Birding / Wild Birds Blog

Personally, I think the Turkey Vulture is a handsome species – although I know others disagree (some strongly). However, they are certainly unique, especially in their superior olfactory capabilities – with far greater smelling ability than Black Vultures, California Condors, or even Andean Condors.

Perhaps you do not think Turkey Vultures are attractive, and perhaps you are not impressed with their ability to detect road kill from miles away – fair enough. Yet no matter how we feel about Turkey Vultures, we owe them (and other scavengers) a huge debt of gratitude for their natural recycling services. By consuming thousands of tons of dead animals every year, and recycling those nutrients, Turkey Vultures provide all of us with a tremendous ecological service.

Photo © Gillian Schultz

Numerous considerations confront birders thinking about purchasing new bird feeders, including the type of design, the size of the feeder, and the type of bird food to provide. For those folks interested in a small hopper-style feeder, the Franciscan Missions Feeder represents a good choice. Hand-made in Waterford, WI from weather-resistant cedar and other durable materials, birders can expect this feeder to provide years of excellent service. Moreover, proceeds from the sale of the Franciscan Missions Feeder support a good cause – the efforts of the Franciscan Order to support the impoverished.

Photo © William C. Webb

Looking for a hummingbird feeder? Lots of exotic designs exist, but sometimes the simple solutions work the best – like the Perky Pet Pinch-waist Glass Hummingbird Feeder. This feeder is a good choice because it is inexpensive, durable, and most importantly – it attracts hummingbirds. Overall, the Perky Pet Pinch-Waist Glass Hummingbird Feeder satisfies hummingbirds and the humans that like to observe them.

Photo © William C. Webb

If you offer a feeder for wild birds, how do you know which types of food to use? Many types of foods attract birds to feeders and feeding stations, including seeds, nuts, fruit, nectar, and suet. Each type of food appeals to different species to varying degrees. Deciding which types of birds you desire to attract helps determine which types of feeder food to stock.

Brown Pelicans are highly charismatic, as well as acrobatic. Watching these titans of the ocean glide effortlessly just inches above the rolling breakers is truly an impressive sight. The steep plunge dives made by these birds is arguably more even impressive - as they plummet from heights up to 60 feet straight into the frigid ocean in the hopes of catching fish.

When they rest on the water, or assemble in groups on land to preen and sleep, they appear as docile and approachable as the family dog. However, it's probably best to observe a bird such as the Brown Pelican with its 7 foot wingspan, and huge bill - from a healthy distance.

Thursday, August 24th marks the birth centennial of one the greatest naturalists of the 20th century – Roger Tory Peterson. Peterson was a talented artist, naturalist, and teacher who wrote and illustrated the first modern field guide - "A Field Guide to the Birds", first published in 1934. Afterwards, Peterson continued on to a successful career in nature writing, painting, lecturing, and photography.

Throughout his career, Peterson's work inspired and educated millions to learn and appreciate more about the natural world. Peterson is regarded as the pioneer of the modern field guide, and is credited as a seminal force in the early environmental movement. Peterson earned numerous honorary degrees and major scientific and environmental awards in his lifetime, including the Congressional Medal of Honor and two nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. Peterson passed away in 1996 at home in Connecticut.

This week, Peterson's birth centennial will be honored and celebrated with the publication of the "Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America" by Houghton Mifflin. I recently had the privilege of reviewing the new forthcoming Peterson guide. This outstanding, innovative, and informative guide serves as a fitting tribute to the legacy of Roger Tory Peterson, and I highly recommend the "Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America" for every birder's library.

Illustration © The Marital Trust B u/w Roger Tory Peterson

Bird feeders attract lots of birds, but with so many different feeder designs, how does a birder know which type of feeder to use? A new article about bird feeders list some of the common designs, their advantages, and which types of birds might visit them. You can read about everything from the popular tube feeder design to less common oriole feeders.

Photo RJV ©

Regardless of your birding goals, you can often benefit from learning about new birding spots and birding-related resources. A variety of resources exist to help birders like you, whether your goal is to add species to your life list, try birding for the first time, plan a birding vacation, or simply want to experience a change of scenery. Birding hotlines, local birding organizations, and regional e-mail lists represent some of the easy ways to find local birds and birding-related resources.

With a wingspan of 8 ½ ft. and weighing 15 lbs, the American White Pelican registers as a very large bird. Colonial and gregarious, American White Pelicans frequently concentrate large amounts of bird mass in relatively small areas. They concentrate themselves at their nesting colonies at inland lakes, and also rest together on islands in large groups. Unlike Brown Pelicans which plunge dive for fish, American White Pelicans forage cooperatively by herding and then swallowing groups of small fish and invertebrates. Sometime American White Pelicans also kleptoparasitize – stealing fresh-caught food from terns and other species.

Photo © William C. Webb

Compared to most species nesting in the U.S. or Canada, very little is known about the Elegant Trogon - especially regarding dispersal and demography. Perhaps this species remains under-studied because the bulk of its range occurs in Mexico and Central America. Nevertheless, the Elegant Trogon does breed in southern Arizona, Texas, and possibly New Mexico. Finding this brightly-colored species in the U.S. is not easy, but it is well worth adding to your life list.

Photo © pfCaron