It’s really important to learn bird behavior if you want to get good bird photographs (click on photos for full sized images). I saw a post on Facebook the other day questioning “whether you can be a “birder” with a camera rather than with binoculars.” There were some pretty interesting remarks to this question and, […]
Author: Larry Jordan
Turkey Vultures Deserve More Respect
The Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) is probably one of the most misunderstood birds in North America. Some people think they are ugly, but not I.
Cedar Waxwings, a New Year, a New Yardbird
Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are seen here in Northern California every winter, but this year, they were seen in my yard for the first time! Click on photos for full sized images. The mainstay of the Cedar Waxwing is fleshy fruits and during the winter their diet is almost completely fruit. This dependance on a […]
My Favorite Bird Photos of 2012
At the end of each year I like to go back and look at the bird photographs I have taken and choose the ones I like the best for a “favorite bird photo” post. I usually choose one photo for each month but this year I have thrown in some extras, probably, for one reason […]
Sandhill Crane Named Audubon California’s Bird of the Year
Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis)were once common throughout the west and especially in the California Central Valley. However their populations declined drastically as a result of unregulated hunting and habitat loss during settlement of the region. In California, the breeding population was reduced to fewer than five pairs by the 1940s. Fortunately, all populations of Sandhill […]
Do You Like Wolves? Want to Help Save Them?
Only 58 Gray Wolves survive in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico. We can’t afford to let a single one be killed. Wolf numbers are so low that at this point we’re fighting to save the entire Mexican gray wolf subspecies from going extinct. Due to shooting, trapping and political opposition by the livestock […]
The Northern Harrier AKA Marsh Hawk
The Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) was also known as the Marsh Hawk in the United States and is known as the Hen Hawk in Eurasia (click on photos for full sized images). It breeds in the northern part of the northern hemisphere. On this Wikipedia commons map, the light green denotes breeding summer visitor, the […]
The 113th Audubon Annual Christmas Bird Count Begins December 14th
The 113th Audubon Christmas Bird Count begins December 14th and runs through January 5th. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running citizen science wildlife survey in the world. The count will undergo several significant changes beginning this year as Audubon builds on the program’s success to entice birdwatchers to lend their eyes and ears […]