Dawn Chorus: Fall in New England

by juliewolf

I love living in Vermont.  Our birds aren't as exotic as the Southwestern Species, and we don't commonly get the coastal excitement that they do over in NH and MA, but we get birds that are adaptable to the cold.  Fall in Vermont is especially interesting because we get boreal birds passing through as well as some occasional surprises.  One surprise happened to me just the other day in the form of this Barred Owl

                               

I didn't photograph it for long, but apparently it's been hanging out in this one spot, not far from my house (I could walk there without too much hassle), for months.  

Below the fold, I'll share some of our other local Fall birds, as well as a fairly major surprise/life bird.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus Birdblog: Cumberland Island

by matching mole

No Dawn Chorus this AM so I am going to fill in with some photos from my trip yesterday to Cumberland Island National Seashore in southeastern Georgia.  As this is a last minute diary commentary will be minimal but I will be happy to answer questions.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus: Snooze Alarm Edition

by Kestrel

I overslept this morning and the first thing I thought when I woke up was, "Damn, I've already missed the first hour of Dawn Chorus!" But lo and behold, it appears that our regular host may have overslept herself (or is having technical difficulties) because no Dawn Chorus was awaiting me. So this diary represents a quick stopgap for those of you who like a get a birdie fix and share your own on Sunday morning. Enjoy.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus: Lovely weather for ducks

by lineatus

Today is supposed to be a banding day, but I'm hearing a lot of raindrops on the roof as a I type.  It's been that kind of a year.  Lots of rain, not so many hawks.  If only I were a waterfowl bander...

Cinnamon Teal... the other kind of red shoulder.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus Birdblog: It's all just a blur

by lineatus

I'm a decent bird photographer, but I'm not a great bird photographer.  For those of us with average abilities, a big part of looking like a halfway decent photographer is just knowing what not to show anyone else - don't annoy them with bird-dots (unless that tiny little object is actually quite rare and this is your only documentation and you can actually see some identifying marks on that little sesame seed of a bird...), don't post a lot of out of focus, underexposed/overexposed shots where the bird is half-obscured.

Except, sometimes those photos really work...

Pileated Woodpecker... they always feel like they're part of a dreamscape when I see them.  Even this blurry, they're so iconic that there's never any doubt.  (BTW, this is a color photo.  srsly.)

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus Birdblog: Citizen Science (over breakfast)

by lineatus

Male and Female American Goldfinch at thistle feeder

We all know that big changes are happening in the world around us, at an ever-accelerating rate, and that those changes are really affecting the birds we love.  (All the other flora and fauna, too, including us – but this is a bird blog so we’re gonna talk about birds.)  You would like to do more, but what can you do?   CITIZEN SCIENCE!

One of the joys of ornithology, along with a handful of other natural sciences, is that there is still room for ordinary people to add to the base of knowledge.  Even better it is possible to do so as you’re drinking your morning coffee.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus Birdblog: Talkin' 'Tails

by lineatus

You might know the expression "When you hear hoofbeats - think horses, not zebras".  One of the most important steps in becoming a better birder (and a better observer of the wild world in general) is getting to know your local, everyday wildlife better.

By spending time watching your "neighbors", you learn more about bird behavior in general - who eats what (robins will ignore your seed feeder, chickadees eat everything), who's on the ground, in the foliage, on the flowers, clinging to the treetrunks or soaring above, and what the body language means.  You learn that goldfinches aren't always gold, bluebirds aren't always blue, and redtails don't always have red tails.

full size version (opens in new window)
Watercolor study from last weekend, practice on doing plumage and eyes

continued at Daily Kos....

Underwater Hawai'i - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

This is another one of these photo diaries meant to provide a brief respite from Tea Party insanity and Meta Madness and as a reminder that we share this planet with a wide variety of amazing critters.  These photos with a couple of exceptions were taken this past weekend.  I hope you enjoy your visit here.

He'eia
Windward Oahu.

continued at Daily Kos...

Dawn Chorus Birdblog: Dig this!

by lineatus

Just as I was posting the diary last Sunday, the pre-dawn stillness was broken by a Western Screech Owl calling - very nearby.  Honestly, it couldn't have been more than 20 feet away, but I couldn't quite narrow down the location and it was nowhere to be seen when we finally had some light.  (Did find some intriguing cavities though...)  That's how it goes with owls - much more often seen than heard, between the nocturnal habits and the dense cover they seek out by day.

There's one owl that makes it easier on us, though.  It likes to sit on the ground, in wide open spaces... in the daytime no less!  Even so, they're ever harder to see because we keep encroaching on their habitat.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus Birdblog: (Your) Best Bird Moments

by matching mole

Dawn Chorus hasn't appeared yet this AM.  Here is a fill-in diary.  If lineatus' diary appears I can take this down.

People reading this diary are here because they love birds.  Presumably you, dear reader, spend time observing our feathered friends be it from your kitchen window, in your neighborhood park, on vacation at a national park, or on the far side of the world.  During your bird watching hours you have had at least a few (hopefully many) experiences that were a bit above the rest.  Experiences that struck you strongly enough that, even if only for a moment, the world slipped away and the only thing left was the bird(s) in front of you.  I’d like to hear the stories of those moments.  I’ll start with a few of my own.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus: Spur Of The Moment

by Kestrel

This is literally a spur of the moment Dawn Chorus which I'm throwing up because our normally scheduled host hasn't appeared at the appointed hour. The last time that happened, we later discovered it was because she lost her computer connection and couldn't post anything. So, perhaps she's just late and Dawn Chorus will appear momentarily (in which case this diary can be deleted) but I'm posting this as an alternative while we wait.

