Dawn breaks across the sagebrush country of Eastern Washington on a brisk March morning. Formerly called the Rock Dove, the Rock Pigeon is the quintessential urban bird.
When you hear their chorus, be assured that our summer birds will soon arrive, some from as far south as Northern Mexico. The Spotted Towhee forages mostly on the ground, and even builds its nest on the ground, or close to it. The raucous birds of the neighborhood.
Imagine going into battle with a Bald Eagle as a mascot, screaming high overhead.
But they are fiercely territorial when nesting. The House Sparrow was first introduced into the U.
Both species will nest only in cavities, such as old woodpecker holes or man-made nestboxes.
Among the most welcome features of spring is the renewal of bird song. The American Bittern, a member of the heron tribe, spends much of its time in the dense cover of the marsh. One person's dedication can make a difference, as it did with Kevin Li and Puget Sound's Purple Martins.
One of the best ways to find a towhee is to listen for the scuffling sound it makes as it hunts for food in the leaf litter. The American Kestrel is the smallest, most numerous, and most widespread North American falcon. Extremely efficient, it uses nearly all the air that passes through it. One of the best ways to find a towhee is to listen for the scuffling sound it makes as it hunts for food in the leaf litter.
The call of the male Ring-necked Pheasant carries over the open wheat field.
Outside of the breeding season, robins tend to gather in large flocks. But many remain, and even the shy and secretive sometimes reveal themselves. The grebe is the master of its own buoyancy. It is late February, a few miles from the Columbia River in Central Washington. Yet not one of these iridescent-black, yellow-billed starlings is native to the Americas.
According to myth, Thunderbird was so large and flew so high, it carried the rain on its back and created lightning and thunder. Where tall, shade-giving trees have been cut down to grow coffee in direct sunlight, what is also removed is the habitat tanagers require to rest and feed.
Listen to the earth awaken as dawn circles the globe.
Except in winter, when it gathers in loose flocks to move to lower elevations, this shy bird prefers solitude. Both species will nest only in cavities, such as old woodpecker holes or man-made nestboxes. Nothing signals spring quite like the sound of a Red-winged Blackbird, calling from the marsh. The House Sparrow was first introduced into the U. When the American Goldfinch molts in spring, it makes a dramatic change in plumage, from somber winter-brown with only a pale yellow tinge, to bright sunshine-yellow and coal-black. Members of the woodpecker percussion band announce their territory and attract mates, as they pound away on metal roofs or gutters. Storks and babies have been linked together for centuries. The Spotted Towhee forages mostly on the ground, and even builds its nest on the ground, or close to it. But how did that old legend get started, that storks bring babies? Violet-green Swallows return in March and April from a winter sojourn in northern Central America.
Imagine flying thousands of miles without map or compass.
Can you imagine a spring without the voices of birds?
A Winter Wren may dart from hiding to grab a meal.
Several adaptations protect Brown Pelicans as they dive.
At first glance, a Varied Thrush can appear to be a robin.