Louisville Naturally

Peregrine Falcon Nest Box at LG&E

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:48:00 +0000

LG&E's Mill Creek Station in southwest Jefferson County is home to a pair of nesting Peregrine Falcons. They have a live feed of the nest where you can watch the family grow. There are four chicks that hatched out in the beginning of April and they are growing fast. Be sure to check it out before they get big enough to fly out. The nest can be viewed at http://www.lge-ku.com/falcon/.

Western Grebe In Louisville Area

noreply@blogger.com (Karen Bonsell) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:48:00 +0000

Last week I was checking my BirdKY and IN-bird (sorry, I can't seem to find a link for this one) emails, and saw on both lists that a Western Grebe was being seen at the Jeffersonville, Indiana waterfront overlook! I went down there to catch a glimpse. Afterall, this could be my only chance to see one of these guys! Even when I went out west a few years ago, I didn't see one!

Western Grebe

Here he has his foot up out of the water. A very unusual looking foot, I must say! Kind of reminds me of an American Coot foot!

Western Grebe

In this shot, he looks to be waving at us with his foot! He did this several times, I suppose he's just stretching!

Western Grebe

He opened his mouth like this several times, but honestly I didn't hear anything. Maybe just a yawn!

Western Grebe

As of yesterday it was reported to still be in the area! When you click on one of my pictures you will find a map on my flickr site! I hope you all get a chance to see this rarity!

Unusual Ducks On The Ohio River

noreply@blogger.com (Karen Bonsell) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 01:46:00 +0000

I have been reading reports on BirdKY of a White-winged Scoter hanging out on the Ohio River near the Jeffersonville, Indiana waterfront! I went down there in hopes of catching a glimpse of him/her. I was not disappointed, it was floating very close to the shore. I have seen various Scoters on the Ohio River in past winters, but I have never seen one so close to the shore. Usually, they are way out in the middle and not easy to get a picture of.

Immature White-Winged Scoter

White-winged Scoters typically winter along the coastal waters and eastern Great Lakes. Every once in awhile they will stray further inland, and that's when we get a chance to see them in our area!

Immature White-Winged Scoter

There were also several other ducks in the area. There was a raft of about 9 Lesser Scaups, one female Ring-necked Duck and many Ring-billed Gulls!

Female Ring-necked Duck

Lesser Scaups (female on left & male on right)

Ring-Billed Gull

Winter Snow and an Old Rock Wall

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 07:01:00 +0000

There is an old rock wall at the back of my property... along with a barbed wire fence to keep my neighbors cows off my property. I decided to venture outside after some new snow to capture this beautiful old rock wall and I found something new! FERNS! I hadn't noticed them before...

Everything looks so pretty with a blanket of snow on it...

I'm thrilled with my new little find of something else to photograph... that is apparently hardy in the winter. So, bundle up and go out and explore nature... see what you can find!

Best Nature Documentaries on Netflix Instant

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:43:00 +0000

If you have already watched every episode of Breaking Bad or the Office on Netflix instant and are running out of things to watch, try one (or all) of these nature documentaries. There are many good documentaries to choose from, but here are a few of my favorites available on Netflix instant. Here I will rate five recent films I have watched and let you know why you should watch them too.

The Life of Birds - 4.5/5

The Life of Birds is the gold standard when it comes to nature documentaries. The ten episode series is written and narrated by David Attenborough, the man behind many great nature documentaries produced by the BBC and whose career spans 60 years. The series gives an in depth look at every aspects of bird life; from different forms of flight to beak adaptations, from bird communication to the rearing of young. Every episode is full of great examples of the divergence of bird adaptations and gives great insight into how and why these birds developed their specific traits. The only reason this series doesn't get a 5/5 is because the filmography is a bit dated. The series was recorded in 1998 so the quality isn't as good as some of the other series on the list. That being said, the camera angles and up-close shots of bird behavior more than make up for the lack of high definition. It would be great to see this series filmed again with today's technology.

