|
|
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…] 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…] 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…] 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…] 
What: Western Tanager, Piranga ludoviciana When: Sunday, May 19, 2019 Where: Greenlee Wildlife Refuge, Boulder County, Colorado Across a large swath of the ABA Area, it has been a remarkable spring for seeing western tanagers. These radiant birds have been showing up all across the western Great Lakes region, where they don’t ordinarily occur. [read more…] What: Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus When: Friday, May 10, 2019 Where: Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania I had every intention of sleeping in. I’d flown in late the night before and had nothing planned for the morning. The Carolina wren had other plans. At 5:39 local time (that’s 3:39 body time), the bird went off. [read more…] What: Swainson’s Hawk, Buteo swainsoni When: Wednesday, May 1, 2019 Where: Waneka Lake, Boulder County, Colorado Probably everybody knows what a hawk is. Hawks are big and fierce and raptorial; they have hooked beaks and gnarly talons. Like this: A chestnut-fronted hawk, just back from its South American wintering grounds, rests in [read more…] What: Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta When: Monday, April 15, 2019 Where: South Teller Farms, Boulder County, Colorado The dawn chorus on a bright June morning in the foothills of the Appalachians… southbound Sandhill Cranes bugling against a gray sky over the shortgrass prairie… the desert come alive with thrasher song on a still afternoon [read more…] What: Northern Shoveler, Spatula clypeata When: Saturday, March 30, 2019 Where: Hecla Pond, Boulder County, Colorado Birds do things. Northern cardinals embellish their songs with squirrel-like chatter; American crows patrol parking lots in their quest for whiskey; sagebrush sparrows flip their long tails expressively, as if they were tiny roadrunners; and American dippers do [read more…] |
|
Copyright © 2023 American Birding Association, Inc. No material displayed on the ABA website may be reproduced in any form without the express prior written consent of the ABA. Powered by WordPress & Atahualpa |
|
How to Know the Birds: No. 14, Q. T. with a Great Blue
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…]