Bay-breasted Warblers
We are getting to the end of the spring migration season, and as hard as that is to believe our later arriving species are trickling through as many of the species that arrived earlier are getting down to nesting. One of my favorite passing migrants is the Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea), a large and gorgeous species that I believe seems more rare than it is. Bay-breasted Warblers start passing through the region as most of the other spring birds are peaking. These birds remain mostly high in the canopy – above eye-level and out of sight behind recently emerged leaves, and...
Read MoreGreen Heron
Spring is filled with so many wonderful sights and sounds as a multitude of colorful songbirds return and fill our landscape with life. However, there are many other bird families returning to us as well. This Green Heron (Butorides virescens) was an unexpected and gratifying capture a couple of weekends ago while I was targeting warblers. It really provided a wonderful pose and superb bokeh for me for a few seconds during our chance encounter. Green Herons are special in that they are one of a handful of bird species in the world that use tools as they can fish using lures and bait. They...
Read MoreWhite-eyed Vireo
The White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) was high on the list of spring targets for me this year, as I have not had a good look at the species in quite some time and I certainly did not have any decent photographs of one. That sentence was past tense because I recently accomplished this mission. I certainly feel as though I can do better, but considering its behavior, the weather conditions, location, and time of day, I was happy with what I got. Can you tell why they are called White-eyed Vireos? This uncommon (at least in our region) species is often relatively elusive despite being...
Read MoreFluid Dynamics Reincarnated
An elegant sculpture entitled “Well-Feathered Arrow” by Dale Weiler is currently on view in our new exhibition, “The Weilers Evolution; A Father and Son’s Artistic Journey”. But this lovely piece is actually a reincarnation of the original piece entitled “Fluid Dynamics” that was intended to be debuted here as part of the Society of Animal Artists Show in 2015! Unfortunately (or fortunately), the original sculpture was damaged during shipment. Upon its return, the artist found that it could not only be repaired but also improved! In the words of the artist, “The new sculpture has an even...
Read MoreBicolored Antbird
Here’s a catch made during my recent research trip to Costa Rica. Not a neotropical migrant this time, but a local resident species. This unusual-looking fellow is a Bicolored Antbird (Gymnopithys leucaspis), one of several so-called “ant-birds” that are usually found only in the vicinity of army ant swarms. All day long these birds follow the ants -at a safe distance- and expertly capture insects that are flushed, but not caught, by the invading army.
Read More
