This handsome guy is a first for our feeders. It is so exciting to have him hanging around for the last few days.
Rose-breasted grosbeak
Monthly Archives: April 2012
Threatened red-headed woodpecker
I saw a red-headed woodpecker at the Wakarusa Wetlands yesterday. As I watched, I realized I had never seen one there before. I know birders report seeing them every once in a while, but the only one I have ever seen was at Clinton. Of course, my next thought was those in favor of the SLT care little about how rare this is. They do not care that the red-headed woodpecker populations are in decline. The official status is “near threatened.” As I watched him dancing around the cavity in this old tree, I wondered how the treeless “mitigation area” would solve his problem of a lack of real estate. It will not. Raise and/or widen 23rd street. Close 31st street between Haskell and Louisiana. Keep the people with the people, the sacred space sacred, and the wild spaces wild. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
Nest Check
Egrets and herons arrive in abundance
Yesterday, I had a wonderful morning walking the Wakarusa Wetlands and was happy to see an egret had arrived. I decided with all this beautiful weather, this week, I work nights. I went back this morning and as I was coming down the path, seven egrets and five great blue herons came sailing in. It was magical! I was also privileged to see a host of little blue herons, green herons, blue and green-winged teal, grebes, and even a white-faced ibis. Click on pictures to enlarge.
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
- © Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor
© Chris Taylor