BACKYARD BIRDING IN MERIDA, YUCATAN, AND BEYOND-OWL BE SEEING YOU: BURROWING OWL
BURROWING OWL, Athene cunicularia, “Tecolote Llanero” (Spanish) Time for some light heartedness and whimsy! I chose the expressive Burrowing Owl, a tiny ten-inch wonder that digs and More...
BACKYARD BIRDING IN MERIDA, YUCATAN, AND BEYOND-EYE RISK: PILEATED WOODPECKER
Begin this New Year with new hope, discoveries. I found something new to ponder. Pileated-Woodpecker-irregular-shaped-iris IMAGINE my surprise when I enlarged an image in my camera to see a ragged-looking More...
BACKYARD BIRDING IN MERIDA, YUCATAN, AND BEYOND – GREEN AND BLUE PIGMENTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION? PART 3 of 3
Surely those vivid red and yellow feathers of the Scarlet Macaw are produced by carotenoid pigments which produce red, yellow and orange feathers. Nope. Scarlet Macaw back feathers All parrots use five More...
BACKYARD BIRDING IN MERIDA, YUCATAN AND BEYOND – PIGMENTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION? BIRD PLUMAGE: GLOWING OWLS AND VIRGINITY SIGNALS? PART 2 of 3
CAROTENOIDS Indian Peacock Carotenoid, pronounced like a cross between a martial arts form (karate) and a humanoid, USUALLY produces red, yellow, and orange feather colors. You can recognize these pigments More...
BACKYARD BIRDING IN MERIDA, YUCATAN, AND BEYOND – PIGMENTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION? BIRD PLUMAGE: PART 1 of 3
Wild Turkey Colorful feathers of birds are breath-taking. Even a drab feather is an amazing structure. But trying to figure out plumage color is not an easy task as the colors are either formed by pigments or More...
BACKYARD BIRDING IN MERIDA, YUCATAN AND BEYOND – WHAT’S THE EYE-DEAL? EYELIDS AND EYE-RINGS, PART 2 of 2
Colorful eyelids of Keel-billed Toucan That something as insignificant as an eyelid had its place in the workings on the universe, that the cosmic order did not overlook this momentary fact. More...
BACKYARD BIRDING IN MERIDA, YUCATAN AND BEYOND – WHAT’S THE EYE-DEAL? EYELIDS AND EYE-RINGS, PART 1 of 2
That something as insignificant as an eyelid had its place in the workings on the universe, that the cosmic order did not overlook this momentary fact. Haruki Murakami Gartered Trogon yellow eyelid I’d More...
BACKYARD BIRDING IN MERIDA, YUCATAN AND BEYOND-A RAINBOW CONNECTION: PURPLE GALLINULE
“Someday we’ll find it The Rainbow Connection The lovers, the dreamers and me” More...
BACKYARD BIRDING IN MERIDA, YUCATAN AND BEYOND: SILHOUETTES
“To be truly iconic, you need to be able to be recognized in a silhouette.” Slash from Guns and Roses Wood Stork bird watching at sunset Xcambo area “We pack the physical outline of the creature More...
BACKYARD BIRDING IN MERIDA, YUCATAN AND BEYOND – HANKY PANKY IN THE GRASS: RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, Tordo Sargento (Spanish), Chuleeb (Mayan) Red-winged Blackbird perches high with feathers the color of inky dye He sings all day until nigh Hoping More...