At this mid-point in 2026, we hope you enjoy a Wonderful Holiday Weekend as fireworks and celebrations mark the 250 years of American Freedom, growing from 13 states to 50 states and more than 342 million Americans! We hope your summer is off to a great start and that birds and birding are part of your daily joy. On Canada Day, July 1st our staff begins a summer holiday and we look forward to bringing you a new issue of The Birding Wire the morning of Wednesday July 15th, when new weekly issues resume filled with information about birds and birding from across the United States, Canada, and beyond.
Backyard Birding is an especially enjoyable segment of Birding that keeps us in tune with the cultured nature in our yards, with plants and landscaping, and foods that birds react to and are attracted to – usually time and time again. Birding doesn't begin when we leave home, nor does it end when we return home. Backyard birding is an interesting opportunity to create our personal bird habitat to attract certain birds – through landscaping, gardening, and the presentation of fresh water and a selection of foods. At the same time, this bird habitat is created by you, and it is very personal and attractive, as only you can imagine.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service has released its 2025–2026 aerial survey results for the Aransas–Wood Buffalo Whooping Crane Population, during which biologists estimated that 540 Whooping Cranes wintered in the area in and adjacent to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas Gulf Coast. The total is within the statistical margin of error of last year's estimate of 557 and emphasizes that this migratory population that nests in Canada and winters along the coast of central Texas has numbered more than 500 for 9 consecutive years!
During the past 40 years, a steady range expansion at the northern limits of the nesting range of Orchard Orioles has been studied in Ontario using the annual Breeding Bird Atlas surveys as the basis to monitor this colorful species' expanding nesting range in southeast Ontario. Information reported by Birds Canada indicates that Orchard Orioles have a remarkable ability to adapt to the fragmented landscapes that are increasingly present across southern Ontario, such as scattered groves of trees and city parks. These spaces mimic the open woods and woodland edges that Orchard Orioles select for nesting, highlighting the value of prioritizing high-quality greenspaces in towns and wooded areas.
A quick day trip eastbound to the west side of Minnesota lakes country created a special time birding on the water with friends and a loon family. After picking up my friend Linda at Cormorant Lake, we visited on the way to Little Pelican Lake to begin the loon pontoon voyage with Andy on a beautiful afternoon with a blue sky filled with varying degrees of puffy white clouds. It was a relatively short cruise but it was monumental in providing a change of scene and a diversion into conversations among friends, while enjoying the ultra-fresh air and scenery bathed in unequaled shades of green – the search was on.
The Vortex Viper HD 8x42 Binoculars feature premium HD extra-low dispersion glass and XR lens coatings for bright, sharp views with a 409-foot field of view and 6.5-foot close focus. Available from Land, Sea & Sky with free shipping in the Lower 48 States and backed by Vortex's lifetime transferable warranty.
Create a new head-to-toe look with trending shoes, apparel, and accessories from Addidas and as you get birding ready to embrace the summer season. Best known for Addidas shoes, take a closer look at Addidas jerseys, jackets, jeans, pants, and performance tees to start with, and advance to shorts, hoodies, and hiking shoes. Go wild with leopard prints, floral prints, and snakeskin options in addition to sporting shoes and clothing – especially if birding is your favorite sport. And don't forget the variety of World Cup Soccer jerseys available from Addidas.
Advanced Pole System (APS) provides a best-case opportunity to create your own personalized feeding station – small or large – using a single pole centerpiece with your choice and number of arms and hangers, including a water dish bracket. Select each piece separately to compose your personal feeding station that you can anchor with a ground-based stabilizer, a patio base, or a deck mount. You can always add new arms as needed, and you may want to add a squirrel baffle or predator baffle, or choose from a variety of pole decorations if that's your style – and it's all available at Wild Birds Unlimited.
Bird Planet is a collection of photographs taken worldwide and stands as Tim Laman’s celebration of the beauty and wonder of birds that he hopes will be an inspiration to many. Tim is a birder who specializes in one of photography's most challenging pursuits: The quest to portray birds as they appear in the wild. Laman shares his best images of spectacular birds encountered on all continents, from Scarlet Ibis photographed along the Orinoco River in Venezuela to Rhinoceros Hornbills in a tropical rainforest in Borneo, and images of familiar American backyard birds, they all come to life as you read about Tim’s experiences and marvel at his exceptional photographs in Bird Planet.
