May 31 2023
The Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii) may not be one of North America’s most colorful birds, but for birdwatchers, it presents one of the continent’s classic identification challenges. Small, olive-brown, and subtly marked, it belongs to the notoriously difficult Empidonax group of flycatchers, several of which can look almost identical in the field. Fortunately, the Willow …
May 13 2023
The Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a small songbird of wide-open landscapes, equally at home on windswept prairie, Arctic tundra, coastal dunes, agricultural fields, and mountain slopes above the trees. Although its sandy brown plumage often blends into the ground, a closer look reveals a surprisingly distinctive bird with a dark facial mask, a black …
