the guide on p. xxix the term is mentioned and illustrated with one example: American Elm has leaves two-ranked,
The meaning of “two-ranked” Read More »
In a previous post I wrote about false faces in birds, using the example of a Downy Woodpecker to show how color patterns create the illusion that the bird is looking straight at you when, in fact, it is looking the other way. I promised a few more examples, so here they are: First, one
More false faces in birds Read More »
I have updated my events page with several public events in the next few weeks, including a live radio show with Ken Gale on Tuesday March 9th at 11 AM on WBAI, 99.5 FM NYC or live-streamed on http://www.wbai.org. March 6th in Westminster, MD March 10th in New York, NY March 20th auction of a small
Upcoming Events – March 2010 Read More »
Phenology is the study of the timing of natural events, and I have recently begun to realize how useful it is for distinguishing subspecies of birds. In San Diego in Mar 2009 I noticed differences in behavior and molt timing that were helpful in distinguishing Belding’s and Northern Savannah Sparrows. I wrote about this again
Subspecies by phenology – Great Blue Heron Read More »
Here’s an opportunity to own a piece of my original art. I have donated an original acrylic painting of the leaf and fruit of Sugar Maple to Mass Audubon’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sactuary in Topsfield, MA. The piece will be part of the silent auction at their Spring Syrup Pancake Fling on the morning of
Original art of Sugar Maple Read More »
Here is another video showing two minutes of footage of foraging Spoon-billed Sandpipers at Pak Thale, Thailand. All three clips included here show the “shoveling” method of foraging. Watch for a lifting action as the bill is pushed forward into the mud and then lifted to a more horizontal angle (which causes the head to
More video of feeding Spoon-billed Sandpipers Read More »
A few species of birds with false eyespots are well-known: pygmy-owls and American Kestrel come to mind. In these species of birds, spots on the back of the head produce the illusion of eyes, and create what is called deflective (or parasematic) coloration. Deflective coloration is defined as patterns which “produce the impression of a head at the
The two faces of Downy Woodpecker Read More »
Spoon-billed Sandpiper populations have been declining for decades, but the reasons are still unclear. Update September 2010 – My conclusion below is that climate change is likely to be the cause of declines, but recently Zockler et al (pdf here) concluded that hunting on the wintering grounds is a more significant threat. Apparently fledging rates at
Why is Spoon-billed Sandpiper disappearing? Read More »
I recently posted about an apparent hybrid sandpiper in Thailand. A few days earlier on the same trip (7 Feb 2010) I had seen another odd sandpiper that didn’t fit any known species. As I’ve worked on this post I feel safe ruling out Curlew Sandpiper, and the only things wrong for Dunlin are the
A second odd sandpiper from Thailand Read More »