I took a trip into town a few days ago, mostly for garden supplies. On the way home with the car loaded with all kinds of stuff, I realized that I had forgotten to stop at the local feed store. I was only about a mile past the store so I turned around in the […]
Rifleman, Titipounamu Arcanthisitta chloris
Rifleman Sometimes called a “Bush Wren” they are not apparently a member of the wren family Riflemanare New Zealands smallest bird, and for me the most difficult to find. Partially because they are so small….. 6 or 7 gram, and at most 80 mm long. Males are bright green on the back, females a duller […]
Hitching a Ride – Grebe Chicks
Grebe chicks are showing up all over at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (aka Bear River National Wildlife Refuge) in northern Utah and they are just adorable to see and photograph. I have been seeing Clark’s, Pied-billed and Western Grebes with chicks but I haven’t gotten any close images of the Pied-billed Grebes with their […]
Lonesome George finally dies…
A lumbering giant Galapagos tortoise known as Lonesome George lifts his head up during a walk in his protected home in the island chain in Puerto Ayora this February. Lonesome George was the last remaining tortoise of his kind and a conservation icon Photo: (c) Stringer/Files Lonesome George, the last remaining tortoise of his kind […]
Garden Creatures
Praying Mantis or Mantid – Quite a common insect. Two forms are around – the green one like this female and the beige coloured form. We have lots of young ones in the shrubbery right now. Visit my website to learn more about my activities as a guide in the Andalucia region of Spain.
The Black Skimmers Return
On the west coast of Florida there are around 500 black skimmers that return to the same place each year to nest. For us who live in Florida, it is a wonderful opportunity to watch and photograph their mating rituals, nesting behaviors and interactions with their chicks. Black skimmers are a smallfamily of tern-like birds […]
Outlaw Siren
Outlaw siren of primitive magic, a spinning jenny of melodrama mocks the sky and dismantles my yard. • Starling | Sturnus vulgaris
Bellbird, Anthornis melanura
Bellbird, or Korimaku bellbird chorus Few visitors if any could visit New Zealand forest and leave without enjoying our vocal Bellbird, and the famed “Dawn Chorus” or for that matter the evening Choral Festival is a particularly delightful event, with bellbirds and Tui (see previous post)taking starring roles. Actually it all gets a bit confusing, […]