The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) shared alarming news this year about the unprecedented conditions on the Colorado River. The agency, which oversees federal water management across 17 western states, publishes some pretty wonky information, even for those of us who regularly interface with this agency and rely on its analyses. However, in June, Reclamation […]
Tag: american coot
The Entire Colorado River Basin is in Crisis
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) recently shared alarming news about the unprecedented conditions on the Colorado River and I’ll attempt to explain their complicated projections. Reclamation, the agency that oversees federal water management across 17 western states, publishes some pretty wonky information, even to those of us who regularly interface with this agency and […]
Best of the 400
So I have finally crossed the line and made the personal milestone of 400 birds seen in Britain and this has got me thinking back on a few of them and which ones I enjoyed most. Now you’d think it would be easy just by picking the rarest but it’s not that simple. One may […]
Farewell Harns Marsh Preserve And SW Florida
My likely last visit to Harns Marsh Preserve in Lehigh Acres, Florida, occurred in late October when I met up with Canadian wildlife photographer Frank Constantin. The weather was favorable with the grass well groomed and 39 species of bird observed in the ensuing two hours after sunrise during our stay. A good number of […]
Gift Birds On The Day Before Christmas
On this busy holiday weekend I somehow managed to steal an hour to go down to the shore. Marinas can be a great place during the winter to get a close-up look at certain birds. One of these geese is definitely not like the other! It was a nice surprise to come across a snow […]
Mondo Ponds Nature Preserve Trail
Mondo Ponds Nature Preserve is located in Milford, Connecticut only minutes from I-95 and dozens of other highly valued birding venues. Images presented in this blog article were capture on a pair of visits made to the trail, one in late October and one in late November. While the preserve constitutes nearly 36 acres, I […]
Birds of Delevan National Wildlife Refuge
According to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex website, Delevan National Wildlife Refuge comprises 5,797 acres, including seasonal marsh, permanent ponds, and uplands. It is predominately a hunting refuge for waterfowl and pheasant. Wildlife observation takes place from the county roads, on the perimeter of the refuge. There is one notable exception to this, the […]
American Coots Take Off
American Coots (Fulica americana) are members of the rail family. They have to run or spatter across the water with wings flapping just to get airborne (click on photos for full sized images). They are actually a rather handsome bird with a black head blending into slate gray upper parts. All this contrasting with a […]