Yellowstone: Battle for Life - 5/5

This three episode series by the BBC explores three seasons in Yellowstone National Park: summer, fall, and winter. The series follows several different species through a year in the park and shows how they adapt to the extreme environments in Yellowstone. We get to see all different kinds of interesting animal behavior, like American Dippers making their nests behind waterfalls and wolves hunting bison and fighting eagles over carrion. Where this series really shines is the cinematography. It is breathtaking. In 1080p you get to see amazing details, so much so that you feel like you are experiencing it first hand. Do yourself a favor and watch this amazing series.

Nature: Birds of the Gods - 4/5

Another David Attenborough narrated documentary, this film focuses on the Birds of Paradaise that live in the New Guinea rainforests. Produced by PBS for its popular Nature series, this hour-long documentary investigates the many different species of Birds of Paradise and their amazing courtship displays. We follow New Guinea researchers as they attempt to assess the bird populations and capture every species mating displays. These secretive birds live amazing lives and are notoriously difficult to find and film. This documentary does an amazing job at finding several species and gives great background information on their habits, evolution, and how females chose mates based on their intricate dances.

Ghost Bird - 3.5/5

This documentary is slightly different than the rest in that it looks at us, humans, and how we react emotionally and scientifically to the supposed rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Do you can remember back to 2005 when the Cornell Lab of Ornithology claimed they had found evidence of a previously extinct bird the Ivory-billed Woodpecker? The "rediscovery" was a worldwide story and brought hope that previously thought extinct animals could still be surviving under the radar and under our noses. As we have come to know since then, the "rediscovery" may have been premature as no solid evidence since has been found and the original evidence has been called into question. This documentary does a great job showing how different groups of people react to the news of the birds discovery and subsequent questioning of it. This film could have easily warranted a 5/5 review, but in my opinion was much too long. I felt like they wrapped up the story nicely and when I thought it was going to end it just kept on going. A lot of the footage could have been left on the editing room floor and I feel they missed their chance to make a succinct, compelling documentary by letting it run too long.

Nature: Braving Iraq - 3/5

Another film by PBS's Nature series, this documentary looks at rebuilding wetlands in Iraq and the struggles the Iraqi people face in trying to rebuild the environment in the middle of a war zone. A compelling subject to be sure, this documentary misses some opportunities to be better as they focus too much on their struggles of filming the documentary instead of the subject itself, Iraq's wetlands. In an effort to eradicate Iraq's Marsh Arabs, Saddam Hussein drained much of Iraq's great wetlands that form at the convergence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers as they enter the sea. After Saddams' fall, an Iraqi-American engineer attempts to restore the wetlands, wildlife, and a way of life for the Marsh Arabs. The scenes showing the difference between the drained deserts and restores wetlands are amazing, as are the scenes depicting the fragile government and human conflicts that make tackling such a large project so difficult in a country being torn apart. Less interesting is the filmmakers filming of themselves and the hard time they had making the documentary. If they had focused on the subject more, which is so interesting and compelling, and less on themselves, the film could have been much better. That being said, it was still great to see a part of Iraq few people know about and how healing nature can help to heal a country.

Have you found any good nature documentaries on Netflix? If so let us know in the comments.

Winter Backyard Birding

noreply@blogger.com (Karen Bonsell) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 05:16:00 +0000

Today turned out to be a huge day in my backyard! With the falling temperatures in the Louisville area, the birds had to find food and water! I decided to buy a birdbath heater this year, and I'm glad I did. It has performed very well thus far. This morning it was nine degrees, and although a great deal of it did freeze, there was a small area around the heating element that was open water. The birds really responded! I think they appreciated some fresh, non frozen water to drink!

Northern Cardinal (female)

European Starling

Mourning Dove

I happened to notice a very small bird very high in my Maple tree. When I got a closer look, I could see it was a Golden-crowned Kinglet! This photo is somewhat blurry, but it gives you an idea of what he looks like. He also moves around very fast and erratically. I believe he was coming to the Maple tree to drink sap that was seeping out of the branches. He would come to the Maple for a few minutes then fly off to a pine tree in the neighbors yard! He did this several times throughout the day!

