For the first time, scientists have been able to study the bone structure of one the more extraordinary serpentine tails in the natural world. The spider-tailed horn viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides) is found in the Zagros Mountain range in West Asia and remained unclassified as a singular species until 2006. A specimen found in Iran in 1968 was […]
Tag: warbler
From Baby Beggar To Brash Adult Mockingbird
A couple of weeks go I was rushing from place to place on a frantic search for warblers. Now the peak of spring migration has passed and we are entering the nesting season. This past Saturday I was down at the shore intending to look for shorebirds. Instead, I found myself sitting on a tree […]
Chipping Sparrow at Central Winds Park
When I moved to Florida I was very new to birding, and I knew next to nothing about sparrows. I remember going to take our dog Ella to a dog park. I didn’t know at the time that right next to this dog park was the best place to find warblers in Seminole County, Central […]
I Hope I Never Get Bored with Common Birds
This past Saturday I had a fun time looking for rarities at Orlando Wetlands Park—Vermilion Flycatcher (found) and Groove-billed Ani (missed). Along the way, I heard the familiar sounds of Common Yellowthroats grunting at me. I decided to stop for a few minutes, and one in particular was being rather photogenic, so I took a […]
Two Subspecies of Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-throated Warblers are one of my favorite warblers. They are one of our more common warblers here in Florida during Spring and Fall migration, but some can be found all winter long, and a few even breed here in the summer. We have two subspecies of Yellow-throated Warbler that occur here in Florida. Dominica Subspecies […]
Juniper Gorge-fest 2014
We have a pretty good sized juniper (not sure of the species) in our backyard that produced a TON of berries (cones, rather) this season. The Yellow-rumped warblers have really enjoyed this. So have the cedar waxwings and robins, but the butterbutts (yellow-rumpeds) own this tree, no questions asked. I’ve enjoyed watching them go absolutely […]
Migration on the move again
Afterseveraldays of low numbers, migration has decided to show itself once again. Over the last few days we had good numbers both in the field and at the IBRCE ringing station.A very big wave of Red-backed Shrikes, Thrush Nightingalesand Barred Warblersall over with amazing numbers trapped daily (numbers represent total new birds for the season […]
Baby Birds and Cave Arms
Why hello there friends, hello. Not to be one of those talk-about-the-weather-all-the-time types, but crapballs! May 2nd and I was decked out in long underwear, gloves and hat again today. So confusing.(Above: Black-and-white Warbler with a caterpillar), below: Painted Bunting hunkering down in some thistle) Black-capped nestlings-they’ve hatched. Golden-cheeked Warblers have fledgies. This season is […]