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.
Tag: gull
Is that a Northwestern Crow?
I spent Thanksgiving week in the Pacific Northwest, visiting family (granddaughters!) and friends. Somehow, in the midst of tickles and snuggles, craft projects, and a delicious turkey dinner, I managed to squeeze in an hour of birding—and it wasn’t even raining.
Since we were in Federal Way for lunch that day, we headed for the tiny Dumas Bay Sanctuary. And I do mean tiny. If you walk north along the narrow beach, you quickly run into signs warning of private property. And if you head south instead, the park boundary markers stop you after only a few yards. At least the birds have permission to trespass, and we birders have binoculars.
Birds at Sea
Birds are pretty amazing creatures. A recent question from a friend helped me realize just how amazing.
Our friends recently returned from a Caribbean cruise. At one point, when they were somewhere off the coast of Yucatan, their ship was out of sight of land. Yet, to their surprise, there were birds flying overhead. When they got back, they asked me, “How could the birds be out in the middle of the ocean like that? Don’t they need land nearby so they can rest?”
December Quiz: Answer
To refresh your memory, here is the photo from December’s Bird Quiz. The bird was seen in Washington during the month of March. Don’t read any further if you want one last chance to identify this bird.
December Quiz: Answer
To refresh your memory, here is the photo from December’s Bird Quiz. The bird was seen in Texas during the month of December. Don’t read any further if you want one last chance to identify this bird.
Quiz #10: Answer
To refresh your memory, here again is the photo for Bird Quiz #10.
As I mentioned in the quiz, the photo was taken in Oregon in September. As you can tell, the bird is standing on sand, eating a piece of a large fish. It’s pretty safe to assume I was at the beach.
Mountain Plover 