My birding life list. One bird at a time.
Hey guys welcome back. Today is the short-billed dowitcher. That name is a bit of a misnomer though. They do not have short bills. Rather, the name is meant to differentiate them from the long-billed dowitcher. In actuality, the difference in the bill length of the two species is very slight. Plumage is nearly identical... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back. Today a tall shorebird that has earned the nickname of "marshpiper" since it tends to wad in deeper water than other sandpipers. The greater yellowlegs is the second of two yellowlegs we've looked at. They look very similar - nearly identical - to their cousin the lesser yellowlegs. They tend to... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back. Today's bird is the little blue heron. Despite its name, it does not look like a miniature great blue heron. Actually, it's a much bluer heron than its great cousin. The little blue heron is a deep grayish blue with a purplish head and neck. They have a pale blue bill... Continue Reading →
Hey guys, welcome back. Today is our first ibis species. An ibis is a kind of wading bird, similar to a heron or egret. They are somewhat large birds, their bodies roughly the size of a black-crowned night heron, but standing much taller. They have long downcurved bills and unlike herons don't typically feed on... Continue Reading →
Hey guys, welcome back. Well, we're back at the marsh again! If you've been reading for a while, then you probably know that I choose the order of birds for these entries based on my life list. I simply go on eBird, and sort my life list by date first seen, and that's the order... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back. Today's bird is a secretive sparrow with a very limited range. The saltmarsh sparrow is found in, you guessed it, saltmarshes. Their range is limited to the Atlantic coast from southern Maine to Florida. They like thickets in salt marshes and are actually very cool looking birds. Many of us think... Continue Reading →
Hey guys, welcome back. The western sandpiper. The third in the trifecta of sandpipers that all pretty much look the same. We've already talked a bit about the least and semipalmated sandpipers, so what makes the western sandpiper stand out? Well, you might think range would be one thing. They're called the western sandpiper after... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back! Today is a really cool, and somewhat odd looking bird; the black skimmer. This is a crow-sized sea bird that is pretty unique looking, and probably won't be confused with anything else. They are black above and white below, have orange legs and a long orange bill that has a black... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back. Today the second of two semipalmated birds. Well, that's only partially accurate. There are more than two, but there's only two with the word semipalmated in their name. At least on my lifelist. Anyway, the semipalmated plover is today's bird! Semipalmated plover. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Jamaica, NY Like the semipalmated... Continue Reading →
Hey guys, welcome back. Today we have the first of two semipalmated shorebirds; the semipalmated sandpiper. Before I get into how confusing these guys can be, just what the heck does "semipalmated" mean? Well, essentially it means partially webbed. So rather than completely unwebbed feet like a songbird might have, or completely webbed feet like... Continue Reading →
Feathered Focus 