Tag Archive | Birds
Florida’s Winter Warbler
Each winter yellow-rumped warblers flood into Florida to escape the wintry weather of northern U.S. and Canada. In Florida these warblers are ubiquitous; I almost always see them when I hike in the woodlands here. If you look closely at the bird’s bill, you will see that it is pointed. This is indicative of insect-eating […]
Hooded Mergansers in Winter
When I worked at Connetquot River State Park Preserve on New York’s Long Island, I looked forward to seeing the many species of ducks that came from the freezing lakes and rivers of the north. The Island, being surrounded by water and bordering the Atlantic Ocean, usually had a moderate winter making it an ideal […]
The Reclusive Green Heron
This small heron keeps to itself in the quiet areas of ponds and wetlands in North, Central and South America. It hunts by wading in shallow water (no more than 4 inches deep) for small fish, tadpoles and insects. It’s population is stable and seems to be spreading northward, possibly due to climate change.
One of Our Largest Woodpeckers
And my favorite woodpecker is the large pileated woodpecker, a bird of mature forests. This crow sized bird is mostly black with a bright red crest. When I lived on Long Island New York, it was extremely rare there. Yet it is a common species just across the Long Island Sound in New England and […]
The Black-crowned Night Heron
Although you will often see this heron during the day roosting in trees, this small stocky bird becomes active at dusk and hunts at night. It has found its niche of hunting at a time when most egrets and herons have settled down for the night thereby reducing competition for food. Except for Australia and […]
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