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Another highlight from the day was the Red-breasted Nuthatch! These guys don't usually come this far south, but with the finch irruption this winter, the Red-breasted Nuthatch, though not a finch, is also a species on the move. I started seeing him in late fall and haven't seen him very often since, but it is my guess that he needed to find another food source with the cold temperatures.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

A female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker spent most of the day in the Maple tree drilling sap wells. When another woodpecker would come near, she would chase him off. She didn't seem to mind other birds though. There were many birds and squirrels drinking from these sap wells, including the Red-breasted Nuthatch in the photo below the Sapsucker photo.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Red-breasted Nuthatch drinking from sap wells

I have been having a Pine Warbler visiting my feeders since early December. I didn't know what it was for a long time, but I showed the pictures to some of the members of Beckham Bird Club and they felt it was a Pine Warbler. This is a rare bird to be in this area at this time of year. Most Warblers migrate to Central or South America! I am noticing that I usually only see him when it's very cold or very rainy. This makes sense to me, as Warblers tend to mainly eat insects. He seems to like the suet and the black oil sunflower seed!
If you would like to see some of my other pictures of the Pine Warbler, click here.

Pine Warbler

I ended up seeing 23 different species in my yard today!

Long-Tailed Duck on the Ohio River

noreply@blogger.com (Karen Bonsell) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 02:52:00 +0000

This morning I joined in on a field trip with the Beckham Bird Club to Garvin Brown Preserve. Since Garvin Brown did not turn out to be very productive, we headed down river to Cox's Park. While we were there we spotted a solitary duck in the water near the bank.

Long-tailed Duck (immature male)

It turned out to be a Long-tailed Duck! According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this duck breeds in the Arctic and winters along the coasts of North America. So it is a pretty rare finding in the Louisville area!

Long-tailed Duck (immature male)

I got a chance to observe first hand the "rare bird alert" process. Calls were made, and next thing you know, several more people were there to observe this beautiful duck! It was a pretty amazing day!

Long-tailed Duck (immature male)

Carolina Wren Nest

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 01:31:00 +0000

I opened the grill at work that gets used every once in a blue moon and found this Carolina Wren nest inside. Carolina Wrens are known to nest in random places like mailboxes and inside garages. It looks like this nest was abandoned because there were still three eggs inside.

Red Crossbills in Louisville

noreply@blogger.com (Karen Bonsell) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 01:46:00 +0000

This years winter season has been phenomenal for the sighting of rare birds. Cave Hill Cemetery has been the winter home for two species of Crossbills. White-winged Crossbills and Red Crossbills were seen by many local birders starting in November. Fortunately for us, the Red Crossbills have stuck around! Crossbills haven't been seen in the Louisville area since the 1970's. For a great explanation as to why we are seeing Crossbills in Louisville, check out Ryans' previous blog post about the Finch Superflight !

Female Red Crossbill taken in November

Since the Red Crossbills have been feeding in the tops of the Hemlock Trees, getting good pictures has been rather difficult. The picture above was digiscoped with my iPhone. It is probably the best shot I have gotten thusfar.

Male & Female Red Crossbills feeding in Hemlock Trees at Cave Hill Cemetery

If you look closely at the above picture you can see five Red Crossbills feeding in the Hemlocks. If you can't find them all, click on the picture to go to my flickr page, where I have them outlined!

I am providing a link to some great pictures of the Red Crossbills taken by Brainard Palmer-Ball. When you get to his flickr page, scroll to the right to see a nice series of five pictures!

Female Red Crossbill taken in January 2013

Here is a great article and video about Red Crossbills from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

iphone 5 Wallpapers

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:36:00 +0000

Hopefully you're getting an iphone 5 for Christmas because I just put together a pack of six awesome wallpapers. If you already have one it is simple to change your wallpaper image. To download an image, first click the image to open the gallery, then right-click and select View Image. Right-click again and select Save Image As to download it. Then go to Settings > Wallpaper and navigate to the Photo Library. Your downloaded wallpaper should be there and all you have to do is click Set and you are done. Or download the wallpaper pack here. If you like the wallpapers be sure to tell your friends to come to LouisvilleNaturally.com to download them.

Black-crowned Night Heron

Eastern Kingbird

Mourning Dove

Sunlit Grass

Thistle

Yellow Sweet Clover

Sparrows Continued

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 15:33:00 +0000

The spot where I've been photographing sparrows continues to be productive with different species. Amazing how a small patch of weeds can bring in so many different birds.

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow (juvenile)

Although not a sparrow, this Carolina Wren was mixed in and posed for me while I photographing the sparrows.

