February Arrives
The transition from January into February is usually one without many colors, though this sunset on the final night of January was spectacular over the water. The pink glow from the sun below the horizon makes me think of everything from Valentine’s Day to the Northern Cardinal males beginning to sing in our yards on the warm and sunny days as they stake out their territories and sound out for mates, if they do not already have one. The same shade reminds me of the House Finch males that have also been calling out their cheery melodies frequently as of late. This January seemed to move...
Read MoreRufous-eyed Streamside Tree Frog (Duellmanohyla rufioculis)
Here is a Rufous-eyed Streamside Tree Frog (Duellmanohyla rufioculis) from Costa Rica, posing ridiculously wonderfully as so many tropical amphibians do for Twan. This photo reminded me that last week I actually heard some Spring Peepers going out there in the wet woodlands on one of the very warm days. Autumn has been about as warm as it can get for us. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreSongless Song Sparrow
This is the songless Song Sparrow, a member of the now much quieter species as we head out of the breeding season and into migration. It is almost frightening to have a sudden lack of song from these prolific singers. In only a couple months there will be hundreds upon hundreds filling up all sorts of earthy habitats around us, making me wonder – as always – what bird is of what subspecies and if we shouldn’t have more than one thing that we call a “Song Sparrow”…then again, Melospiza melodia works so well. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
Read MoreRed-winged Blackbird Female
People often think of the Red-winged Blackbird strictly as a species of ponds, cattails and marshes, but they can be found in all sorts of old and wet fields, pastures, coastal grasslands and even golf courses with areas of water. Their ability to take to a sizable variety of habitats has helped them become one of the most abundant birds on the continent. Here we have a female who was vocalizing because of a nearby nest. In a couple of months they will be starting to form flocks and staging before heading south. While most of the species will leave our area some will push through the autumn...
Read MoreAmerican Oystercatchers in Flight
That is one chatty American Oystercatcher! I wonder if the other two had nothing to say or didn’t even bother talking to me, knowing they wouldn’t be heard over their friend…our work in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds continues seven days a week. We had the first American Oystercatcher chicks of 2015 hatch at Milford Point this week! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
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