by Tom & Jo Heindel | Jan 4, 2017 | Blog, Heindel, Sierra Wave
Another exciting fall has come and gone and left behind many records of rare and casual species that are always a pleasant surprise. Some birds were early or late fall migrants, some were recorded at higher elevations than expected, and some are just plain rare in...
by Chris Howard | Dec 25, 2016 | Blog, Christmas Bird Count
The 35th annual Bishop Christmas Bird Count was December 17, 2016. Forty-seven birders counted every bird in the 15-mile diameter CBC circle centered on the intersection of Ed Powers Road and Red Hill Road. The circle encompasses Round Valley, Pleasant Valley...
by Tom & Jo Heindel | Nov 8, 2016 | Blog, Heindel, Sierra Wave
An admirable characteristic in many people is striving to be better…to do a better job every day at one task or project. We often see this in our friends as they have grown in their birding abilities. Although we all have more to learn than we have already learned, we...
by Tom & Jo Heindel | Sep 3, 2016 | Blog, Christmas Bird Count, Heindel, Sierra Wave
Many of us were recently encouraged to observe “Sage Sparrows” more carefully when the American Ornithologists Union (AOU), recognized that what had been one species, “Sage Sparrows,” was in fact two very similar species. These two species are...
by Tom & Jo Heindel | May 3, 2016 | Blog, Heindel, Sierra Wave
When the dawn’s early light begins to awaken people, they seldom wake up thinking, “Today I am going to see an amazing avian event!” Those who experienced this event, one that had never been recorded in the Eastern Sierra before, had no premonition...
by Tom & Jo Heindel | Mar 2, 2016 | Blog, Heindel, Sierra Wave
The Barred Owl is a large owl, only slightly smaller than a Great Horned Owl, with ebony-black eyes. It is a resident of forests, swamps, and riparian habitats and, historically, was widespread in the eastern half of the United States. The northern range began to...
by Tom & Jo Heindel | Jan 5, 2016 | Blog, Heindel, Sierra Wave
The official ornithological Fall Season ended 30 November for administrative purposes. Birds don’t give a hoot, pardon the pun, about the administration of their comings and goings but journals do. So for bird data purposes, Fall includes all of August through...
by Chris Howard | Dec 25, 2015 | Blog, Christmas Bird Count
Report: 2015 Bishop Christmas Bird Count The 34th annual Bishop Christmas Bird Count was held December 19, 2015, a nearly windless though chilly day, clear in the morning and overcast in the afternoon with temperatures ranging from 11°F to 45°F. An excellent turnout...
by Tom & Jo Heindel | Nov 4, 2015 | Blog, Heindel, Sierra Wave
The Art and Science of Field Notes Do you take notes regarding birding trips when you go into the field to bird? They are called field notes. What are field notes anyway and are they really necessary? Most good birders we know do take field notes and there must be a...
by Tom & Jo Heindel | Sep 2, 2015 | Blog, Heindel, Sierra Wave
Are you ready? Ready for the change that is already underway? We are talking about the birds we have been watching all summer. Many of them are neo-tropical migrants and some are already on their way south where they will find sufficient food and cover and...