We had a good day today at Britannia and Mud Lake. The promised rain kept away all morning, and we had clear skies, although a bit humid. We had several warblers, such as Magnolia, Nashville, Black & White, Black-throated Green, Yellow and Blackpoll Warbler. There were Black-crowned Night Herons everywhere, and we also saw a […]
California condors numbers pass the 400 mark for the first time for 100 years
226 free flying condors May 2012. California condor numbers have crept above 400 for the first time since they teetered on the verge of extinction. There are currently 226 wild flying condors, 125 in California, 80 in Arizona and a small population of 21 in Baja Mexico. Of these birds, 29 fledged in the wild, […]
Fungus among us
More bad news for bats, I’m afraid—the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has confirmed that white-nose syndrome (WNS) has now spread to the endangered gray bat. The fungus, which has devastated large populations of North American bats, was detected in Tennessee gray bats although biologists did not find evidence that it had killed any animals […]
Yellowhead, Mohoua ochrocephala
Yellowhead, Mohoua, Bush Canary Yellowhead warble Mohoua, or Yellowhead One of the most distinctive of our smaller forest species, Yellowhead or Mohoua are one of the 4 species returned to Ulva Island after rats were eradicated. Absent from Stewart Island for many years their numbers have increased slowly on Ulva and we often see them […]
I never lost the faith of a dedicated birder
Ever since those dreamy childhood days when I would lie on my back on a straw rick listening to the chattering and murmuring of a flight swallows as they wheeled and swooped in the yard outside the barns on my fathers farm I have been a birder at heart. Saddened as I am by the […]
American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
I have been delighted to see and photo capture these American Lady(Vanessa virginiensis)butterflies in our gardens and fields earlier this spring than in previous years. Flower Hill Farm
Costa Rica Trip Report – Stripe-Tailed Hummingbird
Part 5/6 of my month down in Costa Rica leading a few photography workshops. We had some really nice opportunities throughout the tours and many wonderful images were made. Costa Rica is one of those countries that is just so pleasant to visit. After leaving the Quetzal behind the final stop for my first tour […]
Chew your meat, you Panthera leo
“We Bought a Zoo (2011)” this film portraits a story that is not far from reality and I was fortunate to be involved in filming behind the scenes the revival of one in tropical Australia. The receivers of this closed zoo appointed a zoo animal carer to look after the animals welfare until such time […]