Gull Problems
High on the list of things I simply do not have time for in the spring is spending hours picking apart a gull identification problem. Even if I did then I would likely leave the gulls to the pros! With that said, I took a little time to see this bird last week. This individual was discovered at Long Beach in Stratford, Connecticut by Patrick Comins, Audubon Connecticut’s Director of Bird Conservation. He thought it could be a first cycle Thayer’s Gull upon initial discovery as it stood out among the Herring Gulls for several reasons. However, this was in putrid light and very...
Read MoreFlicker Feather
This feather is another find from exploring the outdoors this weekend with my dog Zach. The number of birds with long yellow feathers around in the autumn or winter seasons is relatively short, and it looks like a Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus). Roger Tory Peterson saw this brilliant flash of gold in a flicker’s wings and it helped inspire him to change the world. What always makes me use my imagination is thinking about seeing a deep red explosion coming from a Northern Flicker bursting from the ground. The red-shafted forms fill the American west, and someday I hope to go see...
Read MoreCinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila)
As a part of Nicoya Peninsula Avian Research Station in Costa Rica, RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser and his colleagues band hummingbirds on a large scale to look at longevity and site fidelity. With nine species being caught on a regular basis there is quite the variety of subjects to photograph. Here we have the delightfully named Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila), a specialist of dry forests that encompass the northwest corner of Costa Rica. It is a lovely looking species with a striking cinnamon underwash and red bill. It is also one of the easier birds to spot from afar with its...
Read MoreGreen-breasted Mango
The Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) is the most common resident hummingbird species Sean encounters at Finca Pura Vida in Costa Rica. It’s an especially interesting resident because it has a slower molt than most hummingbirds, leading to a mosaic of patterns of juvenile individuals. They often appear to be stuck in between certain plumage ages. This bird is the adult male with gorgeous rich purple and blue gorget on display. Photographed by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser for the Meet Your Neighbours global biodiversity project in Costa Rica while on assignment for the...
Read MoreWhere Are They?!
We have now entered December, and though we lack the truly cold air that the month and the beginning of meteorological winter can sometimes bring, we are cooling down and birds are still moving south. Regular arrivals spanning the spectrum from the American Tree Sparrows of our backyards to the Tundra Swans of Chautauqua Lake are joining us now. Where are we with the irruptive avian species so far this season across the Northeast and Midwest? I went through eBird maps this morning to find that out, and let’s start with the big name… The Snowy Owls started their annual southbound...
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