Posts Tagged ‘Tina Mitchell’
American Robin-Nature’s Troubadours If you have ever lived somewhere that American Robins breed, a spring without their bright, lilting “cheerily, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up” song lacks something magical. Yet…
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Red Shouldered Hawk-our fearless buteo If you live in a Red-shouldered Hawk’s territory, you know it. (If you aren’t sure, you most likely don’t.) Even non-bird-oriented people can’t ignore…
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Bird Names for Birds Wilson Warbler Leucadia Photo by Steve Brad I remember my first one. Bright yellow underneath, yellow-olive back and wings. Striking black cap. “What is that bird?”…
Read MoreThe Northern Shoveler
As a medium-sized duck, the Northern Shoveler seems just too small for its preposterously large, flat, broad-tipped bill. A paint pallet on webbed feet, the male’s breeding plumage (September through…
Read MoreThe Ubiquitous Mallard—A Cautionary Tale, by Tina Mitchell
Mallard Batiquitos Hardly in need of an introduction, the Mallard is our most familiar, common, and widespread duck, residing almost everywhere in North America at some point during the year. …
Read MoreOn Display—The Western Tanager, by Tina Mitchell
An amazing variety of birds in the western hemisphere are called “tanagers”—estimates range from 300 to 400 species in all. During breeding season, the U.S. routinely hosts only four tanager…
Read MoreThis Neighborhood Jukebox Plays for Free — The Northern Mockingbird
“Hush little baby, don’t say a word. Pappa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird won’t sing, Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.” Northern Mockingbirds pretty much do…
Read MoreBuena Vista’s Charming Symbol, The Ruddy Duck
Sporting a dapper black cap, a sky-blue bill accentuating a chestnut-brown body, a gleaming white cheek patch, and black perky tail feathers, a male Ruddy Duck in breeding season assumes…
Read MoreThe Cuckoo in the Coal Mine
Yellow-billed Cuckoos (Coccyzus americanus) are fairly common in the eastern U.S. But in the last half-century, they have become rare in the West. Over the past 10 years in San…
Read MoreUnder the Mistletoe—Phainopepla
A member of the silky-flycatcher family, the Phainopepla inhabits the Southwest and Mexico. The male has a thin frame; shiny black plumage; piercing crimson eyes; and a sparse, cow-lick crest.…
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