Cedar Waxwings are dining their way north: Don’t...
Tanagers are one big, beautiful family of birds....
They unlock the Earth’s treasury of hummingbirds. Does...
Pittsburgh’s National Aviary takes you around the world...
“He’s close.” On the trail of a rare...
It’s a bird-eat-bird world: Pileated Woodpeckers on the...
Tree Swallows caught in midair: A rare glimpse...
What a show: Battle of the Hummingbirds reaches...
Can we save this globe-trotting sandpiper? Only if...
Taking off in a cloud, Snow Geese create...
Flying Lessons
  • Home
    • Our story
    • Birding and the Airstream
  • Photo Galleries
    • Photo Gallery Index
      • Belted Kingfishers Gallery
      • Counting Raptors
      • Birds of Glenwood Gardens
      • The Barred Owl Nextdoor
      • Magnificent Frigatebird
      • Woodpecker’s Nest
      • Red-shouldered Hawk Gallery
      • Blue-gray Gnatcatchers
      • In search of Warblers
      • Ecuador’s Hummingbirds Gallery
      • Purple Gallinule
      • Sandhill Cranes — and their chicks
      • White Ibis Gallery
      • Catching Birds in Flight
      • Roseate Spoonbills in all their glory
      • A Rookery for Storks
      • Shore Birds
      • Dining Out
      • Love is in the Air: Two Barn Swallows’ take on the Birds and the Bees
  • Videos
  • Closeups
    • Birds in Flight
  • Beverly’s Basics
  • All Posts
    • All Posts
    • Facebook Posts
    • Flying Lessons on Instagram
    • Bird of the Week
    • Sharing birding tips
  • Get email updates

Red-bellied Woodpecker Jekyll Island, Georgia This Red-bellied Woodpecker looks like he just stepped out of central casting, with his orangish-red accent colors contrasting with its speckled wings. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Eastern Meadowlark Joe Overstreet Landing, Florida An Eastern Meadowlark, which has a beautiful plaintive song and striking coloring, takes flight in a speedy flash of yellow. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Barred Owl Orlando Wetlands, Florida Watching the juvenile White Ibis practicing moves is rich with humor. Clumsy and persistent, they'll fill an afternoon with landings --- like this one -- not to be missed. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal A member of the Falcon family, the Caracara is found only in Florida, Texas and Arizona -- and even then you have to look hard and long to fine one. Joe Overstreet Landing, Florida Crested Caracara Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Belted Kingfisher Fletcher's Boathouse, D.C. This magnificent, hyperactive bird, whose feathers when spread make him look like an admiral in full military dress, prowls the waterways for fish -- and strikes with breathtaking speed and precision when he fiinds it. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Osprey Christmas, Florida An Osprey, one of the great success stories of bird conservation, is a fishing machine as this bird shows as it prepares for a dive. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Valladolid, Mexico Yellow-throated Warbler Assateague Island, Maryland The Yellow-throated Warbler is one of the first to return to its breeding grounds each spring. The striking yellow throat coupled with its habit of creeping along branches makes it one of the easiest warblers to spot. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal American Flamingo Rio Largartis, Mexico They've been demeaned as a bright pink lawn ornament, but Flamingos are in fact an elegant and stylish bird. They breed in just a couple of locations, one on the northern-most tip of the Yucatan. Both their wingspan and length are startling. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Wood Stork chicks Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal White Pelican Merritt Island, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal American Goldfinch Tupelo, Mississippi One of the smallest and yet most striking birds with their bright yellow feathers and lightning-fast speed that helps them stand out no matter the setting. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Reddish Egret Fort DeSoto, Florida While egrets are among the most common of large coastal birds, the Reddish Egret is harder to find and thus a special sight. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Bald Eagle Rodanthe, North Carolina The Bald Eagle has been the symbol of our nation since 1782. It seems to have little trouble living up to the honor, as evidenced by this elegant bird on a pass over the Outer Banks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Purple Gallinule Viera, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Turquoise-browed Motmot Valladolid, Mexico The Motmot is like a flying piece of art, decorated with a kite-like tale and its remarkable coloration. Its striking appearance has helped make it the national bird in several Latin American countries. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Prothonotary Warbler Jean Lafitte Preserve, Louisiana The Audubon Society installs and monitors nesting boxes in the Jean Lafitte Preserve to study the threatened Prothonotary Warbler. This lovely male Prothonotary serenaded us for about an hour one sunset in the middle of June. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Northern Cardinal Lorton, Virginia In flight the Northern Cardinal's wings become translucent, its form all about motion. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Magnolia Warbler Granite Village, Nova Scotia This immature Magnolia Warbler displays few adult features -- like the white eye ring -- that makes identification a challenge. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Barred Owl Raleigh, North Carolina The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Boat-tailed Grackle Viera, Florida Grackles are omnipresent and often obnoxious in parts of Florida, constantly squawking an endless flow of avian commentary. Yet when you look closely, they can be magnificent birds. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Cedar Waxwing Raleigh, North Carolina The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Tricolored Heron Viera, Florida A medium-sized wading bird, the Tricolored is a study in patience as it stands like a statue in a marsh in Central Florida. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Watching the small, acrobatic bird on a feeding spree is like watching a movie on fast forward. The Tufted Titmouse never seems to stop. Janes Island, Maryland Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Tufted Titmouse Blue Grosbeak Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Kiptopeke, Virginia The Blue Grosbeak sings a loud, incessant song that stand out as much as its unforgettable deep blue coloring. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Baltimore Oriole Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Rock Creek Park, Washington DC The Baltimore Oriole, which can be found all over the eastern United States, has a high and loud whistle of a song that can lead you to this magnificent species. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Black Skimmers Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Outer Banks, North Carolina A Spoonbill, an iconic species that's expanding its reach in the Southern U.S., takes off from a new rookery in Central Florida. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Roseate Spoonbill Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Stick Marsh, Florida A Spoonbill, an iconic species that's expanding its reach in the Southern U.S., takes off from a new rookery in Central Florida. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Common Yellowthroat Warbler Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Eastern Shore, Maryland The Common Yellowthroat is among the easier warblers to spot because of its loud and clear song and distinctive mask. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Hairy Woodpecker Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge, Delaware While it's sometimes hard to distinguish between the two relatives, the Downey and Hairy woodpeckers, the Hairy is bigger, with a longer beak. They can be found all over the U.S. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Prairie Warbler Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Cape Henlopen, DE A Prairie Warbler, adorned in its bright breeding colors, sings for a mate during the springtime breeding season. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Roseate Spoonbill Fellsmere, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Great White Pelican Haulover Canal, Merritt Island, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Florida Scrub Jay Titusville, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Red-cockaded Woodpecker Saint Sebastian River State Park, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Bachman's Sparrow Saint Sebastian River State Park, Florida The White Ibis are community-minded and easy to spot with their distinctive, curved pink beaks. Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Prothonotary Warbler Raleigh, North Carolina Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal Copyright: Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal
    Bird of the WeekBirds storiesMigrationPhotography

