Feb 23
This bird of the far north is rarely seen in the lower forty-eight states, except those of us who watch Nature on Public Broadcasting. This bird, the largest of the falcons, is the official bird of the Northwest Territories in Canada. Gyrfalcons generally stay in the north in winter, but with some regularity, if not commonly, they …
Feb 06
The Eastern Bluebird, like its fellow member of the thrush family, the American Robin, is often viewed as a harbinger of spring. The Iroquois believed that the Bluebird would scare off Sawiskera or Flint, the spirit of winter (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebird). However, either bird may be seen in winter in more southern parts of its nesting range. …
Jan 30
One question many people might have about the American Robin is this: is there another kind of robin that is not American? I will come back to the answer in just a bit. The American Robin is one of the most familiar birds, indeed, to Americans. They nest in yards from coast to coast. Connecticut, …
Jan 28
The Purple Martin is the largest North American swallow (Family Hirundinidae), with a wingspan of 18 inches, length of 8 inches, and weight of 2 ounces. It is about the size and appearance of a starling in flight and can be confused with it. (In both species, the purple is due to iridescence of feather …
Jan 26
There was an old belief that when crows saw a human’s face, the face would imprint on the brain of the crow, and then the crow would remember that face for the rest of their life. If the memory was pleasant, the crow would have pleasant feelings for the person and if the memory was …
Jan 12
A familiar bird, particularly in winter when it stays put, even through the snow and cold. It, however, greatly appreciates the feeders and entertains the humans who keep it in viewing distance from a window. There they may hang upside down and feed on sunflower seeds and suet (fat). The winter flocks break up in summer …
Dec 23
Kirtland’s Warbler was one of the most endangered birds in the United States no more than thirty years ago. It nested only in immature, burnt-over jack-pine forests in northern Michigan. This situation describes one of those places where fire has had a place for maintaining critical habitat. “Pioneer” habitat was more abundant at one time …
Nov 28
The Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl has a long name for such a small owl, standing only seven inches tall. “Ferruginous” refers to the characteristic rusty coloration on the back and fine bars on the relatively long tail. The birds have a white circle of feathers around the eyes and in the facial disk, and fake, dark “eyes” …
Nov 12
We often think of owls as fairly large birds that are capable of eating mice and larger prey. The smallest owl, appropriately named, is the Elf Owl. It is less than six inches tall, with a wingspan of 13 inches, and weighing one and a half ounces. It is speckled gray with a brown facial …
Sep 03
The Whooping Crane is one of the most critically endangered species in North America. It was once more widespread, nesting over much of the north central United States and central Canada, in the bog prairies south of the boreal forest. In the 1940s, the only surviving population of this species was nesting in Wood Buffalo …
