Click on any of the photos for a larger version (may take a little while to show up, depending on your internet connection speed). In addition, text links show photos of the recorded bird (all included in slideshow) Each season brings surprises, questions, concerns,...
The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (Polioptila melanura) is a small foliage-gleaning insectivore whose distribution is limited by habitat and climate zones that can maintain year-round provisions of insects. The preferred habitats are dense spiny shrubs dominated by Quail...
Perhaps the question we are most often asked about hummingbirds is “When should I put up and take down my hummingbird feeders?” This question reflects the concern that feeders might entice hummers to remain too long in fall, which might cause them irreparable harm. In...
Some Falls can be a little slow and others can be exciting but sometimes a flood of rare species arrive inundating the record books. This season accumulated a list of highlights so lengthy that this article will only deal with the crème de la crème. The two rarest...
[Originally appeared in the Sierra Wave newsletter, Vol. 29, No. 1, Sept-Oct 2010 – click here for original with photos] Our harsh winters are reflected in the few bird species that share the chill with us but the thought that spring will soon come, bringing the...
[Originally appeared in the Sierra Wave newsletter, Vol. 28, No. 5, May-Jun 2010 – click here for original with photos] The thrush family, Turdidae, is found almost worldwide and, with over 300 species, is one of the largest families in the avian world. Just...
[Originally appeared in the Sierra Wave newsletter, Vol. 28, No. 4, Mar-Apr 2010 – click here for original with photos] He was right. We were wrong! Thirty years ago in an Ecuadorian forest, we were complaining about how difficult a group of greenish, seemingly...
[Originally appeared in the Sierra Wave newsletter, Vol. 28, No. 3, Jan-Feb 2010 – click here for original with photos] As stated repeatedly, each season brings its own sur- prises and this Fall was no exception. The biggest bolt- from-the-blue was a Little...
[Originally appeared in the Sierra Wave newsletter, Vol. 28, No. 2, Nov-Dec 2009 – click here for original with photos] With the approach of fall and winter in the Eastern Sierra, we bid farewell to species that arrived six months ago and won’t be seen for...
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