The Experience of Birding
Gellert and I spent a little time looking at gulls yesterday at Jericho Park, as usual relishing the irony of sorting through the abundant Mew Gulls in search of Ring-billed Gulls. The light on a misty morning was perfect for looking at variation in back color, of which Mew Gulls, of course, show considerable. I …
Continue reading “More Gull’s Backs”
It felt like a morning for spring arrivals, all damp and warm, so Gellert and I struck out for Jericho Park. Our walk was pleasant enough, and there was a small fall of Red-shafted Flickers and American Robins, but our hopes for novelty went unfulfilled. Except by this. This lone Mute Swan was out on …
Continue reading “An Unwelcome Arrival”
After a couple of weeks of desultory snatches of song, Pacific Wrens have really started to fill the woods with their trills. Click on the photo and turn up the volume to hear a couple of birds singing at each other in Jericho Park.
Like most of us, I like my sparrows just a little on the trashy side. Here in urban Vancouver, most of the brushy tangles frequented by birds like Oregon Spotted Towhees and Golden-crowned Sparrows are made up of some pretty nasty non-natives, especially Himalayan blackberry. Until this winter, the tangles came right up to this …
Continue reading “Habitat Enhancement”
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a secret to seeing birds, a trick that could be passed from generation to binoculared generation? Fact is, “technique” has a lot less to do with it than persistence. For decades now, I’ve been in the habit of doing everything twice. And though I may not quite double …