You are browsing the archives of 2006 June.

Our little Ivy is one month old today. Isn’t she cute? You don’t have to answer that…I know how really, really cute she is.

Our sweet Ivy Bean

Bird’s Nest Orchid Neottia nidus-avis
Hampshire, UK. June 2006
 
The Birds Nest Orchid, a somewhat unusual orchid found primarily in Beech woods, is a sacrophyte - a plant without chlorophyll which lives on decayed vegetation (in fact the plant lives in partnership (symbiosis) with a fungus which which lives in the matted “birds nest” of roots […]

So the proposed constitutional amendment that would have enabled Congress to ban desecration of the American flag   failed by one (only one?!?) vote. Fortunately, all is not lost for those lawmakers willing to tamper with the Bill of Rights to prove their all-consuming patriotism. Senator Mel Martinez (R, Florida) said any desecration of the flag […]

Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum
Nairobi, Kenya, June 2006

The range of the Grey Crowned Crane in eastern and southern Africa stretches from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Kenya to southeastern South Africa. They are non-migratory, but undertake variable local and seasonal movements, and are most abundant in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. The South African […]

John of A DC Birding Blog, originator of the 10 Most Beautiful Birds meme, has made good on his promise to instigate a   10 Favorite Bird Songs list. Students of the blogosphere may note that a list is less infectious and has less sociological sway than a meme. I’m sure that many who succumbed to […]

Grassland/African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus Nairobi, Kenya, June 2006
 
Described as “the ’standard pipit’ throughout much of the region, against which others must be compared” by Ian Sinclair and Peter Ryan (Birds of Africa south of the Sahara Struik 2003), the Grassland, Grassveld, or African Pipit seems to be one of the most variable ’species’ anywhere in […]

Most residents of New York state, particularly those who can muster a glance at the treetops now and again, are familiar with the writhing, webby nests of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum), though few have a solid idea what they’re observing. I’m embarrassed to say that until recently, as in just a couple of […]

I was driving home the other day and switched on the radio halfway through a short discussion on Radio 4 about building ‘eco-friendly cities’ - just the sort of subject that gets my antennae twitching. As it unfolded it became apparent that the debate was not about whether building a city was ‘eco-friendly’ or not, […]

Black-headed Canary Crithagra/Serinus alario
Tankwa Karroo, South Africa

A locally common endemic to southern Africa the striking nominate form of the Black-headed Canary is found in a wide variety of habitats from scrub and upland grassland, gardens, and the arid open grasslands of the Karoo where this male was photographed. Outside the breeding season the species wanders […]

From the outside looking in, birding and science seem to be two very different pursuits. Even enthusiasts themselves sometimes fail to relate the patient, inquisitive observation of avifauna conducted for recreational purposes to the same deliberate scrutiny administered under the auspices of professional ornithology. Many birders perpetrate citizen science without even knowing it when participating […]