I sometimes teach an introductory course on birds and birdwatching I call “Birding 101.” I know some readers may already be active...

Feathers are one of the most remarkable structural engineering feats of nature. They are extremely light weight, while incredibly strong...

Mountain environments, including here in the San Bernardino Mountains, are often regarded as harsh and unforgiving. It takes a certain...

I recently had the good fortune to become acquainted with a remarkable young man by the name of Ezra Murray. Ezra is 16 years old and...

My blog posts typically focus on birds that inhabit the San Bernardino Mountains and the adjacent mountain ranges. Today I’m going to...

One of our most common birds here in the San Bernardino Mountains is a small member of the sparrow family called the dark-eyed junco...

Imagine you are a bird who makes its living in the water. Or more precisely, underwater. You want to be as efficient as possible...

As I sit here at my computer observing the chickadees, pine siskins, and nuthatches that dart to and from the feeder outside my window, I...

Lake Arrowhead, nestled at 5,200 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains, is home to a variety of waterfowl that migrate south to escape...

In my last blog, I discussed the various categories of migratory birds that can be seen at Lake Arrowhead, here in Southern California’s...

Autumn will soon be upon us, and if you’re bird watcher, people will commonly ask you, “Why do birds fly south for the winter?” My stock...

For those of us who live here in the San Bernardino Mountains, the Steller’s jay might be the most emblematic bird species of the region....

Of the 14 species of woodpeckers (including sapsuckers, which are woodpeckers that specialize in feeding on sap) that are found in...

The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and common raven (Corvus corax) are members of the corvid family, which also includes jays and...

Warmer weather is finally upon us here in the mountains of Southern California and spring migration is in high gear, with three to four...

There is a very cool website run by the folks at the Cornell Ornithology Lab and Colorado State University. It's called BirdCast, and it...

California was hit by a relentless series of storms known as an atmospheric river this winter that resulted in record levels of...

Winter is in full force here in the San Bernardino Mountains. It can be a little cold, but winter birding is hot! While much of the...