The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who seek them
Birds
Seabirds
Oct 20th
Only about 3 per cent of the estimated 8600 known bird species are described as seabirds, but they are nonetheless found from pole to pole. They are a major component in many marine ecosystems. Seabirds developed from several different groups of land birds, so have widely differing styles of feeding and flight, and endurance capabilities at sea.
However, they have common characteristics that define them as seabirds: they rest ashore and return to the land to lay eggs; they have webbed feet used for landing on water and swimming; and they feed on fishes, squid, bottom invertebrates and plankton. All are voracious feeders, as flying and swimming expend a great deal of energy. Seabirds are divided into 5 groups: penguins, tubenoses, pelicans and cormorants, gulls and terns, and shore birds. More >
Macaw
Sep 9th
The 18 species of macaw include the largest and most colourful members of the parrot family. They live in tropical America, from southern Mexico through Central America to Paraguay. They have large beaks, the upper mandible being long and strongly hooked. The skin on the cheeks and around the eyes is naked except for a scattering of very small feathers.
The largest is the scarlet or red and blue macaw, of Mexico to Bolivia, 3 feet long, of which 2 feet is tail. It is mainly scarlet except for the yellow wing coverts and the blue of the flight feathers, the lower back feathers and outer tail feathers. More >
Tricoloured Heron (Egretta tricolor)
Sep 4th
North America’s only large dark heron with white underparts can be found in salty coastal marshes to inland freshwater. Its long, slender neck and long, thin bill make it seem larger and skinner than other medium-sized herons.
Tricoloured refers to the dark upperparts, white underparts, and reddish brown stripes on the foreneck. In breeding plumage there are white plumes on the back of the crown and shaggy purplish or tan feathers on the lower neck, crown, and back. More >
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Sep 4th
This is the only small white egret with the combination of yellow bill and yellow legs and feet. Breeding adults have patches of buff-orange on crown, nape, lower foreneck, and back. Non-breeding adults and immature birds lack the buff-orange patches and have yellow bill, legs, and feet.
A big-headed, thick-necked, short-legged egret of the Old World, it introduced itself to South America in the 1880s and to Florida by the early 1940s. From there it moved over most of the US and into southern Canada. More >
Magnolia Warbler (Dendroica magnolia)
Sep 2nd
Magnolia Warbler often fans its tail to show its broad white subterminal band and yellow rump, this bird nests in damp coniferous forest. The tail from below is white at the base with a black terminal band. From above, the white band is interrupted in the middle.
Females are similar but show two white wing bars and sometimes a white eye ring during their first spring; a black loral mask may extend onto auriculars. More >
Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
Sep 2nd
This Eurasian bird has successfully established a breeding populating in North America on the tundra of northern Alaska, and it is a regular migrant on St. Lawrence Island. It usually hides on the ground under dense thickets and trees, except when the male skylarks or flies to a high perch to sing.
Females and juveniles have a pale throat with a black border. In all plumages, the bird can be identified in flight by the rufous patches at the base of the tail in combination with its dark brown terminal band. More >
Bird Eggs and Nesting
Sep 1st
Although many birds lay their eggs directly onto the ground or some other surface, most build a structure, known as a nest, in which to put them. Nests provide safety, insulation, and a fixed point for the adults to concentrate on nurturing their eggs and young.
An important part of nest building is choosing a suitable site – one that will provide concealment or inaccessibility from predators. Nests are made from various materials, depending on what is available – usually vegetation, but also animal hair, feathers, or even shed snake skin or human artefacts. More >
