DARE TO BIRD

My photo of a Steller's Jay was featured in the article for Audubon's 2021 Spring Magazine Print Issue. They also talk about my Instagram account and why I started it. It is all thanks to the young birders. I have attached a scan of the article from the magazine which is mailed to subscribers. Alice Sun one of the graduates from the Young Birder Program was featured on an online-only article which talked about the same topic Birding and Social Media. You can read it  HERE . Speaking about Social Media and Audubon, my friend Melissa Groo shared this article about ethical bird photography. You can read it  HERE .  She is a passionate and talented wildlife photographer and conservationist and as usual it is full of her great tips to ensure birds and owls stay safe while you get a great picture. Another cool article from the magazine is about the recent 2017 discovery of the Blue-throated Hillstar in Ecuador. It is well worth a read, plus a beautiful video about it is  HERE . Spri

Check out 15 year old Cameron Montgomery’s feature on CBC Radio 1 show “The Current.” It is a delightful short listen. Click HERE

Townsend's Solitaires are such cute Thrushes! - Photo: Melissa Hafting Liron Gerstman told me he heard a rumour that a Townsend's Solitaire had been reported to the Wild Birds Unlimited store on March 13th. So I went yesterday to Granville Park to see if I could find it. I came with bins and a cell phone and found it eating cotoneaster berries. It was so tame that I wished I had my camera and vowed to come back the next day. I came back in the morning armed with my camera and the bird didn't disappoint. I saw friends Marilyn Olson and Marilyn Maxwell and stayed with the bird for over an hour. A Solitaire giving me the once over - Photo: Melissa Hafting Townsend's Solitaires are one of my favourite birds and this one was super accommodating. He was doing his pygmy-owl-like call and just was being as cute as ever. Here are a few more shots of this little showstopper who brightened up my day. Townsend's Solitaire in Vancouver - Photos: Melissa Hafting

Looks like Birds can be sexist too.. a new study has shown that male and female Black-and-white Warblers are segregated vertically in the tree canopy. This actually has implications for conservation since females feed near the ground where grazing affects them. Males are in much better physical condition from the females too. Read the interesting study HERE A new study shows that birds have consciousness. Read the article HERE After 170 years a long thought to be extinct bird was found in Indonesia. Read the story about the Black-browed Babbler  HERE A new show by the great David Attenborough "Life in Colour" will soon air in Canada on Netflix check out the video below: Columbia is the most dangerous country in the world to be an environmentalist. Sadly a major Yellow-eared Parrot Conservationist Gonzalo Molina was murdered. Read it HERE *Disclaimer this story is not about birds* For the first time ever a Grizzly Bear was photographed hunting Beluga Whales alongside Polar Be