I was driving down a quiet road in upstate New York one morning in May, when I noticed a breathtaking flash of red sweep across the dark hemlock trees. It was a Scarlet Tanager, who stopped for a moment in the tallest part of the budding trees, and began to proclaim its raspy song of spring …
This morning I went out with one goal in mind: to get video footage of a singing Gray Catbird, silhouetted against the dawn sky. Was I successful? Judge for yourself …
Of all backyard bird sounds, perhaps the least musical is the song of the Common Grackle. Check out this funny video of males giving their raspy squeaks as they lean forward and puff out their feathers …
Several days ago, on a cool morning, I photographed a backlit Red-winged Blackbird, singing atop a cattail in a marsh. To my delight you can see his breath condense, as if he was exhaling smoke …
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet … a tiny avian jewel with a scarlet patch on its crown … is one of my favorite birds, primarily because of it’s sprightly cheerful song — a series of very high notes followed by a rambling jumble and ending with a silly-sounding chant …
This morning, at the break of dawn, I recorded the croaks and yelps of a family of Common Ravens, nesting in a dense spruce stand at the edge of my yard …
It’s mid-April and the woodpeckers are drumming like crazy. This morning, I headed to a nearby natural area at dawn and soon captured a nice video of a Downy Woodpecker, drumming from near the top of a dead snag …
Once again the robins sing,
A hint of snow still on the bough.
Treetops all around me ring …
With gratefulness, I hear them now.
On a cold, snowy March morning, I videotaped a Wilson’s Snipe feeding along the edge of a small farm pond. I was mesmerized by his bobbing motion, as he poked his long bill into the mud in search of food …