Blog & Photo Archive
Birding is about finding beauty in the everyday birds; the thrill and passion comes from the backyard species as much as it does the once-in-a-lifetime bird, as does the responsibility to protect them.
These entries are vignettes, lessons, personal reflections, and conservation efforts.
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August 20, 2025
Magnificent Frigatebird
The photographer has chosen not to include a written reflection for this photo.
Facts about the Magnificent Frigatebird:
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It is the largest species of frigatebird in the world.
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They're notorious for being pirates, stealing food from other birds.
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Males have a balloon-like red pouch they expand during mating season to try to attract a female.
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While they are listed as "least concern" in conservation status, several groups consider it to be in decline due to loss of nesting spots because of urban development in their habitats.
August 21, 2025
Least Sandpiper
The Least Sandpiper is in a category of shorebirds called "peeps," most of which are only a little bigger than cardinals. When most non-birders think of shorebirds, they think of the classic, long-necked, longer-legged egrets and herons, and they don't consider the wide variety of species that occupy shores and surrounding mudflats and marshes. In this photo, from a distance, the bird's beak appears jagged or uneven, but it's actually because this sandpiper hunts by probing with their bills into the sand to search for crustaceans. In terms of their conservation status, while they are listed as least concern, their population is decreasing, as is, sadly, the case with most species. A very important conservation project that everyone can be involved in is to help with wetland preservation, which includes tasks like not using pesticides, reducing litter, creating buffers, and get involved in larger efforts like making living shorelines and preventing wetland drainage.
August 21, 2025
Pectoral Sandpiper
The Pectoral Sandpiper is named after its distinctive striped pattern on its upper chest and a stark white underside. The Pectoral Sandpiper is a species on the Tipping Point Species list, which means over 50% of its population has vanished in the past fifty years. It's in the orange category, which means that even though it's not in the peak category of concern, they are still a conservation priority. It's mind-boggling and simultaneously very sad to see how these tipping point species have diminished so quickly—tipping point, meaning that every small action we humans take toward conservation is significant and absolutely crucial. It is a sobering message of everything that has gone wrong in the past, what continues to go wrong, but also a note of urgency to protect what we still can. Take this as a reminder.
August 22, 2025
Green-throated Carib
The photographer has chosen not to include a written reflection for this photo.
Facts about the Green-throated Carib:
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While this hummingbird is listed as "least concern," its population is decreasing due to continuous habitat loss and human acts like agriculture. It can adapt to its fragmented landscape and remains widespread in its established range, but it is important to remain mindful about even birds not included in typical conservation discussions, since all birds are, in some way or another and to varying degrees, affected by our human footprints.
August 22, 2025
Antillean Crested Hummingbird
The photographer has chosen not to include a written reflection for this photo.
Facts about the Antillean Crested Hummingbird:
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It is one of the only hummingbird species with a crest.
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In contrast with the Green-throated Carib, it has a very short and uncurved bill, showing how it is attracted to similarly shaped flowers. This is a way of decreasing competition within an environment.