World-Birds :: Categories: Asia, China, India, Goa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam Christmas and New Year December 2010, JW Marriott Resort and Spa, Phuket A 10-day Christmas break was exactly what we needed after the year that 2009 was. We couldnt have chosen a better country to relax, chill and re-charge and it was with heavy hearts when left to return to Kuwait after New Year. All we can say, is that we will be back. Also heartening was the fact that this is one of the first destinations where I have stepped off the plane and seen an indigenous bird first and not some introduced exotic which is always the case. Images by Mike Pope A new country creates a buzz for any birder, as most birds seen would be lifers and Phuket was no exception. The amount of white in the wings is always surprsing when these herons take flight I managed to catch this one in the soft afternoon light and we can use it to compare to Squacco and Indian Pond Heron which occur in Kuwait An added bonus was also finding Yellow Bittern at the same lake The bigger Spotted Dove with the odd Barn Swallow
grouse facts Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) are the most widely distributed resident game bird in North America, living now or recently in all of the Canadian Provinces and in 38 of the 49 states on the continent. Their range in the East extends from near the tree-line in Labrador to northern Georgia and northeastern Alabama, and they once occurred as far south as Arkansas in the central part of the continent, although now they occur only in isolated pockets west of the Appalachians and south of the states bordering the Great Lakes. Quite isolated populations live in the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Turtle Mountains in North Dakota. In the mountains of the West, they range south to central Wyoming and central Utah, but apparently never reached most of the mountains of Colorado, northern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico. Ruffed Grouse have become established where they were not native in both Newfoundland and Nevada by transplanting wild-trapped birds. Top Minnesota Lo-res version
San Diego Birding Pages San Diego Birding Pages Site Index Home Kitchen Creek Road is paved all the way; however, Fred Canyon Road is 4WD/high clearance only. Bear in mind that the road is now (probably) permanently closed past Cibbets Flat, due to security issues. Approximate Length: 14 miles Approximate Birding Time: 2 hours without the optional trails; 4 hours with the trails Traffic: Very light, if that. Facilities: There are pit toilets at the Cibbets Flat Campground and various campgrounds up in the Lagunas. Directions: Take I-8 east about 45 miles, past the turnoffs to Cuyamaca and Laguna Mountains, and exit on Kitchen Creek Road. This driving route offers good birding in a variety of habitats on a good paved road with relatively little traffic (during the week). Kitchen Creek Road just off the freeway The road rises shortly after that, getting into thicker chaparral habitat; scan the tops of the rocky cliffs for raptors, swallows, and White-throated Swifts. PCT Trailhead Typical chaparral habitat Go to top
Lab of Ornithology: Home Study Course Document Actions Course DescriptionHow does it work?What is included?Who should take this course?Chapter Topics Course Description The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Home Study Course in Bird Biology is a basic ornithology class designed to provide comprehensive, college-level information on birds and their environments in a manner accessible to nonscientists and teachers the world over. The course was written by 12 leading ornithologists and edited by Lab staff to provide consistency among the various topics. Top How does it work? The course requires the Handbook of Bird Biology, 2nd edition, which unfortunately is out of print. Because of continuing demand, we still offer the course to those who are able to find a copy of the Handbook. To successfully complete the course you must read the 10 chapters of the Handbook (we recommend reading them sequentially), answer the exam questions at the end of each chapter, and mail the exams to the Lab for grading and comment. What is included?
Expedition: South African Penguins Claire Doe | Thursday, February 06, 2014 “Life on Robben Island” It's been home to a Leper Colony, psychiatric hospital and a maximum security prison and Robben Island was my home for 2 amazing weeks. Our main activity was Nest Checking. Other activities included a Moult Count, Chick Growth Monitoring, Game Counts and Rabbit Counts! The weather meant that tourist boats were not able to run for two weeks. Robben Island is a breeding area for Swift Terns and Hartlaub's Gulls and it was fascinating to drive along and be surrounded by a mass of birds with chicks of varying sizes dashing around! A unique experience that I will never forget and would recommend to anyone.
