As I begin to accumulate knowledge about the South Okanagan, it is astounding to find out how many plants and animals were identified and named for the explorer’s Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. The expedition was ordered by the president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, to explore the …
Feeding and watching birds have become favorite pastimes in North America. It is estimated that 1/3 of the population feeds wild birds. This ranges from putting out scraps of food to serving seed, suet and nuts. During the winter time, especially in periods where the natural food source falls, …
Many birders, me included, have an affinity for owls (families Tytonidae and Strigidae). They bring a certain fascination, mystique and inspiration that compel many people to seek out these raptors when in the field. Throughout the world there are some 205 species of owls, many scientists are suggesting that …
Some alarming statistics have recently been reported concerning the number of birds killed by cats in both Canada and the United States. According to a study by Avian Conservation Ecology (2013) between 100 million and 350 million birds are killed each year by cats in Canada. In a report …
In late March of 2013 we set off to find the Williamson’s Sapsucker, in an area where it is known to return to year after year. These cavity nesters use dead or dying large stags (usually Ponderosa Pine) and are most often found in a Western Larch forest. The Williamson’s …
In early October 2011 was the first time that a Eurasian Collared Dove had visited my bird feeder, I quickly grabbed my camera and took some pictures. Previously I have seen this bird and it was added to my “Life List” on December 29, 2007, where he was sitting …
Last summer I was looking for a birding App to add to my cell phone and opted for Audubon Birds. Originally I was considering “Sibley eGuide to Birds”, but after reading some product reviews went with “The Online Guide to North American Birds “called “Audubon Birds”. This application contains …
I have been pursuing my passion for bird watching for the past 15 years and must say that it has given me countless hours of satisfaction and excitement. In the birding world we recently had both the book “The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession” written …
One of the more diminutive members of the Owl family is the Northern Pygmy Owl (Glaucidium gnona) which is 6”-61/2” (15-17 cm) in size. These pictures were taken on January 8th, 2009 the second picture shows that it has “Eyes in the back of its head”, this must be very …
