Stan Tekiela

Long before I saw the bird, I heard it.
A hard, dry rattle echoed down the shoreline, like someone shaking a metal can filled with pebbles. Then I spotted a large bird, slightly bigger than an American robin, landing on a dead branch over the lake. It raised its long, shaggy crest and called again. It was a belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon).

Most birds nest in spring or early summer, but some remain busy raising young well into late summer. American goldfinches are a familiar example, timing their nesting to coincide with an abundance of the small seeds used to feed their young.
Another bird that may still be tending a nest is the indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea). This small, seed- and insect-eating member of the cardinal family is highly migratory. It arrives relatively late in spring and remains through late summer before heading south.

While leading a photo workshop this year, my small group of photographers saw a flock of interesting birds. We had more than 300 individual birds swooping and diving all around us. I instantly recognized them as cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota).

Did you know the most common and largest family of birds in the world is found right here in North and South America? The crazy part is, you most likely have never heard of these “New World” birds. They are the flycatchers.
The flycatchers, family Tyrannidae, has more than 400 different species in the Western Hemisphere. They are common, and there likely is at least one kind of flycatcher in your yard, though you may not even realize it.

In the bird world, a few birds really stand out. They stand out so much that even non-birders can identify them or at least are familiar with the species. The peregrine falcon is a good example. They may not be able to identify the peregrine, but they have at least heard of it. I think the pileated woodpecker is another of these universally known and recognized birds.

Each spring I lead photo workshops to capture images of the common loon. This iconic waterbird of the northern lakes looks amazing and when the tiny chicks ride on the adults’ back, the participants are able to capture amazing images.

Of course, while we are out for many hours on my boat, we see and photograph several other species of bird, but there is one species in particular that seems to always grab everyone’s attention. It is the red-necked grebe.

Every winter I lead a group of photographers to Costa Rica. Birds are usually the main subject in our photographic efforts. We see hundreds of different species, mostly tropical birds that live year-round in Costa Rica and don’t migrate.
There are, however, a couple of birds that every time I see them it brings me back home. One in particular, the Baltimore oriole, is a particular favorite “hometown” bird.