During the last few days, things haveslow downa bit with migration. Nevertheless we still get 100-150 birds daily at the IBRCE ringing station and there are many Tawny Pipits and the first Short-toed Larks in many fields. The Cinerous Buntingwhich wasoriginally found by Harvey and Mary Van Diek is still present in Ophira Park (which […]
Category: Blogs
Her Private Rainbow
Her Private Rainbow • Feeling the faint outlines of the long road home, her private rainbow speeds her search for a hint of the heavens.
Swallow-tailed Kites
Swallow-tailed Kites have begun migrating back into Central Florida, and I thought it would be appropriate to commemorate their arrival with a tribute here. These kites are easily recognizable by the white head and body, black on their wings, and a deeply forked, black tail. These are one of my absolute favorite species of birds. […]
Up to 900 tropical bird species could “go extinct”
Up to 900 species of tropical land birds around the world could become extinct by 2100, researchers say — a BBC Nature report by Anna-Louise Taylor for BBC Nature News (images in this post by Alex Vargas and Jorge Chinchilla) The finding is modeled on the effects of a 3.5C Earth surface temperature rise, a […]
Spring Bird Migration
For many people the world over, spring migration with the return of our summer songsters is an exciting time of year. The first swallow or cuckoo heralds in the summer and floods our thoughts with summer haze and the smell of wildflowers. When I lived in Ireland March was typically cold and wet and summer […]
Sometimes the birds come to you: Snowy Owl
On a recent Wednesday morning, one of our graduate students came into my office with a quizzical look on his face, seeking my professional opinion on his sanity. Though I am not a psychiatrist, I do know something about birds and he suspected that the Snowy Owl he had just hallucinated flying through campus might […]
Raptor Island – Mull and its Superstars
I used to hear about Mull growing up, with its many eagles and its huge range of wildlife. Seeing documentaries on TV along with hearing things like ‘Europe’s premier wildlife location’ and ‘best place to see birds of prey in the UK’ encouraged me to go for the first time in spring 2009 with my […]
Birds of Ecuador around Mindo
Part 03/8 of Glenn Bartley’s month-long trip around Ecuador. Our next stop was the famous Mindo area where we spent some time photographing one of my favorite Ecuadorian Hummingbirds – the Velvet-purple Coronet (seen below balancing on a branch) . We also got some great looks at a few beautiful Tanagers (such as the Golden-naped […]