Instead of song, most woodpeckers use a mechanical drumming sound as their audio advertising display. It’s easy to tell when you hear a woodpecker, harder to tell which species. Nevertheless there are distinct differences between species, and with practice most drumming sounds can be recognized with a high level of confidence. I’m comparing just Downy […]
Identifying Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers by drumming sounds Read More »
One of my main goals in creating the Sibley Guide to Trees was to apply modern methods of bird study to tree identification. This meant looking at trees at a distance and trying to figure out what, if any, differences would allow me to distinguish species quickly and reliably in just a glance. I continue
Spruce, Fir, or Hemlock? Read More »
Can you identify the sparrow shown in this photo? Read on for the discussion and answer below. Thanks to Jerry Tang for the photo and for bringing it to my attention. You can see more of his photos at http://tangsphoto.photoshelter.com
Sparrows and central spots Read More »
Michael Butler of Marathon, Ontario sent me the remarkable photo below, showing all four taxa of redpolls (four subspecies, two species) in one view (see more at his blog here: http://northshorenature.blogspot.com/ The Hornemann’s Hoary is the most distinctive – larger than the “typical” birds and very pale, also looking exceptionally fluffy and “well-padded” which is
Four redpoll taxa in one photo Read More »
Maybe, it depends how sure you want to be. Update July 2011 – See my new post on Back color of Moorhens for an additional clue to identification
Can Eurasian Common Moorhen be identified by sight? Read More »
A few years ago I was alerted to a subtle difference in the head patterns of Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers when I read a short note by Mark Szantyr with a nod to Julian Hough in the journal The Connecticut Warbler. He pointed out that Downy Woodpecker has a larger white patch on the sides of
A new clue for identifying Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers Read More »
I was recently studying and sketching the three species of American scoters in Revere, Massachusetts, and I was struck by the differences in head and body shapes. I thought those differences deserved to be highlighted in some new sketches, which are shown below. If you enjoy quizzes, you can try to identify the three species,
Identifying scoters by shape Read More »
In a recent comment on the Art Gallery page, Rawlings asked about my use of scratchboard as a medium. I’ve done a lot of work in ink on scratchboard, and it’s one of my favorite media for drawing. Most art supply stores sell scratchboard that is “pre-inked”. The surface is all black and you use
Ink on scratchboard technique Read More »
In two previous posts (The two faces of Downy Woodpecker and More false faces in birds) I’ve talked about the false faces created by feather patterns on birds. In the months since those posts I have seen and photographed more examples of these patterns, and I present some of them here.
Still more examples of false faces in birds Read More »
The benefit auction concluded in Feb 2011 (more information in a post here) is all about protecting salt pans in Thailand that are critical wintering habitat for many species of shorebirds including Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Protecting wintering habitat is particularly important for shorebirds, because many of them spend eight or nine months of each year there.
Salt pans and sandpipers Read More »