Journal archives for January 2018

January 1, 2018

River watcher: A covey of quail.

The California quail (Callipepla californica) is a regal bird, the jaunty male standing sentinel with its top-knot uplifted like a royal guard protecting a compound. Callipepla is a proper symbol for the State Bird of California. It was a good selection, but I wonder about the choosing of the Dog-Faced Butterfly as our State Insect when the golden Monarch butterfly prevails.

http://www.orovillemr.com/opinion/20171231/river-watcher-a-covey-of-quail

Posted on January 1, 2018 10:16 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 3, 2018

It’s the Season for Tundra Swans.

Avian migration exhibits a planetary ebb and flow like that of an ocean tide—a pull across the latitudes exerted on whole populations of birds. Throngs of shorebirds and waterbirds come surging into our region from the Arctic north every autumn—they ride the frozen edge of winter south to California’s Central Valley.

https://baynature.org/article/time-tundra-swans/

Posted on January 3, 2018 12:06 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

Majestic Bird Awe: Snow Goose Festival in Chico.

The Snow Goose Festival, which indeed celebrates snow-geesery but a host of other birddom, too, has many fans, an understandable thing as it has happily flapped for some 19 years now. Don't let your dream workshop fill up, and don't miss out on the field trip you want to take. Most of all, consider changing up your own daily route, or path, for a few days in late January 2018, all to get to know those fly-tastic superstars of the Pacific Flyway, one of the great feather-famous roads of the sky.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Majestic-Bird-Awe-Snow-Goose-Festival-in-Chico-467417743.html

Posted on January 3, 2018 03:40 PM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

Toyon and Cedar Waxwings: A Classic Pairing.

Cedar waxwings and toyon berries: It’s one of those iconic California food-web pairings, like black bears and manzanita berries or southern sea otters and sea urchins. In fall and winter, flocks of the black-masked birds swoop in on toyon shrubs laden with clusters of bright red berries, making their tea-kettle-like whistles.

https://baynature.org/article/toyon-cedar-waxwings-classic-pairing/

Posted on January 3, 2018 03:45 PM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 4, 2018

Bird count draws eyes to South Coast.

Posted on January 4, 2018 09:26 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

How birds are causing traffic jams on Yolo Causeway.

The murmuration of starlings along the Yolo Causeway is such a dazzling sight, it’s led drivers to pull over to take photos and videos.

http://www.kcra.com/article/how-birds-are-causing-traffic-jams-on-yolo-causeway/14586711

Posted on January 4, 2018 09:27 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

Audubon hosts ‘Winter Rarities Bird Walk’ Sunday.

"Winter Rarities Bird Walk" participants will meet at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at the Arcata Marsh G Street parking lot. Folks should bring lunch and dress warmly for the trip, which will end around 4 p.m. There is no fee to attend, though people who carpool with others are encouraged to give driver $5 to cover the cost of gas.

For more information about the "Winter Rarities Bird Walk," call 707-839-3493 or email migratoriusfwlr@gmail.com.3

http://www.times-standard.com/lifestyle/20180103/audubon-hosts-winter-rarities-bird-walk-sunday

Posted on January 4, 2018 09:32 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

Why take up bird watching? Here are just a few reasons to consider:

Bird watching is one of the fastest growing outdoor activities in the U.S., with more than 50 million people engaging in some kind of bird watching pastime. Americans spend more than $40 million a year on binoculars, cameras, bird feeders, field guides and travel.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/community/cambrian/cambrian-opinion/article192724099.html

Posted on January 4, 2018 09:41 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 5, 2018

Can migratory birds survive rapid climate change? The answer may be in their genes.

The team, led by University of California Los Angeles biologist Rachael Bay, crowdsourced blood and tissue samples from museum collections and researchers across the yellow warbler’s geographic range.

Their sample included a variety of habitats — marsh, forest, and urban areas — extending from California to northern Canada and Alaska. They analyzed DNA from the birds to see if connections already existed between their genetic traits and their environmental location.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/can-migratory-birds-survive-rapid-climate-change-the-answer-may-be-in-their-genes

Posted on January 5, 2018 02:20 PM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 6, 2018

Bald eagles delight visitors to Lake Cuyamaca.

If you’re patient, you just might catch sight of the bald eagles that are wintering at Lake Cuyamaca.

In the crisp, winter air last week at dawn, the birds with an impressive 7-foot wingspan could be seen fishing and sometimes frolicking over the water.

They also were gathering sticks and grass, building the aeries where they will raise their young in the spring.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-no-cuyamaca-eagles-20171229-story.html

Posted on January 6, 2018 10:39 AM by biohexx1 biohexx1 | 0 comments | Leave a comment