We are killing the world’s biggest bird nursery by destroying the boreal forest in Canada. Take action by signing the letter to Secretary Clinton, asking the United States to say NO to tar sands oil. The deadline to comment is Monday, June 6th!
For more information and links, check my post on Tar Sands Oil Expansion.
Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) photo by Larry Jordan
The state of Kentucky is considering allowing hunting of the eastern population of Greater Sandhill Crane. This is a ridiculous notion and concerned citizens like us need to write letters to the powers that be in Kentucky to oppose the establishment of a hunting season on these ancient, majestic birds.
Please write immediately as the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission meets to vote on the KDFWR proposal to establish a Kentucky Sandhill Crane season this Friday, June 3rd!
Also read my friend Vickie Henderson’s post on the Sandhill Crane dilemma here.
You can also go straight to the Kentucky Coalition for Sandhill Cranes website for all the information on who to write. Please do it NOW!
Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) photos by Larry Jordan
Being home for the long weekend I was able to do some backyard photography (between chores) and what better subject could you ask for than a brightly colored, gregarious pair of Evening Grosbeaks (Coccothraustes vespertinus)? Click on photos for full sized images.
Note the size of the Lesser Goldfinch in the foreground of the top photo compared to the male Evening Grosbeak.
Also notice how elegant is this female with the greenish beak, indicative of breeding season plumage.
When Evening Grosbeaks arrived in my yard two and a half months ago, their beaks were white. Now they have this even more alluring look sporting that sexy green beak!
Don’t you love that black and white pattern on the female’s wings and tail?
And the male with his prominent white wing patch.
I leave you with the female Evening Grosbeak sipping water from the waterfall.
To see more great bird photos from around the world, check out World Bird Wednesday and join in the fun!
Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus) photos by Larry Jordan
Recently I was invited by the Plumas Audubon Society to give a presentation on the Burrowing Owl in Quincy, California. We had a great turnout for the presentation, as well as for the installation of an artificial Burrowing Owl habitat the following day in Portola, a nearby town in the Sierra Valley.
The Sierra Valley is a beautiful inter-mountain valley that sits at a 4850 foot elevation. The valley floor has a grassland and sagebrush ecosystem and is the site of extensive freshwater marshes filled with cattails, bulrushes and alkaline flats that drain into the middle fork of the Feather River1.
It is here that I saw my first Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus). Click on photos for full sized images.
When my friend Jerry took me out to a recently completed wildlife viewing platform at Maddalena Ranch, a joint project of the Plumas Audubon Society and the Feather River Land Trust, he assured me that I would see my target bird. He told me that sometimes the Sage Thrashers would be perched on the viewing platform singing.
As we walked out to the platform, we saw a Short-eared Owl flying over the wetlands just before spotting the thrasher on a fence post singing away.
They would also pop up to the tops of the sagebrush and sing long uninterrupted songs.
I came back to the Maddalena Ranch later that afternoon to get these photos.
I have since discovered that the Sage Thrasher depends on sagebrush throughout most of its range for nesting habitat.
This species is on the British Columbia Environment Red List, meaning it is under consideration for Endangered and Threatened status. Only 700 hectares of good habitat remain in Okanagan, Similkameen, and Thompson Valleys of British Columbia. Further, Sage Thrasher is considered to be “critically endangered” in Canada by Conservation Data Center and “endangered” by Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.
In the U.S., this thrasher is listed as species of concern by the State of Washington; it is being considered for listing as Washington Endangered, Threatened, or Sensitive species. In interior Columbia River basin, this species is of high concern to management because of historic habitat losses and projected losses over the next 10 years2.
Large swaths of land are in the hands of private landowners in the U.S. Thank goodness some of these landowners are partnering with organizations like the Feather River Land Trust, Shasta County Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy and others to save some of this dwindling habitat for future generations.
To see more great bird photos, check out Bird Photography Weekly!
References: 1 Wikipedia, 2 Birds of North America Online
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