Category Archives: birds

  Dipper – the eyelid flashes white when it blinks! This is so different from any other bird that it begs for an explanation.         David Sybley A dipper has both a dark plumage and dark eyes. … Continue reading →

  Last November, I received an enquiry about dippers from the production crew of a nature film: …it is quite surprising to see a bird which is not a penguin swimming under ice! Do you think that there are any … Continue reading →

  My yard lies within the range of a few Ruffed Grouse. I don’t see them every day, but often enough that I get to track some of the species’ idiosyncrasies.  It is winter, and the Ruffed Grouse often now … Continue reading →

  The -kins are getting together. Siskins are little finches that are partial to eating seeds. Catkins are pods of seeds hanging from some broad-leafed trees. The two are clearly kins.  Pine Siskins are with us year round. They travel … Continue reading →

  I took an indifferent picture of a Brown Creeper this morning. Indeed, it is barely worth posting — except for the backstory: with this creeper it is four for four. I have seen a Brown Creeper four times, and … Continue reading →

  The chickadee is cute, abundant, and a pleasant visitor at home feeders. Of course, what is being discussed is the ubiquitous Black-capped Chickadee. However, we also have three other species of chickadee. In the order of most to least … Continue reading →

  They are variously known as suicide birds and grill birds (owing to their propensity to be smashed by vehicular grills). These are the finches of winter, and primarily they are Pine Siskins. Pine Siskins seem to crave salt, and … Continue reading →

  A visitor wearing a red cap arrived through the air this morning and then hung around eating snacks. It all seemed to fit the legends of the day. The red-capped visitor was a female Pileated Woodpecker and the snacks were … Continue reading →