Another stunningly beautiful hummingbird, to which WC’s photo doesn’t begin to do justice. A gem of purple, blue and green, with a strongly decurved bill, this is another ridiculously colorful hummingbird. It’s also Central America’s largest hummingbird, measuring 15 centimeters (a little over 5.25 inches). Unlike most hummingbirds, male Sabrewings compete for females on a […]Return …
Continue reading "Return of Bird of the Week: Violet Sabrewing — Wickersham’s Conscience"
Summer? What summer? No, that’s not a reflection on the weather, even though it’s blowing a northerly gale as I write this. It’s just that, for a great many creatures, there’s no such thing as ‘summer’ ….the year segues seamlessly from spring to autumn. And yes, I do know that it’s not even the summer […]Summer? …
You may enlarge any image in this blog by clicking on it. Click again for a detailed view. I believe that I can safely say that of all the subjects that I photograph nothing is cuter than baby Burrowing Owls. They bear an uncanny resemblance to small children’s plush toys and their behaviors are totally […]Burrowing …
Continue reading "Burrowing Owls — Meet The Kids! — Sonoran Images"
This article is taken from European research magazine Horizon as part of our partnership to share natural environment science stories with readers of More than a Dodo. Across an entire desert or ocean, migratory birds make some of the most extreme journeys found in nature, but there are still huge gaps in our understanding of …
Continue reading "Changing climate is narrowing options for migrating birds — More Than A Dodo"
By Chris Jarvis, Education Officer Last week’s observations of the swift nest boxes in the Museum tower highlighted the drama the colony faces in the struggle for survival. This week’s survey made that struggle even more explicit… Clambering through the darkened spaces of the Museum tower, lit faintly by the red lights that the swifts […]Flight …
You may enlarge any image in this blog by clicking on it. Click again for a detailed view. For me, a sure sign that southern Arizona’s annual heat festival has arrived is the appearance of kingbirds. These flycatchers seem to time their seasonal arrivals in our area with the advent of daytime temperatures that are […]Tropical …
Another month has been torn off the calendar. Before long we’ll be in fall wondering where the hell the year went. Of course, that is when the stress levels will start sky rocketing as that also means the annual Halloween Haunted Trail will be looming and my longtime readers know how crazy that time gets. […]Good …
Continue reading "Good Enough to Melt the World’s Heart — Wildlife Intrigued"
A Black Necked Stilt enjoying some quiet time alone in a temporary pond created by spring rains. Soon the pond will be gone and the Stilt will have moved on.Reflection — nature has no boss
This article, written by Robert Mercer, originally appeared on page 11 in the June 2020 edition of The Seabrooker. As I leave South Carolina behind, so are the Red Knots (Calidris canutus rufa). Early in the year, when the Red Knots started to show up on Seabrook Island beaches, my friend, Mark Andrews, talked me […]Mercer’s …
Continue reading "Mercer’s Musings: A Study of Red Knots — SIB"
I was puzzled when I heard a series of different bird calls coming from one location. I looked up, expecting to see a butcherbird, as they’re good mimics. Instead I saw what looked like a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, also called a shufflewing. I decided the mimicked noises must be coming from a hidden bird, and I […]Masked …
The Northern Herper 
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