A Buddhist Monk Saves One of the World's Rarest Birds

High in the Himalayas, the Tibetan bunting is getting help from a very special friend
By Phil McKenna
Smithsonian magazine, October 2011

The Tibetan bunting (Emberiza koslowi) is one of the least-known birds on the planet. It has a black and white head and chestnut-colored back and is only slightly larger than a chickadee. In 1900, Russian explorers were the first to document the bird and collect specimens. One hundred years later, British ornithologists published only the third scientific study of the bunting, based on fewer than four hours of observations. Read more...

2011 September 24 - Bonney Butte

This was a first-time visit to Bonney Butte for many. For others it was the first visit without being fogged in! Excellent weather makes for great birding. Here's the list.

Turkey Vulture. Cathartes aura.

Osprey. Pandion haliaetus.

Sharp-shinned Hawk. Accipiter striatus.

Cooper's Hawk. Accipiter cooperii.

Red-tailed Hawk. Buteo jamaicensis.

Downy Woodpecker. Picoides pubescens.

Black-backed Woodpecker. Picoides arcticus.

Northern Flicker. Colaptes auratus.

Pileated Woodpecker. Dryocopus pileatus.

Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Empidonax difficilis.

Steller's Jay. Cyanocitta stelleri.

Common Raven. Corvus corax.

Mountain Chickadee. Poecile gambeli.

Red-breasted Nuthatch. Sitta canadensis.

Golden-crowned Kinglet. Regulus satrapa.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Regulus calendula.

Townsend's Solitaire. Myadestes townsendi.

Yellow-rumped Warbler. Dendroica coronata.

White-crowned Sparrow. Zonotrichia leucophrys.

Dark-eyed Junco. Junco hyemalis.

Red Crossbill. Loxia curvirostra.

Pine Siskin. Carduelis pinus.

The Toughest Little Bird You've Never Heard Of

They're nothing to look at. They're not colorful. They seem so ordinary, in mottled brown, black and gray, if you noticed them at all, you'd think, "ah, just another shore bird, pecking at something in the water." But you'd be so wrong. Bar-tailed Godwits are special. So special, they deserve special attention.

Avian Architecture

A coworker brought a book by my desk today called Avian Architecture by Peter Goodfellow, which he had checked out of the library. What a great book! The Golden-crowned Kinglet (called a "Goldcrest" in the book) has a lovely nest structure. This is a great book to share with your kids.

How hummingbirds make sound with their tails

This is an amazing video, showing in super slow-motion exactly how hummingbirds make diving sounds with their tails. Really cool!

"During the mating season, male hummingbirds climb high into the air and then nose-dive, belting out sharp squeaks or trills to impress watching females. A new study shows how the tiny birds emit their high-pitched calls."

Hunting (Eurasian Collared) Doves

I guess this is good news? The hunters are shooting both Mourning Doves and Eurasian Collared Doves in North Carolina.

Birding software and sites

The folks at Birding Washington have compiled a thorough list of birding applications and digital guides, a surprising number of which I had never heard of. Worth a look-see.

Parahawking

Well, that pretty much seals it for me: I'm going to find a way to parahawk! Check out the video. Here's more info about parahawking.

Local birding ideas from Bob Sallinger

This morning I was lucky enough to spot both the male and female Red-tailed Hawks that are resident in downtown Portland (thrilling as always). I always post an update on the Raptor Cam blog and today I found a recent post by Bob Sallinger listing several good local birding opportunities for your enjoyment.

We admire the shorebirds, but they're legal to hunt in the Carribean

A migrating Whimbrel named Machi has been shot on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, French West Indies. The bird (pictured at right) had likely landed to rest up after detouring around Tropical Storm Maria. Machi became one of thousands of shorebirds that are hunted for sport each fall—but she stood out from the flock because of a satellite tracking tag applied by scientists at the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary. The hunter contacted a local wildlife biologist to report what he’d found.

Read more

2011 September 9-11 - Gray's Harbor, WA

We had great weather and even better birding on our Ocean Shores fall term overnighter where we tallied 89 species. Notable events: Everyone clearly heard and saw American Pipits galore, and got a great view of Pectoral Sandpipers. We saw a Red Knot and had two opportunities to view a Bar-tailed Godwit. Sadly, some of us missed seeing the Pomarine Jeager and Rhinoceros Auklet, however besides Dan I think everyone got at least one lifer!

