Travel Monkey You may have heard the term, “Old Coot,” or “Crazy Old Coot.”  How did coots get such a bad rep anyway?  A coot is a common water bird that often migrates with ducks.  It’s not tasty.  Hunters don’t like them.  It’s rather awkward in the water and has a beady red eye. It doesn’t fly much but when it does decide to get … Continue reading Old Coots, Crazy Old Coots, and Monkeys

Travel Monkey Kongo is visiting Tampa this week to spend some quality time with family. About a mile from the home of the monkey’s youngest is a wonderful place called Lettuce Lake Park. It’s part of a network of regional parks in the Tampa Bay area that highlight nature and Florida’s fragile ecosystems in the middle of a big city. White Ibis Kongo has been … Continue reading Birds at Lettuce Lake Park

Originally posted on 益言堂:
This American Dipper was diving in into Stone Creek at Burnaby. And it found a pink Salmon egg. What a delicious meal! https://youtu.be/6SvnSRrUWP4 American Dipper @ Stone Creek, Burnaby, B.C., Canada From Wikipedia: “The American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), also known as a water ouzel, is a stocky dark grey bird with a head sometimes tinged with brown, and white feathers on the… Continue reading American Dipper ate a salmon egg

Originally posted on Our Fine Feathered Friends:
Photo by Pixabay.com • Birds are disappearing. Some populations have seen a dangerous decline. Loggerhead shrikes are declining across the continent, and the reasons are complicated but can ultimately be traced to human activity. Imagine the sky growing dark and, looking up, you notice that the cause is not approaching storm clouds but a passage of birds —… Continue reading ‘Science’ article warns that people need to focus on the needs of disappearing birds

Originally posted on Our Fine Feathered Friends:
Photo by Patrice_Audet/Pixabay.com • Cedar waxwings feed extensively on various fruits and insects, forming large nomadic flocks that can quickly deplete local resources. The extended spell of dry, hot weather we’ve experienced for the past several weeks threatens to spoil fall colors, but if you’re a person who can offer a water feature or bird bath, this might… Continue reading Water a magnet for waxwings, other birds

Originally posted on Our Fine Feathered Friends:
Photo by Jean Potter The palm warbler’s name is a mistaken assumption that this warbler held special affinity for palm trees. It doesn’t. The warbler parade that begins each autumn with such brightly colored migrants as Blackburnian warbler, black-throated blue warbler and magnolia warbler usually ends with some of the less vibrant members of this family of New… Continue reading Palm warbler’s name an unfortunate misnomer that has stuck

Originally posted on Our Fine Feathered Friends:
Photo by jeanvdmeulen/Pixabay.com • The barn owl’s heart-shaped face helps this bird, which is also known by such names as death owl, ghost owl, and hobgoblin owl, stand out from the other owls that share the domain of night. With common names such as cave owl, death owl, ghost owl, night owl and hobgoblin owl, the nocturnal hunter… Continue reading Mysterious owl retains a low profile even during Halloween season

Originally posted on Our Fine Feathered Friends:
Photo by Peter Pearsall/USFWS • American crows — large, intelligent, all-black birds with hoarse, cawing voices — are familiar over much of the continent. Crows are common sights in treetops, fields and roadsides and in habitats ranging from open woods and empty beaches to town centers. While seeking birds far afield, I have occasionally spotted some innovative scarecrows standing… Continue reading Despite its dark and misunderstood reputation, American crow one of nation’s success stories

Originally posted on Our Fine Feathered Friends:
Photo by Skeeze/Pixabay.com • The dark-eyed junco is a fairly common winter resident in the region. Rather widespread, different races of the dark-eyed junco are found throughout the North American continent. I wrote my first bird column on Sunday, Nov. 5, 1995, which means this weekly column will mark its 24th anniversary this week. This column has appeared… Continue reading Winter’s dark-eyed junco provided inspiration for first column

Originally posted on Our Fine Feathered Friends:
Photo by Bryan Stevens  • Chipping sparrows, such as this individual, showed up for the Fall Bird Count in good numbers. The 50th consecutive Elizabethton Fall Bird Count was held on Saturday, Oct. 5, with 29 observers in eight parties. Participants tallied 118 species, which is below the recent 30-year average of 125 species. Windy conditions throughout the… Continue reading Fall bird count celebrates 50 consecutive years, finds 118 species