Laura Tangley’s Archive

Green Jay by James Hyden

Bird of the Week: Green Jay

Whenever I find the time to travel, I tend to head for the Tropics, in part to enjoy the exotic and unfamiliar birdlife. Four years ago, however, I spotted in … Read more

Cardinal by Hazel Erikson

Count Backyard Birds for Science (Updated)

Beginning this Friday, February 18, bird lovers across the United States and Canada will count birds in their backyards and beyond during the 14th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). … Read more

Gray Jay by Minette Layne

Bird of the Week: Gray Jay

Dark-eyed Junco by Mike Baird

Bird of the Week: Dark-eyed Junco

With snow blanketing much of the East Coast, it’s not surprising that one of the most abundant species now visiting seed feeders in my Washington, DC, Certified Wildlife Habitat® is … Read more

Bald eagle by Andrew Nicholson.

Bird of the Week: Bald Eagle

National symbol of the United States, the bald eagle also is an extraordinary conservation success story. Some wildlife experts estimate that when the first Europeans arrived on the continent, between 250,000 … Read more

Blue-winged teal by David Heritsch

Gulf Coast Birds–And Ours–Doing Alright (for now)

On a recent chilly morning in southwestern Louisiana’s White Lake Wetland Conservation Area, Kim Trahan, a rice farmer who leases land in the state-owned area, surveyed the scene around him … Read more

Northern Cardinal by Howard Cheek

Bird of the Week: Northern Cardinal

No other bird symbolizes Christmas quite like the northern cardinal. Bright red males of this species adorn everything from greeting cards to clothing, wrapping paper, tree ornaments and other decorations … Read more

Black-capped Chickadee by Gary Garton

Bird of the Week: Black-capped Chickadee

If you live in the northern half of the United States, the odds are good that a black-capped chickadee will visit your property this winter. The most widespread of North … Read more

Rufous Hummingbird by David M. Schindler

Bird of the Week: Rufous Hummingbird

  About a week before Thanksgiving, fellow science writer Rick Borchelt spotted a “way out of season and way out of range” rufous hummingbird feasting at his backyard sugar-water feeder … Read more

Wild Turkeys by Cal Bebee

Bird of the Week: Wild Turkey

Like many of us this holiday, the Pilgrims of Plymouth, Massachusetts, probably feasted on turkey that legendary first Thanksgiving. In 1621, the big, handsome birds were plentiful throughout northeastern forests. … Read more