Few experiences in birding match the thrill of finding a “first” record, which involves not just seeing a bird for its first occurrence in a given place, but documenting (recording) its presence. His impressive skill at photography has enabled Jim Gain to document many of our rarest visitors, including the ultra-rare gull he found a few days ago. More of Jim’s birding adventures and superb photos are at his website, […]
Stanislaus County birding
Birder on a Run with 321
These days, Harold Reeve says he’s only running, “12 to 15 miles a week.” He runs more when he’s training for a marathon or shorter race, but no matter how often or how far he runs, he always carries a pair of binoculars. The binoculars are Reeve’s way of combining passions; he loves running, but he also loves birding. Combining the two sports sounds implausible, but in addition to keen […]
Reeve Notches another New Bird
Whenever Harold Reeve has a few minutes away from family, work, and church, he generally squeezes in a little birding. He’s been compiling lists of Stanislaus County birds for over thirty years, including lists of nesting birds, wintering raptors, and, most especially, all species ever present in the county. Late last Saturday afternoon, Reeve had a few minutes before a concert in Denair. He decided to drive east and look […]
State Double-Feature is for the Birds
Though it’s one of the most altered landscapes in the west, the northern San Joaquin Valley still retains remnants of its marvelous natural history. The most obvious are the winter flights of waterfowl, still numbering in the hundreds of thousands. But many of the Valley’s natural treasures, even some of the most spectacular, are hidden from all but a select few Valley residents and visitors. These hidden gems include common […]
Target Bird: Horned Grebe
Oftentimes when they encounter grebes in the San Joaquin Valley birders are presented with an identification problem. In all, six species of grebe can be found, depending on the time of the year. Year-round residents include Clark’s and Western Grebes and the diminutive Pied-billed Grebe. Of the three, the Pied-billed Grebe is by far the easiest to identify. In addition to its small size, the bi-colored black and white bill […]