Welcome | Peace Valley Nature CenterPeace Valley Nature Center | Nature's Classroom BINOCULAR BASICS By Chuck Hawks Binoculars are one of the handiest and most widespread of all optical instruments. Virtually anyone who spends much time outdoors owns (or should own) a pair of binoculars. This article is intended to help the person who needs some basic information about binoculars. Perhaps the first thing to understand is that binoculars are really just two small telescopes mechanically linked together. Binoculars are designed to give a correctly oriented, right side up view. Quality Note that I wrote "good pair of binoculars" in the paragraph above. Many things affect both the quality and the price of a pair of binoculars. In many cases the brand name is a guide to quality. The dealer you buy from matters, as well. Many sales clerks know virtually nothing about binoculars, sometimes not even how to focus them correctly. Buy where you get the help and information you need. Prisms Prisms are what let you see a correctly oriented image when you look through a pair of binoculars. Collimation
U.S. NABCI State of the Birds 2013 Released Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced the release of the State of the Birds 2013 Report on Private Lands on July 2, 2013. A collaborative effort as part of the U.S. US NABCI Committee August 2013 meeting Materials and presentations NABCI Hosts Human Dimensions Workshop The US Committee of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative hosted a workshop in February 2013 entitled Exploring the Human Dimensions of Bird Conservation. U.S. Next U.S. U.S. The U.S. Monitoring Private Lands Communications State of the Birds The United States is home to a tremendous diversity of native birds, with more than 800 species inhabiting terrestrial, coastal, and ocean habitats. One in every three Americans is a bird watcher and wildlife watching generates billions to the economy annually. The U.S. Other national NABCI Committees: NABCI Mexico NABCI Canada
Page not found | African Bird Club A host of good birds including endemic species and subspecies, good transport connections to most European countries, wonderful weather and an excellent tourist infrastructure, make the Canary Islands a popular destination for birdwatchers. The Canary Islands are part of the Madeira and Canary Islands endemic bird area. On the western and central Canary Islands, laurel forest occurs at 400-1,300 m, and montane pine forest at 800-1,900 m. The lower-lying and arid eastern Islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are vegetated with semi-desert scrub. The islands hold five endemic species including two pigeons which are laurel forest specialists, Bolle's Pigeon Columba bollii and Laurel Pigeon Columba junoniae, and Blue Chaffinch Fringilla teydea which is restricted to pine forest. The purpose of this document is to provide a summary of the Canary Islands and its birds for birders interested in the country and potentially planning a visit.
Feeding cardinals and not house sparrows - Bird Watching Forum - GardenWeb whenever I hear people discussing ways to discourage the sparrow I have to ask myself why? As You can easily see from my photo's when there is an abundant supply of food the birds will all mingle well. From my observation it is only when the food is in short supply that they really begin to be territorial. The question then becomes, why is the seed in short supply? No doubt the answer here is simple economics. From my experience the solution here is to shop around for your wild bird seed. How would you like to find a year around source that has a better selection at prices far below the average retail store prices? In almost every community there is a store that specializes in selling feed, grain and hay for horses or farm animals. If you cannot find a Feed & grain supply in your community check out TSC (Tractor Supply Co.) While we are on the subject of bird feed, you may be surprised at how much you throw away every month without realizing it.
New York City Birds Clay and Pat Sutton: Cape May Snow Birds Photos by Pat and Clay Sutton Posted February 2010 by Clay and Pat Sutton The past few weeks at Cape May have given us a new appreciation of the term Snowbird. For most of us, the frequent and heavy snow storms have placed birds and birding far down on our list of priorities. Yet life goes on in the bird world, and careful observations even yield a few reassuring signs that spring is on the way – however distant it may seem. The term “Snowbird” (beyond that of describing those fortunate souls reading this from Florida) is often used for several species of birds that to the casual eye only seem to appear in the dead of winter. Dark-eyed Junco is the bird most often called “snowbird” by locals, but we have heard it applied to Snow Buntings and Tree Sparrows as well – all winter visitors to the Cape. As many know, heavy snow concentrates birds, and well-stocked feeding stations always have some new “snowbird” visitors during storms. Our heated bird bath is a key feature too.
Senegal Wildlife | Birdwatching and natural history in Dakar and beyond Birding News | #birdingnews via @aba Subject: Fw: Two New Owl Cams With Owlets and Eggs!Date: 11 AprFrom: herb1013 AT epix.net Two New Owl Cams With Owlets and Eggs!I know this will not work on PABirds but this will at least give you a sample of what the email is about. From: Cornell Lab of Ornithology Sent: Friday, April 11, 2014 3:00 PM To: herb1013@epix.net Subject: Two New Owl Cams With Owlets and Eggs! Barn owls laying and Barred Owls hatching! Bird Cams eNews April 11, 2014 Our Owls Are a Hoot! Kaloakulua is a Female Thanks to the efforts of volunteers and scientists, we now know that our Laysan Albatross chick is a female! The last few weeks have also seen the young albatross beginning to get more adventurous: meeting nonbreeding adult albatrosses, exploring the side yard, and creating her own nests out of mowed grass. Hawks and Herons Big Red and Ezra are busily incubating their 3-egg clutch (Watch Now). One of the many screen captures in the Bird Cams Flickr group. Students at the Cornell Lab.