birding, photography and living with pet birds
Posted in Costa Rica, wren on Apr 22nd, 2012
There are a lot of wrens in the world, but I’m pretty sure the Riverside Wren of Costa Rica is the stripiest of wrens. They’re even stripey on their underparts. This guy was so hard to photograph. The wrens were in every bush, making little kissy noises. But actually getting them [...]
Posted in wren on Dec 18th, 2011
South Carolina has a great birding location at Lake Conestee, which is about 10 miles away from the airport. A series of streams lead into the lake so it’s fantastic for birding because there is water everywhere. It’s absolutely amazing how nicely the parks are maintained on the east coast. California had no maintenance of [...]
Posted in wren on Jun 17th, 2011
I have seen a lot of wrens in my life. Marsh Wrens are the most common in Utah. I’ve seen Rock Wrens in the desert, Bewick’s Wrens in California and Carolina Wrens in South Carolina and Georgia. In Arizona I saw Canyon Wrens. They have the same spotted feathers on their backs as the [...]
Posted in wren on Dec 11th, 2010
In my experience, finding wrens has been hard. They love to hide in the brush and sing their mating songs. The best time to find them is during breeding season. This is not the case in the South. I found Carolina Wrens in peoples’ backyards. Here’s one hanging out next to an air conditioning unit. [...]
I love Western and Clark Grebes. They are always present in Utah and they have wild red eyes. Western Grebe I also love Farmington Bay, especially in the summer when everything is green. So imagine my delight when Jon suggested that we get customized stain glass windows of birds. We chose grebes because they’re always [...]
Yesterday was hot! We went to Farmington Bay and stayed just long enough to get some good pictures. Can you see how the heat warps the picture in the distance? I’m going to learn a lot this summer about how to take pictures in extreme heat. The birds were feeling the heat too. Check out [...]
Posted in wren on May 23rd, 2010
This is the beginning of breeding season for Marsh Wrens. The males are search through the cattails and tules to find the perfect sport for a nest. They establish their territories by singing songs to alert the other males. During this time, if you can actually find the wrens in the reeds, they will usually [...]