My birding life list. One bird at a time.
Hey guys, welcome back! Today we have our first bittern species. What's a bittern? Well, essentially it's just a fancy name for heron. Bitterns, herons, and egrets are all in the same family; ardiedae. The American bittern looks kind of like a large, brown striped green heron. American bitterns are widespread throughout the northern half... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back. Like the western tanager from a few posts back, today's bird was a vagrant. The cattle egret is a small white heron that was originally found only in Africa before finding its way to North America in the 1950s. From there it spread its range, filling the southern half of the... Continue Reading →
Hey guys, welcome back. Today, the yellow-crowned night heron. Unlike it's black-crowned cousin, which we talked about a while back, the yellow-crowned prefers salt and brackish waters. As such, they are found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, although their breeding range does extend inland throughout the Mississippi River Valley up to around St. Louis,... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back! Today's bird is the majestic great blue heron. The great blue heron is North America's largest heron, and third largest heron species in the world behind the goliath heron (sometimes called the giant heron) of Africa, and the white-bellied heron of central Asia. Europe's grey heron looks very similar, but is... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back! Today we have one of North America's smallest herons, the green heron! Typically more secretive than other herons, you'll often find them along pond shores amidst dense vegetaion. When I lived in New York, I was always happy to spot one because I just didn't see them all that often. Sure... Continue Reading →
Hey guys, welcome back! Today's bird is a small white heron known as the snowy egret. Upon quick glance, you might think it's difficult to tell this from the more widespread great egret. After all, they're both all white herons. When I first started working in Central Park, colleagues were always trying to spot the... Continue Reading →
Hey guys, welcome back. Today's bird is a short, stocky, short-necked heron, and the first heron that wasn't a great blue heron I remember ever seeing. The Black-crowned Night Heron (often abbreviated BCNH by birders because the name is a mouthful) is one of the most widespread herons in the world. They're very common across... Continue Reading →
Hey guys, welcome back! Today we've made it to our first heron, the Great Egret! One of the first birds we've covered whose range barely makes it into Canada, as they're only found in extreme southern Canada during the summer months. A common summer resident throughout U.S. wetlands, they spend their winters in the southeast... Continue Reading →
Feathered Focus 