Brown Thrasher
The Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) was another photographic target of mine this spring. I typically do get to enjoy the species a bit each April and May, but they are difficult subjects to shoot. Part of the problem is that they have dramatically dropped in abundance since Roger Tory Peterson’s time which makes me appreciate moments like these all the more. For a species that was a tolerably common breeding bird for many people, including Roger’s homes in New York and Connecticut, is now often a ghost in both behavior and population. Habitat loss and degradation, competition with...
Read MoreFall Field
Here are some more seasonal shots to get you into the fall mood – a Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) from a couple of days ago during a busy migration time for the species. They will pass through the eastern U.S. in good numbers in the autumn with some staying into the winter if they find an acceptable field or other open space with plenty of seeds. They are certainly declining overall in the east because we have far fewer fields than we used to as our natural areas often revert back to forest with the decline of agriculture combined with the continued rise of suburbia. Other remaining...
Read MoreLimosa Harlequin Toad (Atelopus limosus) & RTPI in New Scientist
In the 60 years that the illustrious journal New Scientist has been around they’ve never run a photo-led feature. I’m very proud and honored that they decided to break with that tradition with a story on our work with endangered frogs in Panama. Our research on a population of the exceedingly rare Limosa Harlequin Toad (Atelopus limosus) in Cocobolo Nature Reserve in Panama will hopefully give us more information on why these frogs are seemingly doing alright while its surrounding populations are going extinct. And with some luck, that information can help direct conservation...
Read MoreBrown Thrasher
This Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) has been avoiding my camera for at least two weeks now. It may have a mate, but I never end up spotting any true signs of probable nesting, and certainly lack any confirmations thus far. Sadly it is a far more notable sighting than it was back in Roger Tory Peterson’s day in the Northeast. The species has dropped dramatically in abundance, and what used to be a common breeding bird for many is now a ghost in behavior and population. I am still always startled by how boldly patterned, uniquely shaped, and even loudly musical they can be, yet often...
Read MoreGet outside and find Rusty Blackbirds
This gorgeous scene is on the trail at the Akeley Swamp Important Bird Area in Pennsylvania. It is a prime location to find Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) during migration and October is the right time to spot them. They can be found in wooded wetlands, marshes, ponds and agricultural areas mixed in with flocks of other species like the Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird and Brown-headed Cowbird. If you see any please enter them into eBird! Rusty Blackbirds are one of the fastest declining species in North America and we need all the data and information on them we can get to help...
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