BIRD TALES
Late summer is generally slow here in Connecticut in terms of bird photography. One exception, however, would be the sunflower fields and the abundant goldfinches that feed on them. I stood for 30 minutes or more waiting for this little guy to land on the flower.
Larry Akers LEDYARD, CONNECTICUT
Bells Bend Park in Nashville, Tennessee, has bountiful opportunities for viewing wildlife. While on an early morning summer walk, I observed some incredible bird activity. A male blue grosbeak with an insect let out repeated metallic calls, alarming his neighbors. An orchard oriole pair came to investigate the disturbance. Just as the three birds landed on the same stalk, I captured this image with my Nikon D500 camera and a Sigma 150-600 mm lens. Being in the right place at the right time to witness this feather frenzy was truly a magical moment and one that I will always remember.
Mary Glynn Williamson NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
This story is from the August/September 2022 edition of Birds & Blooms.
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This story is from the August/September 2022 edition of Birds & Blooms.
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Sense or Nonsense? - Why some birds can taste and smell - but others can't
Does a porcelain berry taste like a blueberry to a gray catbird? Does a block of lard smell like frying bacon to a northern flicker? The short answer is no. While some avian species do have a well-adapted sense of taste or smell, they can't distinguish between flavors and odors the way humans can. They're not picking up every ingredient in the suet you put out, says José Ramírez-Garofalo, an ornithology researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the director of Freshkills Biological Station in Staten Island, New York.
Maple Mania - Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Amazing facts about this fall foliage mainstay
Food-Focused and Fierce - Meet Canada jays and learn why they eat almost anything they can find
Even if you haven't heard of Canada jays, you've heard of their relatives. Members of the corvid family, they belong to the same group as American crows, blackbilled magpies, and jays including blue, Steller's and scrub. "Unlike many of the other jays, a Canada jay doesn't have a crest of any kind; it just has a rounded head," says Dale Gentry, director of conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River.In 2018, the Canada jay's name was changed from gray jay, but Dale thinks the former adjective was fitting. "Most of its body is shades of gray with some white," he says. "There are different subspecies that have different physical traits, but most of them have some lighter coloring on their foreheads, upper breasts and throats, each with a darker streak that starts at each eye and goes back."
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