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Category:

Bird of the Week

Bird of the Week

What’s red all over — and hard to find? Here’s a Valentine of a Bird

by Anders Gyllenhaal February 11, 2019
written by Anders Gyllenhaal

The Summer Tanager, the only completely red bird in North America, is our Bird of the Week in honor of Valentine’s Day.

It’s easy to see the male’s deep red coloring on the cover of a Valentine’s Day card. But this goes further than feathers. Like true love, the Summer Tanager isn’t easy to find. He tends to stay above the fray, in the high branches of the forest, usually playing hard to get.

If you want a glimpse, you have to go looking for him – and be ready to commit to a sometimes lengthy search.

I’ll always remember our first encounter with a Summer Tanager, which came four years ago on Maryland’s Eastern Shore near Pocomoke City. True to form, this bird was little more than a flash of bright red at the top of a tall tree. He’s easy to mistake for a Cardinal – but then you notice that the color is more vivid and the beak is entirely different. Plus he sings a distinctive song, somewhat like a Robin, but in a kind of slurred whistle.

I spent the rest of the afternoon looking for this seductive bird, which by then I figured out was a tanager. Shortly before the sun went down, he returned: As red as a ripe tomato, offering his striking profile for just long enough to catch a few photos. Not far away was the female tanager, identical in form but dressed all in yellow.

It was a sight worth waiting for.

Birders in most of the U.S. will have to wait before seeing this Bird of the Week. The tanagers spend their winters on a romantic trip to South America. By the time they return in the spring, Valentine’s Day will be long since passed – but here’s one more photo to celebrate the tanager’s striking beauty and hold a spot in your heart for this magnificent species.

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February 11, 2019 0 comment
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Bird of the Week

Why we should skip Groundhog Day and look for Red-winged Blackbirds instead

by Anders Gyllenhaal February 2, 2019
written by Anders Gyllenhaal

Today is Groundhog Day, and though Punxsutawney Phil had good news early this morning, he’s usually wrong. It’s time to switch to a better predictor — and it turns out there’s one waiting in the wings: The Red-winged Blackbird. 

The blackbird, one of the first birds to return on its spring migration, will start showing up in just a few weeks. That’s a signal of spring you can trust — and spot in almost every state of the union with its brilliant red patches atop jet-black feathers.

The Red-winged Blackbird can be found hanging out in marshes, waterways, ditches and even city parks. This bird isn’t shy or quiet: The blackbird’s got a striking, stuttering song — and can often be seen gripping the tallest stalks, sometimes swinging in the wind, as if on stage.

Most wonderful of all, while its red patches may be hidden when stationary, they stand out like colorful shoulder pads when the birds take flight.

Although most Red-winged Blackbirds migrate, they don’t travel as far as many birds do. So as they begin to move north in mid February (with males ahead of females), you’ll see them in higher latitudes before spring even thinks about arriving.

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February 2, 2019 1 comment
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Bird of the WeekBirding

Bird of the Week: A perfect guy to brighten winter

by Anders Gyllenhaal January 7, 2019
written by Anders Gyllenhaal
Northern Cardinal

The Northern Cardinal in its winter glory.

The male Northern Cardinal is at its best this time of year. In the winter months when the landscape turns its most drab, the Cardinal’s red plumage actually becomes brighter. It’s as if the Cardinal was sent along to provide a flash of color just when we need it most.

Last weekend, on a birding walk along the Potomac in Northern Virginia, the trees were bare, skies gray, and the river itself ran a somber brown. We started walking back to the car without seeing a single bird. Suddenly two male Cardinals swept by and perched in the trees just ahead.

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January 7, 2019 1 comment
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Bird of the Week

Bird of the (Holiday) Week: A Woodpecker Worthy of a Hallmark Card

by Anders Gyllenhaal December 23, 2018
written by Anders Gyllenhaal

To celebrate the holidays, we offer this memorable moment with a Pileated Woodpecker who looks like he’s posing for a Christmas card.

With his twisted red crest and feathering that could double as a tuxedo, he’s a picture of the holiday season.

The Pileated is the loudest and largest of the woodpeckers, alternately gawky and graceful. With a two-foot wingspan and height of up to 20 inches, it’s not hard to spot as it forages for everything from insects to nuts and berries. We came across this one near Savannah, Ga., working on a string of red berries. 

You will find the Pileated Woodpecker in much of the U.S., all over the East, throughout southern Canada and in parts of the Northwest. There’s a rumor a few have reached the North Pole.

Click here for Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s summary, complete with maps, records and photos. 

December 23, 2018 1 comment
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Bird of the WeekBirding

Bird of the Week: Can the Eagle’s revival be repeated?

by Anders Gyllenhaal December 13, 2018
written by Anders Gyllenhaal

This elegant old Bald Eagle took up a perch near us at the Blackwater refuge and offered his impressive profile from every angle. A delightful encounter.

This is a good week to celebrate the Bald Eagle, which carries a lot of symbolism as it hovers overhead. This Eagle (to the right) was one of a half dozen we spotted last week at Maryland Eastern Shore’s Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. He’s part of birding’s greatest revival of this generation.

A half century ago, the Bald Eagle nearly went extinct as a result of widespread use of the insecticide DDT that poisoned fish  — a major food source for Eagles and raptors. Only about 500 pairs remained in the U.S. when the insecticide was banned in 1972, and federal laws protecting the Eagle went into place.

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December 13, 2018 0 comment
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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

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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

 

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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.

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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.

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