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By Ted Floyd, on September 10, 2019 What: Calliope Hummingbird, Selasphorus calliope When: Friday, August 30, 2019 Where: Steamboat Springs, Routt County, Colorado
On a not-exactly-a-bird-walk a week or so ago, one of the participants, Roberta, was intent on documenting whatever it is that was happening in the general vicinity of a pot full of patriotic petunias:
Not all [read more…]
By Ted Floyd, on August 28, 2019 Adult male orioles in breeding plumage are a thing of beauty. And a cinch to identify. You’re in Pennsylvania, say, and it’s May. An Orchard Oriole flies by, or a Baltimore Oriole is singing from the treetops. Easy peasy. The females and second-summer males of those species are more subtly marked, but, still, Orchard vs. [read more…]
By Ted Floyd, on August 27, 2019 What: Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus When: Friday, August 23, 2019 Where: Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico
You could make the case that I shouldn’t have gone birding that Friday morning. I had a meeting to attend and a presentation to prep for; I had a crushing load of deadlines in the week ahead; and [read more…]
By Ted Floyd, on August 13, 2019 What: Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias When: Saturday, August 3, 2019 Where: Hecla Pond, Boulder County, Colorado
I went out the other evening seeking novelty and adventure. I didn’t know what I would find, but I knew it was to be had out there. That’s because novelty and adventure, when you pause to think [read more…]
By Ted Floyd, on July 30, 2019 What: Northern Gannet, Morus bassanus When: Tuesday, July 16, 2019 Where: Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve, Avalon Peninsula–St. John’s County, Newfoundland and Labrador
I’ve been seeing northern gannets, Morus bassanus, for well over 30 years. But I’m going to make the case now that I’d never truly experienced the gannet until I visited the [read more…]
By Ted Floyd, on July 24, 2019 A week ago, Jason Ward and I were on a boat trip out of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Birds were our objective, needless to say, but we were well pleased with our haul of cetaceans—including a particularly photogenic humpback whale. In reviewing his images of the whale, Jason came across this photo:
[read more…]
By Ted Floyd, on July 16, 2019 What: Hooded Merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus When: Monday, July 8, 2019 Where: Hecla Pond, Boulder County, Colorado
The adult male, or “drake,” hooded merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus, has got to be just about the most ridiculously photogenic bird in the ABA Area. No matter how often I see one—the species has been expanding its range and [read more…]
By Ted Floyd, on July 2, 2019 What: Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula When: Sunday, June 16, 2019 Where: Keystone Gorge, San Miguel County, Colorado
I was leading a field trip a couple weeks ago, and our group came across this bird:
Telluride, San Miguel County, Colorado; June 16, 2019. Photo by © Ted Floyd.
One of the trip participants [read more…]
By Ted Floyd, on June 18, 2019 What: Red-eyed Vireo, Vireo olivaceus When: Thursday, June 6, 2019 Where: Table Mesa Marsh, Boulder County, Colorado
You might have heard of Mozart’s starling. Lyanda Lynn Haupt recently wrote a book, Mozart’s Starling, that’s received a fair bit of acclaim. The short version of the story goes like this: Back in 1784, Wolfgang Amadeus [read more…]
By Ted Floyd, on June 12, 2019 #copyright-container { overflow: hidden; margin: 0px 0 10px 0; } #copyright-container>* { width: 100%; float: left; margin: 0; } #copyright-container>#copyright-container-p { margin-left: -100%; background-color: #ebebeb; width: 100%; } #copyright-container:after { content: “”; display: table; clear: both; }
Don’t blurt out the answer! Pretend you’ve never seen the species of bird in this photo. Or [read more…]
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How to Know the Birds: No. 16, Calliope Futures
What: Calliope Hummingbird, Selasphorus calliope When: Friday, August 30, 2019 Where: Steamboat Springs, Routt County, Colorado
On a not-exactly-a-bird-walk a week or so ago, one of the participants, Roberta, was intent on documenting whatever it is that was happening in the general vicinity of a pot full of patriotic petunias:
Not all [read more…]