Canada Goose. Branta canadensis.

American Wigeon. Anas americana.

Mallard. Anas platyrhynchos.

Northern Shoveler. Anas clypeata.

Northern Pintail. Anas acuta.

Green-winged Teal. Anas crecca.

Surf Scoter. Melanitta perspicillata.

White-winged Scoter. Melanitta fusca.

Red-breasted Merganser. Mergus serrator.

Common Loon. Gavia immer.

Horned Grebe. Podiceps auritus.

Sooty Shearwater. Puffinus griseus.

Brown Pelican. Pelecanus occidentalis.

Pelagic Cormorant. Phalacrocorax pelagicus.

Double-crested Cormorant. Phalacrocorax auritus.

Great Blue Heron. Ardea herodias.

Black-crowned Night Heron. Nycticorax nycticorax.

Turkey Vulture. Cathartes aura.

Cooper's Hawk. Accipiter cooperii.

Northern Harrier. Circus cyaneus.

Red-tailed Hawk. Buteo jamaicensis.

American Kestrel. Falco sparverius.

Peregrine Falcon. Falco peregrinus.

Black-bellied Plover. Pluvialis squatarola.

Semipalmated Plover. Charadrius semipalmatus.

Willet. Tringa semipalmata.

Spotted Sandpiper. Actitis macularius.

Greater Yellowlegs. Tringa melanoleuca.

Whimbrel. Numenius phaeopus.

Bar-tailed Godwit. Limosa lapponica.

Marbled Godwit. Limosa fedoa.

Black Turnstone. Arenaria melanocephala.

Surfbird. Aphriza virgata.

Red Knot. Calidris canutus.

Western Sandpiper. Calidris mauri.

Least Sandpiper. Calidris minutella.

Baird's Sandpiper. Calidris bairdii.

Pectoral Sandpiper. Calidris melanotos.

Dunlin. Calidris alpina.

Wilson’s Snipe. Gallinago delicata.

Short-billed Dowitcher. Limnodromus griseus.

Bonaparte's Gull. Chroicocephalus philadelphia.

Heermann’s Gull. Larus heermanni.

California Gull. Larus californicus.

Western Gull. Larus occidentalis.

Glaucous-winged Gull. Larus glaucescens.

Caspian Tern. Hydroprogne caspia.

Pomarine Jaeger. Stercorarius pomarinus.

Rhinoceros Auklet. Cerorhinca monocerata.

Rock Pigeon. Columba livia.

Eurasian Collared-Dove. Streptopelia decaocto.

Vaux's Swift. Chaetura vauxi.

Anna's Hummingbird. Calypte anna.

Downy Woodpecker. Picoides pubescens.

Northern Flicker. Colaptes auratus.

Gray Jay. Perisoreus canadensis.

Steller's Jay. Cyanocitta stelleri.

Western Scrub-Jay. Aphelocoma californica.

American Crow. Corvus brachyrhynchos.

Purple Martin. Progne subis.

Barn Swallow. Hirundo rustica.

Black-capped Chickadee. Poecile atricapillus.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee. Poecile rufescens.

Bushtit. Psaltriparus minimus.

Brown Creeper. Certhia americana.

Red-breasted Nuthatch. Sitta canadensis.

Bewick's Wren. Thryomanes bewickii.

Pacific Wren. Troglodytes troglodytes.

Marsh Wren. Cistothorus palustris.

Golden-crowned Kinglet. Regulus satrapa.

Swainson's Thrush. Catharus ustulatus.

American Robin. Turdus migratorius.

European Starling. Sturnus vulgaris.

American Pipit. Anthus rubescens.

Cedar Waxwing. Bombycilla cedrorum.

Yellow-rumped Warbler. Dendroica coronata.

Spotted Towhee. Pipilo maculatus.

Savannah Sparrow. Passerculus sandwichensis.

Song Sparrow. Melospiza melodia.

White-crowned Sparrow. Zonotrichia leucophrys.

Dark-eyed Junco. Junco hyemalis.

Red-winged Blackbird. Agelaius phoeniceus.

Brewer's Blackbird. Euphagus cyanocephalus.

Brown-headed Cowbird. Molothrus ater.

House Finch. Carpodacus mexicanus.

Red Crossbill. Loxia curvirostra.

American Goldfinch. Carduelis tristis

Pine Siskin. Carduelis pinus.

House Sparrow. Passer domesticus.