• Fewer than 100 true albino Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have ever been documented. This is the story of one individual that visited three different store customer's yards in August of 2012
  • Over the last 200 plus years, many plants and animals have been introduced into this country. We often don’t think of animals like Rainbow Trout, Ring-necked Pheasants or even domestic cattle as introduced species because they give us “pleasure” and are not famous for causing us problems. But what about species like Japanese Honeysuckle, European Starlings or Gypsy Moths? This is the story of two very similar birds that were introduced into this country, with drastically different outcomes.
  • Eggs are fascinating structures and the variety of shapes and colors have intrigued people for years. One of the most commonly asked questions this time of year is “How long does it take for an egg to hatch?” As you can easily guess, the answer is highly variable and depends of many factors including the size and life-style of the bird.
  • Have you noticed any new birds in your yard lately? Two things happen this time of year that generate lots of phone calls and e-mails. The number of young birds in various states of molt is pretty impressive and they hardly ever look like the pictures in field guides.
  • It is easy to understand why people rush out and buy bird seed when it snows. How can something so small and fragile possibly survive such brutally cold conditions? As with most wild animals, many of their survival techniques are the same as ours.
  • What was your secret for attracting members of the opposite sex? Perhaps you have/had a favorite cologne or perfume that just drives the “ladies or gents” crazy. Could it have been a “can’t miss” pick up line?
  • A few years ago I wrote an article for the Missouri Conservation magazine about sparrows. I chose to write about the “little brown birds” because I have always felt they never get the respect they deserve. They are the Rodney Dangerfields of the bird world.
  • One of the rewards for “riding out” the harshness of winter for a year-round resident is that you can choose the prime nesting sites very early in the season. So early in fact, that you can often pull off a successful nest before migrating birds return to the area.
  • Birds of a feather, flock together. Late summer and fall is the time that we really begin to notice large groups of birds (flocks). I know that I was taught at a young age, that the birds are gathering up to head south. The truth is that birds “flock” for many reason and each has its advantages.
  • When I first got into birding, one of the things that fascinated me was the diversity of names. I had no idea what a warbler was, who the heck was Bewick and the only cuckoo I knew of popped its head out of a clock every hour. The more I learned, the more bird names intrigued me.
  • Ever wonder why a Mockingbird’s tail is long while a Meadowlark’s is short and stubby? Nature is full of wonderful adaptations and birds have more than their fair share. In the bird world, everything is about weight and the ability to fly so you can bet the size and shape of their tail is no larger than they need it to be.
  • Have you ever tried sleeping standing on a 2X4 suspended 10 feet in the air? If you have, maybe you’re part bird. Most birds do it every night and never fall to the ground.
  • Ruth and I were doing one of our Breeding Bird Survey Routes last week and had the chance to watch two Eastern Kingbirds and a male Scissor-tailed Flycatcher “chasing” an adult Coopers Hawk.
  • In late November of 2011 a buzz started across the Northern and Central United States- Snowy Owls started showing up early and in large numbers.
  • We have several species of woodpeckers that call our backyards their home at least part of the year. Let’s sort them out.
  • Do you have a sound that says “summer” to you? For some it may be the sound of hamburgers sizzling on an outdoor grill - to me, it is the low, sad “coo-oo, oo, oo, oo” of the mourning dove.
  • Did Hawkeye Pierce really have the eyesight of a hawk? We know that birds have great vision just by their ability not to run into things in flight, but does great vision come without cost?
  • There is little doubt what the topic of conversation around this area was all summer. The summer dealt us one harsh weather hand to deal with. How do birds handle such conditions?
  • There are many things in life we take for granted. Before I started studying birds, eggs certainly fell into that category. Eggs were for either eating, dying and hunting or occasionally throwing. These wonders of nature are incredibly strong, diverse in shape and color and enable birds to nest successfully from the driest deserts to the coldest conditions on the planet.
  • The summer months don’t give us the greatest diversity of birds at our feeders but it can be very entertaining none the less. My favorite part of summer feeding is when the adults bring in their young ones.
  • One of the oldest “tales” about birds that I have been addressing is the belief that you have to take your hummingbird feeders down to force the birds to leave so they will not stay here and starve to death.
  • One of the things I love about watching birds is the different flight styles of the many different species of birds. If you watch, study and learn, flight styles can assist you greatly in identifying birds. Even those that are a great distance away.