Ring-billed Gulls

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:48:00 +0000

I was able to get up close and personal with a couple Ring-billed Gulls yesterday. These birds are beginning to come back to the Louisville area as they overwinter nearby on the Ohio River. The best place to see Ring-billed and other gulls is at Falls of the Ohio in Indiana. Bring a birding scope or a couple quarters for the coin operated binocular viewers, as the birds are often out a ways over the river.

Lapland Longspurs and More

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 23:20:00 +0000

More good cold weather birds showed up in Louisville today. This time it was a flock of Lapland Longspurs, a small sparrow-like bird that often travel in mixed flocks with Horned Larks and Snow Buntings. They get the name "Longspur" from their long hind claw on their foot. They belong to the family Calcariidae which includes other longspurs and Snow and McKay Buntings. The family Calcariidae recently separated from the sparrow family Emberezidae after DNA tests confirmed they were genetically different enough to form their own clade.

On top of seeing 50+ longspurs today, I also got the privilege of seeing a Bald Eagle and a flock of Sandhill Cranes fly over. All in all a pretty good day for birds.

Louisville Snowy Owl, Snow Bunting, and More

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 19:35:00 +0000

If you read my post from earlier today about the finch superflight (and if you didn't you can find it below) then you'd know we are expecting some interesting birds this winter. Well, seems they are already here. Today I saw a single Snow Bunting and a flock of around 50 American Pipits at the landfill.

Snow Bunting

American Pipit

Yesterday, several people got a good look at a Snowy Owl on the outskirts of the airport by I-65 and Preston Highway. The bird couldn't be relocated today, but Eddie Huber was able to get a great pic before it left.

Can't wait to see what turns up next.

Finch Superflight

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 15:46:00 +0000

If you don't have your feeders out yet, get to it, because this winter is shaping up to be a spectacular one. This year is being deemed a finch "superflight". What exactly does that mean? A "superflight" means a mass migration of many species of birds to areas where they are not usually seen. In this case we are talking about many species of Canadian birds flying south to parts of the U.S. that are not normally part of their winter range. Some of these species are known as "irruptive" species, like the Pine Siskin, that have erratic movements in winter as they follow food sources. So the "superflight" can be thought of as a mass "irruption", with many birds on the move in search of food.

The reason for this winter's superflight is due to the drought and mass nut and pine cone failure in Canada. If you remember here in Louisville a couple years ago, we had a late frost in May that killed all the flowers on the trees, which led to a mass failure of the nut crop. That year there were virtually no acrons, beech nuts, or hickory to be found. What happened in the drought in Canada this year is similar. Without their usual food crops to be found, birds are venturing far and wide to find food, maybe to your backyard. Which is why you should get your feeders up ASAP if you haven't already, because the flight has started and there are already interesting Canadian birds being reported in Louisville and the surrounding area. Learn more about the superflight on the ebird blog.

Red-breasted Nuthatch by Karen Bonsell

Some of the birds we might see this year are: Red-breasted Nuthatches, Pine Siskins, both species of crossbills, Common Redpolls, even possibly Evening Grosbeaks and Bohemian Waxwings. If you've never heard of any of these birds it's probably because they aren't found around here too often. Putting your feeders out now and you may attract these once in decades visitors.

So what should you do if you see one of these species (or any species for that matter)? Report it! And how do you do that? With eBird of course! It allows you to record when and where you see different species and also lets you view other people's observations. Check out this map of White-throated Sparrows seen in Louisville this year. You can type in different species to see where they are being seen anywhere in the country. The more people that report, the better the data becomes, which scientists use to track and monitor bird populations. There is no doubt that eBird reports this winter will allow scientist to track the winter superflight like never before.

If you want to follow Louisville Naturally on Facebook just visit our page. Happy birding.

Not Just Another Sparrow

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 11:41:00 +0000

Some people may not like sparrows as much as me, but I'm going to keep posting more photos regardless. I put sparrows right up there with warblers. Many people call sparows LBJ's (Little Brown Jobs, not Lyndon B. Johnson's) because they are difficult to identify and they all look the same. That's not true if you look a little harder. Take this Savannah Sparrow for instance. You might be inclined to look at it and say "just another sparrow", but if you take the time to observe up close you can see the yellow on the head, the fine streaks on the flanks, and the forked tail. I implore you to give sparrows a chance and you will see they are just as interesting as a spring warbler or as magnificent as a soaring hawk.

