Imagine: a Great Blue Heron trying to swallow a snake. Sitting about three feet tall, this majestic bird has a wingspan of more than six feet.
Thirty years ago, there were six million Northern Pintails in North America.
The people went hungry because the clams lay hidden under water. Such labels are not used by ornithologists, but they add a bit of fun to the study of birds.
They eat wood-boring insects and insects that nest in trees, including long-horned beetles and especially carpenter ants. Also, study the tail as the bird flies overhead. Long ago the tide did not ebb and flow, but stayed close to shore.
Have you ever wondered how some migrating birds return to the same location, year after year?
Although these swallows often nest as single pairs in cavities or nesting boxes, both adults and juveniles now gather on electrical wires by the dozens, socializing before they migrate.
The harsh call of a silvery-white seabird rips the air.
Look high into the top branches of a Douglas fir tree, and you may see a Bald Eagle, our national symbol. Only a few weeks after young Bald Eagles fledge from their nests, the parents leave the area as well. Twenty-five years ago, there were twice as many Lesser and Greater Scaup in North America as there are today. Some dabble along the surface, feeding along shallow edges of lakes and estuaries.
Learning to forage takes practice.
Listen for the rattling call of a Belted Kingfisher as it flies out over the water, looking for a fish.
Listen for the rattling call of a Belted Kingfisher as it flies out over the water, looking for a fish. Imagine: a Great Blue Heron trying to swallow a snake. Loss of habitat, plus competition by non-native birds, caused their drastic decline.
Quick and agile in rushing white water, they dive to the bottom of mountain streams for food, and use fast-flowing rivers for breeding.
The bills of young birds are not crossed at hatching, but cross as they grow. Put your winter garden to work as a haven for birds. Although these swallows often nest as single pairs in cavities or nesting boxes, both adults and juveniles now gather on electrical wires by the dozens, socializing before they migrate.
Some, like the Harlequin, squeak. They fly in squadrons, heading north, and a few recently landed near Olympia. Movie-makers love to add bird sounds to a film, to evoke a mood or set a scene.
Loss of habitat, plus competition by non-native birds, caused their drastic decline.
To compensate, these birds move their heads.
Chickadees and nuthatches swirl in small chattering flocks in the first light, to drink dew from the cups of leaves.
How do birdwatchers identify a particular species?
A clean feeder is a life-and-death matter to some birds.
Stretch your arms as far as you can, and imagine a bird whose reach is even greater! Females predominate among the first wave of migrants, suggesting that males stay north longer to tend the young, which will fly south later in summer. The Yellow-rumped Warbler, probably mid-way through its fall migration, is unafraid.
How do birdwatchers identify a particular species?
Learning to forage takes practice.
When a hawk-predator chases a smaller bird, the hawk focuses on the strongly contrasting feathers of its prey.
With wingspans approaching six feet, Turkey Vultures ride currents of air to make their spring and fall journeys, and to cover the miles of their home range in summer.
Watch for these birds to perch atop a piling or glide along, just above the surface of the water.