About Rich Hoyer

Rich Hoyer is first and foremost a birder whose subconscious registers and identifies every bird he hears, even when he isn't birding. But he actually started keying out wildflowers , catching reptiles, and raising butterflies before he discovered birding at age 14, and has since branched out to enjoy photographing and identifying dragonflies, grasshoppers, spiders and almost anything else alive. For the past 13 years he has been leading birding and natural history tours for WINGS. Among his regular destinations are Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, the Galapagos, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Jamaica. Originally from Oregon, he currently lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Tidepooling in the Galapagos

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You never know what you’ll find just poking along. The bulk of our morning of Day 5 in the Galapagos was a delightful walk out the lava “bench” inland from […]

The Evolution of Feathers

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The closest living relatives of birds, dinosaurs, and pterosaurs are crocodilians. Although these scaly beasts obviously do not have feathers today, the discovery of the same gene in alligators that is involved in building feathers in birds suggests that perhaps their ancestors did, 250 million years ago, before the lineages diverged. So perhaps the question to ask, say some scientists, is not how birds got their feathers, but how alligators lost theirs.

Quetzal Equals Needle In A Haystack

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A male Elegant Trogon is our consolation prize. The rare bird alert came over as a text at 4:52 p.m. last Tuesday: “RBA: Eared Quetzal in Madera Cyn – streambed […]

SACC Accepts Colombian Chachalaca Split

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The South American Classification Committee has made final the split of Colombian Chachalaca, Ortalis colombiana, from Speckled Chachalaca, Ortalis guttata. This is an old chestnut of allopatric populations on which […]

Christmas Bird Count Fun

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Five Christmas Bird Counts this season wasn’t quite enough. I’m sad to see the Christmas Bird Count season come to an end. Officially there are still two days left to […]

A Quetzal Christmas

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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. […]

Winter Birding in Oregon

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My excuse for not blogging on time in my usual Tuesday slot has been heard before – it’s that busy holiday time of year. But if you were leaving for […]

Mayan Mexico – A Taste of the Tropics

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While Mexico is riddled with centers of endemism — its pines, oaks and deserts offering a distinctive Middle American flavor — the Mayan south is instead a Neotropical paradise. This […]

Tapajos Hermit Recognized by SACC

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A quorum in the South American Classification Committee has been reached on the proposal to consider the Tapajos Hermit, Phaethornis aethopyga, as a valid species, separate from the Little Hermit. […]

Satellite Tracking of Sooty Shearwaters

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Satellite technologies, similar to those used by cell phone companies, are enabling scientists to track the Sooty Shearwater seabird species. The data helps to identify critical at-sea habitats for marine […]

Darwin’s Mocking-Thrushes

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The Mockingbirds of the Galápagos I’m just back from my week in the Galápagos Islands onboard the marine yacht Integrity. With great weather, an exceptionally hard-working crew, Richard Polatty as […]

Getting Friendly With Frigatebirds

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I’m currently in the Galapagos, a wonderful paradise of watching birds, snorkeling, and marveling at the evidence of evolution that seems so obvious to us today but was a totally […]

A Modest Menagerie of Motmots

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Are there nine, twelve, thirteen – or maybe even fourteen species of this Neotropical family? Motmots are loved by everyone. But what makes them so appealing? There’s certainly something attractively […]

Hummer Madness in Tucson

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Watch your head in this hummer-filled yard! The yard here on N Vine Avenue in Tucson has been a hazard zone the past week with dozens of hummingbirds whizzing back […]

Cristalino Jungle Lodge, Brazil

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One of My Favorite Places in the World Cristalino Jungle Lodge is one of my favorite places on Earth. OK, you could probably put me almost anywhere in the Amazon […]