Turacos live in equatorial Africa, and 23 living species occur in this family. Turacos are the only bird family found in the order Musophagidae. In graduate school, we studied all the orders (41) and many birds’ families, trying to build a broad ornithological knowledge in our education. Turacos are intensely colored, and their feathers contain … Read more
Flashes came from down in the thick brown grass. A blotch of white, then some black, then a little red, one flicker seemed the same color as the grass. Two birds were moving in jumps, dashes, and twists. It had to be two with that much movement, but I could never get more than a … Read more
The Trip The goal was to learn more about the country’s ecology and find birds, crocodiles, reptiles, insects, and plants. We planned stops in tropical forests, dry sclerophyll forests, open plains, and even the Great Barrier Reef. Over the coming months, I will do a series of posts on this trip, visiting key sites and … Read more
Our problem was our fascination with everything from butterflies to elephants. It slowed us down everywhere as one or another of us would spot something to investigate. Our guide, Nelson, was a fantastic person. His knowledge is vast, his patience tremendous, and his ability to show us things impressive. He knew all the places to … Read more
A Course for Friends of Malheur NWR I am excited to teach a Raptors of the Pacific Northwest course for the Friends of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The course will cover the 19 diurnal raptors found regularly in Oregon, Idaho, Washington, British Columbia, and northern California. The first class is on February 28th and the … Read more
A rolling kwirr kwirr came from my right, so I leaned forward to look out the small window in my photography blind. In one of the walnuts, oaks, or locusts would be a Red-bellied Woodpecker, but nothing popped out. A half-inch of snow lay on the ground, and the trees were naked of leaves on this December … Read more
The grass waved slightly in the morning breeze, touching the railing on the boardwalk. My knee was braced on a post as I scanned east and then north across this vast wetland. Structurally, the marsh looked much like the Florida Everglades, where I worked for more than a decade. Earlier, a Snail Kite had quartered … Read more
The Blue Jay landed on the old turned-up root and then looked right at me. I felt like something of great intelligence was peering into my eyes and seeing right through me. This jay is in the crow and raven family and has the smarts. It seemed to be letting me know that she knew … Read more
The weather in Seattle has been cold and wintery the last few days. I snuck out of town just before it got really bad and made it to my sister’s house in Pennsylvania. Tomorrow, that front should reach here with dropping temperatures, winds, and snow. I had a good walk in the wilds today to … Read more
The splash came from my right. A Neotropic Cormorant ran across the water, flapping its wings, trying to gain lift. It was coming along the shoreline and would pass our boat as we floated on the Rio Sararé in the Pantanal. They typically need to run into the wind, but this morning it was calm, … Read more