    Cedar Waxwings are dining their way north: Don’t miss the show

    by Anders Gyllenhaal April 7, 2022
    written by Anders Gyllenhaal

     

     

    Here’s a delicious fact about Cedar Waxwings: They can strip a tree of its berries in such a rush the juice turns to wine and they get too buzzed to fly.

    Robert Rice, a veteran bird scientist who spent his career with the Smithsonian’s Migratory Bird Center, explained what happens: “They can eat so much fruit, it ferments in their gut and they go wobbly for a while,” Rice said.

    Few other birds feast in such a mass frenzy, and the phenomenon is on display this time of year as bands of waxwings dine their way north from the lower U.S. and Central America and as far up as Canada.

    It’s a magnificent sight, one I assumed I’d miss this year with our limited mobility. But the other day, wandering through the trees not 50 feet from our home, I noticed what looked like a new arrival. It was the first of a flock of Cedar Waxwings that gradually became an avalanche, all collecting insects as if their lives depended on it.

    They began high in the trees, then gradually worked their way down to the lower branches. Today insects were on the menu, and one bird after another took a turn working the branches, all the while ignoring our presence as only the migration enables. It’s a gift to birders, and photographers, enabling closeup views you rarely are granted.

    Flying Lesson: The Cedar Waxwing is a study in nature’s design, with touches of yellow, red and brown slashed across a form that is almost always in motion. A good bit of that motion is spent on its frantic feeding. They go overboard on that front as well.

    This is a post we published at about this time last year as the waxwings came sweeping through town. We’re rerunning some of our most popular pieces this year while working on our book on conservation across the hemisphere, to be published in the spring of 2023 by Simon and Schuster. Watch for details as this gets closer.
    Continue Reading
    April 7, 2022 0 comment
    2 FacebookTwitterEmail
  • BirdingFeaturedPhotographySouth America

    Tanagers are one big, beautiful family of birds. Except when they’re not?

    by Anders Gyllenhaal March 23, 2022
    by Anders Gyllenhaal March 23, 2022

          For almost an hour, I decided I had a new favorite bird. It was a blend of bright yellow and black with a little yellow toupee on its head and deep blue wings. This was an Orange-bellied…

  • BirdingFeaturedPhotography

    They unlock the Earth’s treasury of hummingbirds. Does it help or hurt the birds?

    by Anders Gyllenhaal February 10, 2022
    by Anders Gyllenhaal February 10, 2022

