December 2010

Keen birders’ core literature: the checklists

Thumbnail image for Keen birders’ core literature: the checklists by Gyorgy Szimuly 31 December 2010

One of the potential split could be the American race of Whimbrel. © Gyorgy Szimuly At the end of each year everyone makes review of the birding highlights of the year behind. I am not any different. I love to watch birds as most of you do. I somehow can’t stand not to make a [...]

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First Bird of the Year?

Thumbnail image for First Bird of the Year? by Kenn Kaufman 31 December 2010

Generally I’m not superstitious. If I’m lucky, I’ll never have reason to be superstitious (knock on wood). But all my life, ever since I started birding at the age of six, I have had this kind of superstition surrounding my first bird of the year every year. I know the calendar doesn’t really mean anything. [...]

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Rockin Robins and Dancing Cedar Waxwings

Thumbnail image for Rockin Robins and Dancing Cedar Waxwings by dAwN FiNe 31 December 2010

Howdee all, Featured Bird Blogger of the week is on Holiday… In its place are two videos for your viewing and listening pleasure..  I took these a few weeks ago while in North Carolina. Flocks of American Robin and Cedar Waxwings were coming in to eat the Holly Berries and then to drink in the [...]

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A Snowy Encounter – of the third time.

Thumbnail image for A Snowy Encounter – of the third time. by Rebecca Nason 30 December 2010

The recent heavy snow conditions have no doubt been a photographers paradise throughout the UK. For me however it was met with frustration as I had a nasty flu bug to hamper my much wanted time ‘out in the field’ and my main Nikon lens was in London for repair (for far too long!) after an [...]

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Long-whiskered Owlet

Thumbnail image for Long-whiskered Owlet by Gunnar 29 December 2010

Mythical Owl now easier to see than ever This rare Owl discovered only in 1977 and until recently just not wanting to show to birders. This year there has been a virtual inflation of sightings. More people than ever have laid eyes on this minute and cute Owlet. Having said that, I still have not [...]

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A Christmas Carol (part 2)

Thumbnail image for A Christmas Carol (part 2) by TomMckinney 27 December 2010

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Part 2 THE FIRST OF THE THREE SPIRITS When Scrooge awoke it was so dark, that, looking out of bed, he could scarcely distinguish the transparent window from the opaque walls of his chamber. He scrambled out of bed, dressed, grabbed his torch and went outside. He worked his [...]

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Birding with an iPad

Thumbnail image for Birding with an iPad by Gunnar 26 December 2010

Ipad for birders So did you get a new iPad for Christmas? Are you thinking of getting one? I wrote some first thoughts about the Ipad for birding when it was still released on my blog: 5 reasons why the iPad will be useful for birders and today I saw this review by Drew Weber [...]

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African Christmas Colours

Thumbnail image for African Christmas Colours by DaleForbes 26 December 2010

Africa’s is not all zebras and lions, and steamy hot Christmases, but it also has some stunning colours to show off. Richard’s stunning Christmas Quetzal post got my (and probably your) feet itching to go explore far-away jungles. But Africa also has its fair share of Christmassy colours. The birds that spring to mind first [...]

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Have a great Christmas everyone!

Thumbnail image for Have a great Christmas everyone! by SusanMyers 24 December 2010

Have a great Christmas everyone! I don’t have time to blog today – I have to wrap presents. I hope you all have a wonderful day and a very birdy 2011. Looking forward to blogging at you all next year! Take care.

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Featured Bird Blogger of the week

Thumbnail image for Featured Bird Blogger of the week by dAwN FiNe 24 December 2010

Howdee all, Hope you are all enjoying this holiday season…are you ready for week 8 of Featured Bird Blogger?  This week I am very happy to introduce you to….. ~Larry Jordan~ Larry and his wife Brigitte have been living in Northern California for over 30 years. They live on 40 acres of rolling hills with [...]

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Christmas Feast: Macaroni and Cheese

Thumbnail image for Christmas Feast: Macaroni and Cheese by Kenn Kaufman 23 December 2010

My wife Kimberly and I, as two bird-obsessed people, may not celebrate the holidays in quite the same ways that an average couple would. This year we’ll go on Christmas Bird Counts and get together with birding friends, as well as family members, before we leave to chase birds in Central America. Two years ago, [...]

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Going for Gold

Thumbnail image for Going for Gold by Rebecca Nason 23 December 2010

Goldcrest Christmas I thought I had managed to get away with going through all of freezing October, November and snow-filled December in the UK without getting some nasty Winter bug. But no, alas I fell at the last hurdle. . . catching this latest miserable bug I imagine whilst out Christmas shopping, bringing home a [...]

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Mystery Christmas Bird

Thumbnail image for Mystery Christmas Bird by MartinGarner 23 December 2010

How do you follow a post like Rich’s Christmas Quetzal’s. I can’t. So I thought I would lower the tone and move into Birdquiz mode. It’s wildfowl season, at least that’s what I will be looking at over Christmas into 2011. So here’s an example of the errr… something wildfowlish. Here are photos of a  bird I have only seen once- [...]

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Jocotoco Christmas

Thumbnail image for Jocotoco Christmas by Gunnar 22 December 2010

Jocotoco Antpitta was sensationally discovered in 1997 by Bob Ridgely in SE Ecuador. Money was raised to buy land where it occured to form a private reserve. This was the base of Jocotoco Foundation. Now at the Tapichalaca reserve there is a comfortable lodge and the Jocotoco Antpitta can easily be seen at the worm feeding station.

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African vultures also in Danger

Thumbnail image for African vultures also in Danger by Gunnar 22 December 2010

Kenya Vultures declining! Most birders have heard of the critical state of the vultures of the Indean Subcontinent because the use of Dichlophenac to treat sick livestock, and in the dead animals is highly. The discovery of the cause of the decline of the Indean Vultures was quite a sensation (see link) and it was [...]

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A Quetzal Christmas

http://birdingblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Resplendent-Quetzal-Thumb.jpg by Rich Hoyer 21 December 2010

Christmas Red and Green The colors red and green represent Christmas probably from traditions of using sprigs of evergreen trees and red berries to decorate – holly comes to mind. But wouldn’t it be great if we could decorate our trees with quetzals – all six species of which are red and green? The Crested [...]

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Undescribed and new bird species on the Satipo road, Peru

Thumbnail image for Undescribed and new bird species on the Satipo road, Peru by Gunnar 20 December 2010

10 years  exploring Satipo road As mentioned in my last blogpost about Eye-ringed Thistletail (photo above), I have been on a photographic expedition with Hadoram Shirihai and David Beadle in Central Peru. When I wrote this we had just come out from the Satipo road area, where I have long been involved in a community based [...]

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A Christmas Carol

Thumbnail image for A Christmas Carol by TomMckinney 20 December 2010

As a special Christmas gift, BirdingBlogs presents… A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens Marley was dead to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. Old Marley was as dead as a Mute [...]

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The Capercaille

Thumbnail image for The Capercaille by DaleForbes 19 December 2010

The Western Capercaille (Tetrao urogallus) is one of the most emblematic birds of the Alps, amongst the people of the Alps, it is probably just behind the Golden Eagle. This is partly because it really is large and beautiful, secretive and shy. But to be honest it is probably because it is part of the [...]

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Bird art of the Edo Period in Japan

Thumbnail image for Bird art of the Edo Period in Japan by SusanMyers 18 December 2010

8 beautiful birds in Japanese art. A long time ago now I bought a book in a poky little bookshop in suburban Tokyo. I fell in love with that book because it was full of some of the most fabulous natural history illustrations I had ever seen. The artworks of such luminaries as John Gould [...]

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