The title of this blog is a quote from our former president George W. Bush. Of course I refer to Canada, specifically Newfoundland, where I visited a while back in the fall season. One of the best things about traveling is learning history, culture, and especially geography. Do you know where the easternmost tip of
Our Most Important Neighbor to the North Read More »
Until 2016, Canada did not have a national bird. You would think it would be the loon as the dollar coin which pictures this bird is known as the “loonie.” And the look was popular in a poll to pick the national bird. However, after some discussion, the Gray Jay (now called the Canada Jay)
Chickens are the domesticated descendents of the Red Junglefowl, native to Southeast Asia and have been around for perhaps 10,000 years. There are more chickens in the world (24 billion) than any other bird. And there are perhaps 500 different breeds of chickens in the world, such as Plymouth Rock, Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Silkie,
In June of 2017, a judge in India declared that peacocks are celibate as they do not mate the usual way. I’ve received several questions from India, asking how peacocks reproduce. Apparently there is some widely believed myth in India that peahens get “pregnant’ by drinking the tears of the peacock. I don’t know if
The Birds and the Bees Read More »
Ecological indicators are useful tools for measuring changes over time, and provide valuable insights into how and why the environment is changing. We can measure the changing status of the environment, such as biodiversity – fewer species, more species, and/or different species; the reasons for these changes (habitat destruction or degradation, pollution, climate change, introduced
Birds as Indicator Species Read More »
Being temporarily dependent on a wheelchair for going any distance and committed to leading a bird walk , I wondered how I would handle the situation. I have always said that one of the nice characteristics of birdwatching is that it is accessible to almost anyone no matter their physical condition. So this trip gave
Bird Watching for the Disabled Read More »
Many of us feed hummingbirds. During much of the year these tiny birds survive on nectar, the sugary fluid produced by flowers in order to attract pollinators. Hummingbirds eat “meals” as do humans – a relatively large and quick intake of food. Whatever the concentration of nectar, the birds will eat something like 5-14 times
Hummingbirds and Nectar Read More »
The Acorn Woodpecker is a common woodpecker found in the western parts of California and Oregon and parts of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. All year where there are an abundance of oak trees, you will often see these woodpeckers displaying with their outstretched wings and calling with a distinctive nyaah, nyaah, nyaah. Its scientific
This is the time of year when you’ll see those sleek, silky-plumaged birds with small red tips on their wing feathers and a yellow edge on their tail swarming over your Pyracantha and other berry bushes. These birds are a mixture of brown, yellow, and gray and are distinguished by a topknot and a black
Wherever I travel, I look for birds. Big cities, the suburbs, the sands of Namibia, and a few years back, Disney World. Disney World is huge, spread over 43 square miles and employing 50,000 people. Hordes of people, tens of thousands of vehicles, and enormous structures are everywhere, although a lot of natural vegetation
Disney World of Birds Read More »
