To refresh your memory, here is the photo from February’s Bird Quiz. It was taken in Louisiana during the month of January. Don’t read any further if you want one last chance to identify this bird.
Category: Birds
February’s Bird Quiz
Can you identify this bird? The photo was taken in Louisiana during the month of January. The answer will appear next week.
How to Take Bad Bird Photos
Today I’m going to explain how to take bad bird photographs. I’ve had years of experience doing just that, so I consider myself an expert. After reviewing various online photo galleries, it seems that anyone can take very nice bird photos but it takes a master to create truly horrible images.
(If, to see a particular point, you need a larger version of an image, simply click on it.)
Trip Report: Merritt Island NWR
It’s January. Where can you find warmth, green leaves, and lots of birds? We found all three at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Located on Florida’s Space Coast, Merritt Island shares a boundary with Cape Canaveral. You can actually see the launch pad off in the distance as you enter the refuge. Apparently launches don’t discourage the birds from hanging out nearby. Maybe that’s because they know they can fly circles around any rocket!
The day we arrived, the temperature was predicted to hit 83°. In my opinion, that’s perfect January weather! We planned to show up at dawn but we didn’t quite make it. Still, it was plenty early and the birds were out and about.
January Quiz: Answer
To refresh your memory, here is the photo from January’s Bird Quiz. It was taken in New Mexico during the month of January. Don’t read any further if you want one last chance to identify this bird.
January’s Bird Quiz
Can you identify this bird? The photo was taken in New Mexico during the month of January. The answer will appear next week.
Christmas Owls to Munch
’Twas two days before Christmas and here in my house
I had just finished wrapping up gifts for my spouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
The feeders were full and the birds were all there.
The juncos were nestled all snug in their nests,
While visions of sunflower seeds filled their rest.
And I in my old sweats, with hair all undone,
Decided to whip up some cookies for fun.
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Avoiding Window Collisions
I’ll be sitting at my computer, enjoying the quiet of living in the forest, when THUD!! I cringe, knowing that another bird has just hit the window. If it’s lucky, the bird is merely stunned and will fly away in a moment. Unfortunately, all too often the impact is fatal.
Window collisions kill millions of birds every year. High rise office buildings account for some of this carnage, but ordinary homes pose the most severe threat. Pete and I live in a passive-solar house, which means that much of our southern wall is glass. Add in my abundance of bird feeders, and the outcome is inevitable. Birds I’ve welcomed into my yard with food, water, and bird-friendly habitat end up as casualties. What can we do?
Be a Citizen Scientist
Perhaps you’re an avid birder, or maybe you want to do something about noxious weeds. You might have a telescope, and you spend your nights looking at the sky. Or maybe you drove your parents crazy (as I did) bringing home bugs and rocks and frogs and snakes—and you still haven’t outgrown your fascination. Having a hobby is fun, but turning it into something more significant is even better. No matter what your interest, you can put your knowledge and skills to good use as a citizen scientist.