Sparrow Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:56:00 +0000

All the dried weeds and grasses have dropped their seeds and the sparrows are loving it.

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Goldfinches

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 03:21:00 +0000

So I've had these photos of goldfinches sitting on my computer for months now that I thought I would share. And no matter who you voted for, I think we can all agree a momma goldfinch feeding her babies is cute.

Ducks Fly Together

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 23:21:00 +0000

If these 80 degree days are fooling you (and my daffodils) they haven't fooled the ducks! Caught these guys heading south for the winter....

My Barred Owl Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Karen Bonsell) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 02:13:00 +0000

I wanted to share an exciting experience that I had last week. I had gone to the Anchorage Trail in Anchorage, KY basically in search of warblers. Boy did I get a nice surprise! I was walking along the main trail when I noticed a large bird flying from the ground up to a tree just a few feet off of the trail. I initially thought Hawk, but quickly discovered it was a Barred Owl! I have heard them calling there before, but never have I caught a glimpse of one!

Barred Owl

I have heard from some other local birders that frequent the Anchorage Trail that Barred Owls have been spotted.

Barred Owl

This Owl must have been pretty comfortable with people, because he flew to this tree and sat for several minutes right above the trail. He watched as a walker passed right under him!

Horizontal Rainbow

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 01:19:00 +0000

During a walk late this afternoon, I spotted a rainbow in the clouds! I have never seen one like this before, it was horizontal and upside down! The image I took just so happened to look like a smiley face too. :)

Apparently, it's called a Circumhorizontal arc and is a rare occurrence.

Fall Warblers in Louisville

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:01:00 +0000

I went out this weekend looking for fall warblers in Louisville and was not disappointed. While fall warblers are harder to identify, they are more fun to watch because they forage more at ground level on berries and shrubs. In spring you just about have to break your neck looking up in the tops of trees for birds while in fall most birds are a eye level snacking on grapes, pokeweed, or dogwoods. Here are a few birds I saw this weekend:

Ovenbird

American Redstart (female)

Common Yellowthroat (female)

Yellow-throated Warbler

This is what the birds were eating, the berries from the Red-osier Dogwood. These dogwoods are shrubs that grow along the edges of swampy woods. If you can find these or grapevines with fruit still on them you have a good chance of seeing some warblers.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds

noreply@blogger.com (Karen Bonsell) — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:06:00 +0000

I have recently put my Hummingbird feeders back out! I don't know why I didn't get them out earlier in the summer, since they are so much fun to watch! I have them placed just outside of a window so I can photograph them! Right now, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are migrating. Males usually start migration first, beginning typically in August. Females will follow next, then the juveniles. They typically winter in Mexico & Central America, flying across the Gulf of Mexico! This amazes me, considering the size of the gulf!

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird sunning herself between drinks from the feeder

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the only species of Hummingbird that nests east of the Mississipi river. So, during the summer, if you live in the east & see a Hummingbird, it is most likely a Ruby-throated. However, once the migration begins, you should pay close attention to the Hummingbirds that come to your feeders. Somethimes, other species of Hummingbirds have been known to come through. Just last November, a Rufous Hummingird spent some time at a feeder in Logan County Kentucky.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Many people wonder if leaving their Hummingbird feeders out later in the season will prompt the Hummingibrds to stay around longer than they should, causing them to miss migration. Most of the sources I have read say, No! Hummingbirds migrate when their inner clock tells them it's time to go! A wonderful resource to learn about anything Hummingbird is hummingbirds.net. They even have a migration map that lets you follow the migration reports! It's very cool!

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird (notice how his gorget looks black from this angle, for a great explanation of why, check out Ryan's post from earlier this year)

Birding App Review: Audubon Birds

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan Ankeny) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 18:01:00 +0000

This is part one in a series of four posts I will be doing about bird field guide apps. Stay tuned for the reviews of iBird, Peterson, and Sibley apps coming soon.

