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
    BirdingFeatured

    The magic of birds in motion

    by Liza Gyllenhaal
    written by Liza Gyllenhaal

    We’ve been watching the birds return to their summer homes these past few weeks.  One morning, an explosion of bright orange hit the living room window as a pair of claws scrabbled at the iron mullions, trying to gain a foothold. 

    An American Robin collects construction materials

    It was a Baltimore Oriole, come back to the place that had offered free orange halves the year before.  I quickly nailed fresh oranges to the porch post and soon both a male and female (not to mention a sapsucker and red squirrel) were pecking at the fruit.

    The orioles are nesting high up in the trees facing the house now.  An American Robin has built her nest in the eaves of our barn.  It’s a large, somewhat messy affair with straw, which I use to cover the vegetable beds in the winter, spilling down through the rafters.  

    American Robin

    A clan of quarrelsome Blue Jays has commandeered the towering hemlocks by the garage where, last year, the hummingbirds nested.  I’m not sure where they’ve moved to now; they seem to be coming from all directions as they swoop down to hover at the feeders. 

    Ruby-throated Hummingbird

    The other evening at dusk I was standing in the dining room, looking out at the back garden, when a hummingbird stopped in mid-flight, wings beating 80 times a second, and stared back at me for what seemed like a long time.  Who are you?  it seemed to be asking.  What are you doing inside when there are so many wonderful places out here to nest?

    Blue Jay

    Part of the joy of bird-watching is seeing them in flight.  The hawk circling high above a field. An owl flapping silently into the woods at dusk. A crow pumping through the air on some purposeful errand.

    Recently, I came upon a poem that I think captures the magic of birds in motion — far better than ordinary prose.  It’s written by the American poet Li-Young Lee who was born in Djakarta, Indonesia, to parents who were political exiles from China.  His father had been the personal physician to Mao Zedong. 

    I think it’s Lee’s innate understanding of these different cultures and languages that gives his poetry such spiritual grace and resonance.

    One Heart

    Look at the birds. Even flying
    is born

    out of nothing. The first sky
    is inside you, open

    at either end of day.
    The work of wings
    was always freedom, fastening
    one heart to every falling thing.

    Li-Young Lee began writing as a student at the University of Pittsburgh.  He is the author of five books of poetry and a memoir and has been recipient of almost all the major poetry awards. 
     
     
     

    This post is republished from Liza Gyllenhaal’s “Writer in the Garden,” an exquisite website devoted to the intersection of gardening, nature and poetry. Liza, who is Anders’ sister, is a novelist and avid gardener, who writes about life and nature in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts. We love it when she takes up the topic of birds, or goes close enough that we can publish her pieces on Flying Lessons. 

     

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