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...
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...
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...
The Summer season for birders is June and July, which this year flashed by just as fast as always but was cooler than usual. While we catch our breath before the autumn avian goodies arrive, we can reflect on this past summer and the unexpected bird species that were...
Neotropical migrants are arriving daily and filling birders with excitement. Spring migration, many would argue, is the most anticipated bird event of the year. In part, this may be because it follows what is usually the least exciting season–winter–since so many...
Grebes make up the family Podicipedidae, a relatively small group of diving water birds that are found worldwide. Unlike ducks, they have lobed toes, legs that are far back on the body of the bird, and are ungainly on land where they are seldom seen unless sick. There...
[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...
[Originally appeared in the Sierra Wave newsletter, Vol. 25, No. 2, Nov-Dec 2006 – click here for original with photos] When most people think of fall, visions of falling multicolored leaves, the World Series or football come to mind. Conversely, when birders...
On May 8th thirty-five participants joined the international celebration of migratory birds and scoured hills and dales, valleys and mountains, lakes, streams, and the Owens River from Round Valley south to Little Lake, east to China Ranch, and north to Deep Springs,...
Believe it or not, fall migration lasts for almost half a year! The first southbound migrants are usually female Wilsons Phalaropes who return by mid June after laying the eggs in a nest and placing responsibilities on the males. This year the ladies were spinning...
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