Category Archives: birds

  July has brought a hummingbird transition around my home. Earlier the Rufous dominated, now the Black-chinned does.  The male Black-chinned Hummingbird has a distinctive black head, which depending upon the lighting might be edged with iridescent purple. Unlike the aptly … Continue reading →

  Protect and serve — not the police, parents — and not people, birds.  While chicks are in the nest, bird parents have a seemingly endless task of ferrying food in and waste out. And then there is the job of keeping predators at … Continue reading →

  Alula: A structure on a bird’s wing occasionally deployed to limit stalling at high angles of attack. It is fun to discover something on one’s own — even if it is already in the literature. Such was the case this … Continue reading →

  Three weeks later, I revisited the nest of Bald Eagles. Earlier, no chicks were visible. Now, a couple of chicks occasionally peered out. This is a picture of one of them. 

  If this issue has been settled, I don’t know about it. The issue concerns an osprey’s fidelity. Certainly, an osprey seems to mate for life, but is it being loyal to its mate or do both partners merely return to … Continue reading →

  For many weeks, I have been watching a dipper nest as I wait for the chicks first to arrive and then be old enough to peek from the nest as they are being fed.  By displaying their yellow gapes, the … Continue reading →

  Locally, we get two species of waxwings: Bohemian Waxwings in the winter; Cedar Waxwings in the summer. Bohemians course about in large flocks (see, waxing alliteratively, Bohemian Waxwings). Cedars are here to breed and so don’t move about in … Continue reading →