In the old days (like five years ago) a birder had to rely on only a trusted field guide, his memory, and wits to find and observe birds. But with the proliferation of smart phones, tablets, and other devices has come a rush of new apps aimed at helping birders identify birds in the field, recognize songs, and even pinpoint on a map the latest sightings in the area. These digital field guides have quickly become important tools in the birder's repertoire and are a great supplement to the standard field guide. In this article we will look at four such birding apps that are available today. We will examine their strengths and weaknesses to help birders decide which app is right for them. All apps are being tested on an iPod Touch.

We will consider four things when reviewing these apps that will allow us to compare all apps equally. First we will be looking at the user interface and how easy it is to navigate in the app between elements. In this section we will also look for any bugs or crashes that may occur. Second, we will review the quality of the illustrations and/or photographs in each app. Next we will look at the audio section in each app and review the quality and variation of bird vocalizations. Lastly, we will look at any extra features the app provides and discuss how this enhances the user's experience. Let's get started.

Audubon - $9.99

We will begin with the Audubon Society's app "Audubon Birds". On the home screen this app gives you a lot of choices on how to begin finding the birds you are looking for. It allows you to browse by shape, name, taxonomic family, or by search. The User Interface is clearly marked and is a breeze to use. When viewing a bird you have the choice of viewing an image, range map, vocalizations, description, similar birds, and more. The app glides smoothly between elements and there were no issues with freezing or crashes.

This app follows the standard Audubon field guide convention of showing only photographs and no illustrations. While I find this unacceptable for a hard copy field guide, it works much better in the digital field guide form. The reason for this is that there are multiple photographs showing different angles and field marks along with differences in ages and sexes. The static, often poor quality photograph found in the hard copy field guide is replaced with several outstanding high quality and beautiful photographs in the digital field guide and really make bird identification an easier task. Even better is that for many photographs there is a small button on the photo that you can press that will overlay important field marks and identification tips on top of the photo. This is a wonderful feature and keeps users from having to flip back and forth between the photo and description to identify their bird.

The audio portion of this app also stands out. Audubon has vocalizations for every bird and often includes multiple examples of songs, call notes, alarm calls, and other vocalizations. All audio is clear and easy to hear, making this one of the best apps for bird songs on the market. One feature that is missing is that there is no way to compare birds with similar songs like there are in other apps.

Audubon really put in time on the extra features this app provides. They could have left it as a field guide and it would have been a quality app, but the little extras added into the app are the icing on the cake. The most important feature is the integration with eBird that allows you to view birds that have been seen anywhere in the country. Just go to the ebird section and you will see a list of birds recently seen in your area. Clicking on a bird brings up a map with pinpoints showing exactly where the bird was seen and when. The app also includes a journal where you can keep notes and lists on the birds you've seen, and it also has in depth articles about bird molts and plumage, conservation, natural history, and much more.

In conclusion, this app really stands out for its amazing photography with identification tips, great audio section, and integration with eBird. There are no illustrations but that is how Audubon guides are usually put together. The multiple photos and angles makes up for the lack of illustrations in other bird apps. All in all, I would highly recommend this app for beginning and experienced birders alike.

Muscatatuck Wild America

noreply@blogger.com (T. Travis Brown) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 18:08:00 +0000

August can be one of the most difficult months to find wildlife during the day, and afternoon is typically not a good time to find animals. However, I recently found quite a bit of wildlife at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in the middle of the afternoon.

The dry weather had reduced many of the wetlands to small pools, which always seems to have a concentrating effect on watchable wildlife--especially those that feed on the fish and crayfish that are forced into smaller areas of water. On this day I was surprised to find river otters active in the heat of the afternoon. The scene was like something out of a "Wild America" montage.

Three otters coated in muck and duckweed rolled in a pool searching for fish, while a great blue heron grabbed fish spooked by the otter's activity. Half a dozen green herons surrounded the pool--looking nervously and tensing for flight when approached too closely by the otters.

As the muck-slicked otters bounded out of the pool their size difference became more apparent (most likely a mother and two youngsters). Maybe that was the reason for the afternoon fishing trip--hungry teenagers.

Great blue heron benefiting from fish spooked by the otters.

Mother otter and one of her juveniles.

Green heron in a pose that often leads to its misidentification as an American bittern.

Great egret stalking the shallows.

The End(s)