It’s a tree you may not notice until it turns saffron yellow in the autumn months. You’ll see the natural blanket of fan-shaped leaves that unfolds beneath its trunk as the tree sheds. And you may stop in awe, not realizing how many times you’ve passed this tree without a glance and only now, see…
Archives for December 2008
Identifying Bird Songs
I helped a fellow volunteer with a class presentation this month — on the topic of birding by ear. I was asked to help, not because I can, in fact, identify birds by ear. But because I’m reasonably adept at editing sound files and attaching them to Keynote (or Powerpoint) slides. I can’t post any…
The Waxwings Are Back
I don’t know exactly how long they’ve been back, the Cedar Waxwings. Serious birders** know from the hour. I only know by the near-silent whistles that suddenly populate our trees. And I know because we got our first injured Cedar Waxwings at the hospital in the past two weeks — immobilized by window strikes. Today,…
A Quiet Nation of Shorebirds – San Francisco Bay Area
I try to stop by Arrowhead Marsh when I’m in the vicinity of Oakland Airport . . . which is quite a lot, considering I’m with a guy who, essentially, commutes to work by plane. It’s my consolation in solitude to stroll through the marshes with my camera after I bid farewell to Southwest or…