    Mashpi, Ecuador      We’ve spent so many hours chasing hummingbirds over the years that I was caught by surprise when one of these tiny birds turned the tables and landed on my outstretched hand. Light as a penny at…

  • ConservationFeaturedPhotography

    Pittsburgh’s National Aviary takes you around the world in birds

    by Anders Gyllenhaal January 22, 2022
    by Anders Gyllenhaal January 22, 2022

    On our way home from traveling 15,000 miles chasing birds all across the country, we stopped at a park in downtown Pittsburgh and came across the broadest collection of birds we’d seen anywhere in one place. It was the National…

  • Birding researchPhotographySpecies

    “He’s close.” On the trail of a rare Hawaiian Honeycreeper

    by Anders Gyllenhaal December 30, 2021
    by Anders Gyllenhaal December 30, 2021

    We heard the sweet, staccato song of Hawaiian Palila on and off all day as we roamed the range of this golden-yellow bird, one of the most endangered and treasured species on the islands.  But the Palila always seemed to…

  • Birds storiesPhotographyVideo

    It’s a bird-eat-bird world: Pileated Woodpeckers on the attack

    by Anders Gyllenhaal December 27, 2021
    by Anders Gyllenhaal December 27, 2021

    We heard the clamor from our woodpecker’s nest and instantly knew something was up. The bird’s usual call was replaced with a high-pitched, staccato screech and both the male and female birds leaped around their tree as if the place…

Load More Posts

Sign up for Flying Lessons

Welcome to Flying Lessons, a website devoted to what we’re learning from the birds. You can sign up here for our weekly newsletter, visit our Facebook page here, spend time in our pages devoted to photos, birding advice, videos and special projects. We hope you enjoy your visit — and make this a regular stop.

FLYING LESSONS VIDEOS

White-eyed Vireo Gray Catbird Red-shouldered Hawk Northern Flicker Cedar Waxwing Barred Owl American Goldfinch Northern Waterthrush Summer Tanager Northern Cardinal Carolina Chickadee

In-depth stories

Grasshopper Sparrow

Here are links to some of the deeper stories we’ve written for publications from the Washington Post to The Miami Herald exploring the frontiers of birding and avian research. This story for the Post was about the role of every-day birders in creating the largest citizen science project in the world. This piece for The Herald looked at the surprising strength of the Roseate Spoonbill in the midst of climate change. And this article and video for The News & Observer and Charlotte Observer is about how some adventurous hummingbirds are abandoning their migration and staying the winter in the U.S. Our latest story in the Washington Post is about a rescue mission for the imperiled Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. 

Miami Herald’s Spoonbill package

Some favorite birds

Barred Owl Orlando, Florida
Copyright by Anders and Beverly Gyllehhaal
Ruby-throated Hummingbird West Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Copyright by Anders and Beverly Gyllehhaal
Hairy Woodpecker Prime Hook Refuge, Delaware
Copyright by Anders and Beverly Gyllehhaal
Prairie Warbler Cape May, New Jersey
Copyright by Anders and Beverly Gyllehhaal
Red-bellied Woodpecker St. Joe Overstreet Landing, Florida
Copyright by Anders and Beverly Gyllehhaal
Eastern Wood-Peewee Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC
Copyright by Anders and Beverly Gyllehhaal
Eastern Meadowlark Kissimmee, Florida
Copyright by Anders and Beverly Gyllehhaal
Black-throated Blue Warbler Raleigh, North Carolina
Copyright by Anders and Beverly Gyllehhaal
Northern Flicker Alexandria, Virginia
Copyright by Anders and Beverly Gyllehhaal

Birds in Flight

Roseate Spoonbill BIRDS IN FLIGHT FELLSMERE, FLORIDA OSPREY BIRDS IN FLIGHT Orlando, Florida American Flamingo BIRDS IN FLIGHT Rio Largartos, Mexico COPYRIGHT BY ANDERS AND BEVERLY GYLLENHAAL EASTERN MEADOWLARK BIRDS IN FLIGHT KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA Red-shouldered Hawk BIRDS IN FLIGHT Orlando, Florida COPYRIGHT BY ANDERS AND BEVERLY GYLLENHAAL PALM WARBLER BIRDS IN FLIGHT ORLANDO, FLORIDA BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER BIRDS IN FLIGHT LORTON, VIRGINIA BROWN PELICAN BIRDS IN FLIGHT ASSATEAGUE, MARYLAND COPYRIGHT BY ANDERS AND BEVERLY GYLLENHAAL WOOD STORK BIRDS IN FLIGHT MELBOURNE, FLORIDA COPYRIGHT BY ANDERS AND BEVERLY GYLLENHAAL

Our Facebook page

Our Facebook page

Can a bird sing with a banjo?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter


Quotes for the birds

“The radical otherness of birds is integral to their beauty and their value. They are always among us but never of us. They’re the other world-dominating animals that evolution has produced, and their indifference to us ought to serve as a chastening reminder that we’re not the measure of all things.”