Few words, mostly pics, over the fold.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus Birdblog: The Virginia Rail And Poetry

by Pam LaPier

A secretive, diminutive bird that seldom vocalizes outside the breeding season, the Virginia Rails are a hard bird to track so its precise status is unknown. One thing is for certain, the oil that has proven so deadly for the other wildlife of the Gulf region will have an impact on these vulnerable creatures.

continued at Daily Kos....

Beautiful Birds of Botswana - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

Aloha! I am back in the islands after my second once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Okavango and Linyanti wilderness of northwest Botswana. I have to say that re-entry into my work life and also into the blazing insanity that is American politics after two weeks of wildlife photography is jarring to say the least. This diary as all my diaries here is meant primarily as a respite from the craziness and as a reminder that we share this fragile planet with some incredible creatures.  

For my first Botswana diary I am sticking primarily to some of the beautiful birds of the Okavango Delta.

Dawn

continued at Daily Kos...

Dawn Chorus Birdblog: Humungous Bird Science Edition

by matching mole

And now for something completely different....

No, it's not a quest featuring mysterious riddles.  Nor is it a rogue pootie diary.  It's real actual bird science.  I'm going to (ab)use my Dawn Chorus guest privileges this week to talk about behavioral and evolutionary research relating to our feathered friends.  Because this is a community diary I'm going to try and keep it light and cordon off the gritty details so that they doesn't harm innocent bystanders.  I'm also supplying pictures/video off the web and some background on the species involved.  If you have any questions feel free to ask.  Or if you want to talk about something completely different that's cool too.

continued at Daily Kos...

Dawn Chorus Birdblog: Quest for the Red-throated Diver

by matching mole

Two weeks ago I lied to you.  I described and showed you my adventures with seabirds on the Shetland Islands.  But not seabirds in kilts.  Or even viking helmets.  Today, in my sequel, I promise paragraphs of unvarnished truth about Scottish seabirds.  Unfortunately there won't be quite as many bird pictures but I will make up for that with some pictures of beautiful landscapes.  Before I resume my narrative on Shetland I must beg your indulgence once again with a small preamble.  Also completely truthful - in fact in it I bare a dark secret of my soul.  But first have some ponies.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus: Egrets, I've Had A Few

by Kestrel

I love egrets.

They are magnificent birds. If you've not had the experience of seeing one glide through the air, you've missed something special.

Egrets are common in many parts of the U.S., but are year-round residents here along the west coast as well as the gulf coast and southeastern seaboard. As wading birds, you'll find them at many waterways grazing in the shallows and mud banks to grab food with their long bills designed to capture prey in quick strikes.

Egrets are among the most regal of birds. Their streamlined bodies, their elegant bearing, their beautiful, languid gracefulness -- egrets are those slowly gliding, white birds you see that make most people notice and say, "Wow! What's that?"

"That" is an egret. Follow me over the fold for more.

h

continued at Daily Kos....

Waiting for Oil in Apalachee Bay

by matching mole

This diary is really just a report on the state of booming and biodiversity in the northeastern gulf which is still awaiting its first oil (at least on the surface).  No analysis - just a feel for what things are like.  Today I visited the Gulf of Mexico for the first time in a month.  During May I visited virtually every week and each time I left I remember taking a final look and wondering what I would see the next time.  It is now two months since I made the first of those visits and, at least on the surface, the far northeastern reaches of the gulf are much as they were.  However when I made my way down to St. Mark's NWR with the idea of doing some bird censusing I did notice one rather obvious difference.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus Birdblog: Puffins in Kilts!

by matching mole

Happy 4th of July everyone.  Perhaps perversely for Independence Day I'm going to blog about birds in the United Kingdom.  And I'll come right out and say it - the title is a lie.  A shameless ploy to draw in the casual Sunday morning reader with a weakness for comical seabirds and tartan.  Puffins I have and puffins you will see in all their glory if you read on.  And Scottish puffins no less, but unfortunately bereft of kilts.  There, I've cleansed the guilt from soul.

This diary is an overview of a brief trip to the Shetland Islands I made in mid-June.  A trip I won't soon forget to a magical place.  So let's get going.

continued at Daily Kos....

Scenes from a whale watch

by juliewolf

To start, a note: all these are thumbnails, pointing to photos over twice their size (just click on them to visit my web site).

Fair warning: I'm not going to include a lot of comments about the trip.  I just want to say that this is something I very much needed and I'm glad we made it, despite the universe's attempts to thwart us (I had to call Newburyport Whale Watch to ask them to wait for us, since we were delayed by traffic and construction).

After the other photos, I've got a couple comments, some personal, some political.

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus: Vermont's "Northeast Kingdom"

by juliewolf

Crossposted to Vermont's Green Mountain Daily

Birding and camping in Northern Vermont this month took us through Island Pond, Victory Basin and a part of the Sylvio Conte refuge network.  We had good sightings of birds, butterflies and even one fairly cool sighting of a young bull moose.

continued at Daily Kos....