Once we are on the water in loon country, everything changes – the mood, the colors, the freshness of the air, the joy in our voices. And when I have a chance to photograph with friends, which is actually every time I am on the water, we seem to join communally in mind and spirit. But when we see the first loon and the excitement level rises with the thrill of immediacy, we rise to the occasion to try to show the waters of a Minnesota Lake at their best – topped by a beautiful Common Loon, or 2, or a pair with 1 or 2 hatchlings. Last Thursday our Loon Photo Team included Captain Andy, our great friend Linda, and me, the insatiable loon photographer.
With the green colors of the surrounding trees reflecting on the water, the underlying iridescent colors on the head and neck of the adult Common Loon show a faint rainbow of hues that range from pink to green to gold with a brighter blue-green neck band (600mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/500 shutter speed, 800 ISO).
In my effort to impress the importance of lighting to get the best results in your photography, especially during bird photography opportunities, as I reviewed the photographs I took of Common Loons last Thursday I realized that I inadvertently hit the jackpot. While my amigo Andy was keeping us in the best position captaining his luxury pontoon, I had no idea of just how well the head and neck plumage of the adult loon was being illuminated, or how well the rainbow of iridescent colors was reflecting and being replicated in many of the photos I was taking.
It wasn't until reviewing the photographs taken at Pelican Lake that the iridescent effect of the sunlight on the adult loon's head and neck plumage was evident (320mm zoom lens, f-11 aperture, 1/400 shutter speed, 800 ISO).
After all, most photographs of Common Loons I see are of loons showing black head and neck plumage. I certainly have many black-headed photos of loons swimming in blue water in my photo files. But with appropriate sunlight, and positioning of the photographer, the loons have much more to offer – faint yet vibrant colors reflected on their facial feathers and a bright blue-green neck band. The catch is that it is hard to judge just when the light is reflecting the mini-rainbow hues on the head and neck, or how to replicate it in photographs. With the adult loon swimming in different directions as the family group explored the area for fish and crustaceans, the effect of sunlight changed as she turned her head into and out of the iridescent cast that the sunlight and the loons’ positions created.
Showing a blue-green “neck ribbon” of feathers, in this photograph the adult loon’s head and throat show only black coloration – likely because its head is slightly turned away from the sunlight. But who would notice with the cute, somewhat inquisitive 3-week-old downy loon's inquisitive posture (600mm zoom lens, f-10 aperture, 1/640 shutter speed, 800 ISO).
That said, my best suggestion to try to highlight the reflection of faint colors at this point is to take a lot of photos, and try to watch especially for when an adult loon’s face lights up beyond a dull black through the viewfinder. It’s not an easy thing to do, if it’s even possible in the field with everything else to consider as you look through the small camera viewfinder. The main thing is to be positioned between the birds and the sun, with the sun at your back and the loons before you, then watch for shadowing and sunlight reflecting on the loon’s face. The process is that the reflective feather surface changes color depending on the angle of your view, or your camera position in relation to the bird in cinque with the direction of the sunlight on its head and neck feathers. The colors produced depend on your viewing angle, and sometimes feathers can seem to change colors as the viewing angle changes – even slightly.
A close portrait of one of the fluffy Common Loons shows no feather iridescence, but the down feathers showed an especially light shade of tan coloring (600mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/800 shutter speed, 800 ISO).
During our photo session, it was interesting to note that the 3-week-old loon twins were being fed by the adult, although the downy loons often dipped their face into the water to view the underwater scene, perhaps even watching the adult hunting underwater. It is always a thrill to be in the company of loons, especially when it includes a family group with downy young. And to share the experience with long-time friends is a blessing indeed, although the mix of friends tends to be different every time we venture onto the water to photograph loons and other wildlife. As for last Thursday’s time on the water – Thanks for everything Andy and Linda!
Toward the end of the photo session, the adult spent more time diving, providing a small crayfish to each of the growing downy loons. With the iridescence dialed back up in this photograph, it may be just a bit overexposed on the adult’s head plumage, but that adds another point to keep in mind as you experiment with new lighting situations (600mm zoom lens, f-9 aperture, 1/500 shutter speed, 800 ISO).
