In honor of this coming Thursday being Valentine’s Day, I decided to present you with some hearts, courtesy of the Northern Flicker.
I’ve long known that flickers are easily identified by their black bibs and spotted chests. But have you ever gotten a look at the feathers further down their bodies, such as on the side near the rear, or the rump just above the tail? It can be hard to see them, as they’re usually hidden by the position of the bird, or obscured by the folded wings.
If you were stymied on Monday, now can you name this bird? The photos were taken in California. The answer will appear at the end of Monday’s post.
Here’s another bird from warmer climes. It was photographed near Half Moon Bay, California, in March, 2013. Can you name it? I will post the uncropped photo on Saturday, along with some more photos of this species, giving you one more chance. The answer will appear at the end of next Monday’s post.
I hadn’t really planned to spend time birding in Minnesota. We were on a road trip around the Great Lakes, and we had finally turned toward home. But my high expectations for Whitefish Point, in northeastern Michigan, had been squelched by high winds, and we decided to cut and run, saving the time to spend someplace more accommodating and birdy. That someplace turned out to be Hamden Slough NWR.
Pete and I have been invited to visit friends in Florida next month. Of course, we accepted the invitation! I’ve arranged time off from work, I’ve made my packing list, and our house sitter is all lined up (with instructions on keeping the feeders filled). Now I’m eagerly counting the days until we leave.
While there are plenty of logistics involved in escaping winter for a couple of weeks, I’m also trying to prepare for birding in a relatively unfamiliar location. Yes, I’ve been to Florida before—twice, in fact—but it’s not my usual birding location, and those aren’t my usual birds.
If you were stymied on Monday, now can you name this bird? The photos were taken in North Carolina on December 30, 2013. The answer will appear at the end of Monday’s post.
I’ve been studying eastern birds in anticipation of an upcoming trip to the southeast (I can hardly wait!). This bird was photographed in North Carolina on December 30, 2013. Can you name it? I will post the uncropped photo on Saturday, along with another picture of the same individual, giving you one more chance. The answer will appear at the end of next Monday’s post.
Have you heard? There’s a Pink-footed Goose at Milavec Reservoir (about 30 minutes north of Denver)! The word spread quickly throughout Colorado’s birding community. This was amazing. This was incredible!
As the Audubon website explains,
Although many Pink-footed Geese nest in Greenland and Iceland, these birds all migrate across the North Atlantic to spend the winter in Britain and northwestern Europe. Strays that have gone the wrong direction have been found in North America only a couple of times, in eastern Canada.
If you’ve been birding for any length of time, you know that species come and species go. The birds don’t change, but our perception of which variations are actually different species is constantly undergoing review. We have lumpers, who combine disparate species into one, and splitters, who separate subspecies into two or more different species. Add in the (relatively) new ability to examine DNA, and you have a recipe for constant change.
Mountain Plover 