— Jonathan Franzen, novelist and renown birder from his National Geographic Magazine essay on the “Year of the Bird.”

Comments, Suggestions & Quips:

On How Birds Teach Humility:

–“NOB. Love it! Great little truths in this post.” – Chara Daum

— “Appreciate your insights, Beverly.” -Ruth Harrell

— “Loving your Flying Lessons blog.” -Susan May, San Francisco

On our offbeat video of a Tufted Titmouse singing along with a banjo:

“That is totally cool,” Tony Mas, Dahlonega, Ga.

“This brought a smile to us. Thanks.” John Deen, St. Paul, MN.

“Really amazing.” Florence Strickland, Sunset Beach, N.C.

On the Mandarin duck’s arrival in Central Park:

— “I think he gets his own Saturday morning now.” -Stephen Colby, Raleigh, N.C.

— “What a beautiful bird. Its colors look painted on. Magnificent.” -Christine DiMattei

On the falling numbers of Wild Turkeys:

“I was just mentioning this to a friend, how I used to see Wild Turkeys every time I hit a dirt road, and now it’s almost rare.” -Jeff Brooks.

“There are a hundred times more turkeys than when I was a kid. Fake BS to shake down donations and public funding.” -Vance Shearer

 

Categories

  • Beverly's Birding Basics (12)
  • Bird of the Week (32)
  • Birding (91)
  • Birding and the Airstream (5)
  • Birding research (45)
  • Birding technology (3)
  • Birds stories (33)
  • Birdsongs (3)
  • Breeding and Nesting (10)
  • Conservation (26)
  • Featured (34)
  • Fledging (2)
  • Flight (11)
  • Flying Lessons essay (3)
  • How we're birding now (8)
  • Migration (34)
  • Photography (72)
  • PhotoPost (3)
  • Postcard (6)
  • Research (2)
  • South America (1)
  • Species (17)
  • Uncategorized (1)
  • Video (7)

How to reach us

Flying Lessons
Raleigh, NC.
FlyingLessons1@gmail.com

About us

About us

We’re two journalists who’ve traded in our work in publishing and syndicated writing for following and photographing the birds. We live in Raleigh, NC, but are traveling the country every chance we get -- and are sharing the lessons birds are teaching us and the photos we take along the way.

Popular Posts

  • 1

    It’s a bird-eat-bird world: Pileated Woodpeckers on the attack

    December 27, 2021
  • 2

    What a show: Battle of the Hummingbirds reaches its peak

    December 17, 2021
  • 3

    How on earth? Great White Pelican shows up on the other side of the world

    February 6, 2020
  • 4

    How on earth? Great White Pelican shows up on the other side of the world

    December 13, 2020
  • 5

    Can the Wild Turkey survive? Thanksgiving is the least of its troubles.

    November 22, 2020
  • 6

    Cedar Waxwings are dining their way north: Don’t miss the show

    April 17, 2020

Why Flying Lessons

This website is about what we can learn from the birds around us. Some of the lessons are obvious, such as the way birds can be a barometer of environmental changes. Others are subtle, like the way you, as an observer, have to adapt to navigate the world in which birds operate. We ourselves still have much to learn about birding, a late-in-life pursuit that has captivated us in retirement. But we decided to start writing about the lessons and teachings as we’re finding our way, in hopes that our storytelling and photography will help to celebrate a captivating element of nature.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

@2017 - PenciDesign. All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by PenciDesign

Flying Lessons
  • Home
    • Our story
    • Birding and the Airstream
  • Photo Galleries
    • Photo Gallery Index
      • Belted Kingfishers Gallery
      • Counting Raptors
      • Birds of Glenwood Gardens
      • The Barred Owl Nextdoor
      • Magnificent Frigatebird
      • Woodpecker’s Nest
      • Red-shouldered Hawk Gallery
      • Blue-gray Gnatcatchers
      • In search of Warblers
      • Ecuador’s Hummingbirds Gallery
      • Purple Gallinule
      • Sandhill Cranes — and their chicks
      • White Ibis Gallery
      • Catching Birds in Flight
      • Roseate Spoonbills in all their glory
      • A Rookery for Storks
      • Shore Birds
      • Dining Out
      • Love is in the Air: Two Barn Swallows’ take on the Birds and the Bees
  • Videos
  • Closeups
    • Birds in Flight
  • Beverly’s Basics
  • All Posts
    • All Posts
    • Facebook Posts
    • Flying Lessons on Instagram
    • Bird of the Week
    • Sharing birding tips
  • Get email updates