I have been thinking about why my grandkids are interested in bird watching and would like to offer the following suggestions to parents and [...]
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If you have been using a thistle sock and are tired of replacing it or have problems with squirrels, the acrylic thistle feeder might be the next step up for your backyard birding [...] This storm brought a new yard bird into our platform bird feeder. It was the Dark-eyed Junco, the Oregon subspecies. It is common in Paradise, but the elevation and the habitat are typical for the Oregon Junco in Paradise, not down here on the edge of the desert. We also had a Gila Woodpecker coming [...] “Which thistle bird feeder is right for me?” is a question I get quite often at the birding festivals. First I have to ask if you are feeding thistle now. If you are and are looking for a new thistle feeder I would like to know why. If you are not feeding thistle [...] This little guy will not only display for a female hummingbird, but will show off for humans frequently. He will let you know that you are about to be treated to this display [...] I looked out the window this past week to see a Pinion Jay at our stainless steel sunflower bird feeder. I did a double take. We have had them in our yard before, but [...] But this morning we had one American Goldfinch stop in for a bite to eat and a quick bath in the bird bath. This species is uncommon for our area. A few are seen in the area each [...] A young male White-crowned Sparrow learns the basics of the song it will sing as an adult during the first few months of its life. The song is developed from not only listening to it’s father, but he will [...] Tom has reminded me that the Rufous has the longest migratory journeys of any bird in the world, as measured by body size. At just over 3 inches long, its roughly 3,900-mile movement (one-way) from Alaska to Mexico is equivalent [...] Our hummingbird migration is still going on. We still have Rufous Hummingbirds coming through and we still have most of the hummingbirds like the Magnificent, Blue-throated, and Violet-crowned coming into our Best 1 Hummingbird feeder. [...] Once paired the Rufous-crowned Sparrow remain on their territories year-round and stay bonded for life. The are ground feeders and like to peck at the base of grass [...] The Lazuli Buntings have a vey unusual way of molting during migration. The birds begin their Prebasic molt during late summer on the breeding grounds, then abruptly [...] You see, the Curve-billed Thrasher has claimed the cedar platform bird feeder as his and only his. He can’t get by with that year round, but we still have very young baby quail coming in with their parents and at the first sign of trouble, everyone heads for [...] The fall hummingbird bonanza is gearing up in Portal, Arizona now, with several Mexician species [...] This is just a short note to let bird watchers who plan to vist our area that the fall migration has [...] Beginning bird watchers have a tendency to misidentify Pyrrhuloxias. They are quite often confused with the female cardinal. This mistake can be avoided by looking at the beak. [...] This is truly a beautiful bird. The male is dressed up with a bright red forehead, supercilium, breast and rump in addition to its pretty [...] We have a young Cooper’s Hawk that has decided that our four tiered bird pond is a great place to soak it’s feet on a hot day. It comes in and just stands in the water next to the water fall so that it gets a little splash, but not [...] For the past couple of weeks we have been entertained by a pair of Lucy’s Warblers while we sit with our coffee mugs and watch the birds coming in to our backyard bird habitat. These birds do not come in to the birdseed we put out for the birds. However, the sound of flowing water [...] Finches are the true vegetarians of the bird world. While many different bird species enjoy a good seed, most feed on insects when they are available in the summer and usually feed their young insects because of the high protein content. This is not so when it comes to the finches. They prefer seeds year round and I can see them reacting as [...] Portal, Arizona is a place that most dedicated bird watchers visit at least once, most several times and those who don’t mind the desert habitat (but it’s a dry heat) come more often. We quite often find people standing at our gate trying to see what is at our bird feeders. Normally we try to visit [...] During the past couple of weeks we have been conducting Breeding Bird Surveys on the Coronado National Forest here in southeastern Arizona. We conduct four of these surveys with one each in the Peloncillo Mountains and the Dragoon Mountains and two in the Chiricahua Mountains. These counts are part of a nationwide system of similar [...] “Listen, listen. I hear something.” I said poking Tom in the ribs. “I don’t hear anything,” Tom mumbled trying to hear what the announcer was saying about the foul in the soccer game he was watching. “Mute the TV, and listen!” I insisted. Tom muted the television and with a frown pretended to listen while most of his [...] We recently had the opportunity to go bird watching on the other side of the mountain, over by Patagonia, Arizona. Now it may be just a short distance as the crow raven flies, but for us it is about 2 1/2 – 3 hours from our house. I have to change it to raven as we have [...] While bird watching yesterday, my Brother-in-law tagged along. He is not a birdwatcher, and I feared he would become bored after a few minutes. He is usually a very active mountain biker type of guy. He had come from California to visit with us while my Mother-in-law from Wyoming, who is an avid birdwatcher, was visiting. While [...] |
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