To refresh your memory, here is the photo from April’s Bird Quiz. The bird was seen in California during the month of April. Don’t read any further if you want one last chance to identify this bird.
Tag: bird
April’s Bird Quiz
Can you identify this bird? The photo was taken in California during the month of April. The answer will appear next week.
March Quiz: Answer
To refresh your memory, here are the photos from March’s Bird Quiz. The bird was seen in California during the month of February. Don’t read any further if you want one last chance to identify this bird.
March Bird Quiz
Can you identify this bird? The photo was taken in California during the month of February. The answer will appear next week.
Making a List
I recently helped two long-time friends become birders. It was a thrill introducing two of my favorite people to a pastime I enjoy so much. We went birding and I offered ID tips. We discussed how to use binoculars, which field guides they might want to purchase, and some of the best places to look for birds. And inevitably, the topic of listing came up.
One friend really wasn’t all that interested in compiling a personal “life list,” but was eager to know what species were on her five acre property. The other friend has a small city lot, unlikely to attract much diversity, but was keen to keep track of the birds seen on our outings. That got me to thinking about all the different ways birders keep lists.
It’s Against the Law…
Contrary to what we often hear (or see), it’s against the law to shoot a robin. You’re not allowed to take your frustration out on those early-morning hammering flickers, even if they destroy your house. And it’s illegal to bulldoze a prairie dog colony if there are burrowing owls in residence. In fact, because of the 1918 Migratory Bird Act, you’re not allowed to:
… pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture or kill, possess, offer for sale, sell, offer to purchase, purchase, deliver for shipment, ship, cause to be shipped, deliver for transportation, transport, cause to be transported, carry, or cause to be carried by any means whatever, receive for shipment, transportation or carriage, or export, at any time, or in any manner, any migratory bird, included in the terms of this Convention… for the protection of migratory birds… or any part, nest, or egg of any such bird.
(Did they leave anything out?)
February Bird Quiz
Can you identify this bird? The photo was taken in Colorado during the month of January. The answer will appear next week.
Another Bird to See
We interrupt this blog for an exciting, bird-related announcement. It seems incredible that an animal as large as a thrush could go unnoticed until now, but scientists have recently discovered a new species of thrush! It was separated from, and is similar to, the Plain-backed Thrush, shown here courtesy of Wikipedia.
The bird lives in the Himalayas of northeast India and the adjacent parts of China. As I haven’t been traveling to that part of the world lately (I haven’t even been out of the country in far too long!), I’m posting some links to a couple of the better articles I found on the discovery.
Conservation India has an very informative article. (To put this discovery into context, this article mentions that, “Since 2000, an average of five new species per year have been discovered globally, most of which are from South America.” I had no idea!)
This article by Fox News includes the song, which is very pretty.
January Quiz: Answer
To refresh your memory, here are the photos from January’s Bird Quiz. The bird was seen in Colorado during the month of December. Don’t read any further if you want one last chance to identify this bird.
January Bird Quiz
Can you identify this bird? The photos were taken in Colorado during the month of December. The answer will appear next week.
Mountain Plover 