During a DOS Local Patch field trip led by Tim Schreckengost on October 18th, local birder Julie McCall alerted our attention to an American White Pelican that she found foraging and resting among Laughing Gulls in the marsh near the Prime Hook NWR headquarters. The pelican has since been seen almost daily, mostly from Fowler Beach Rd and typically resting … Read More
Ode to Butterbutts – Cape May Autumn Birding Festival
The most abundant landbird species in Cape May during the Autumn Birding Festival was, of course, the Yellow-rumped Warbler. There were thousands. The morning flight counters tallied thousands flying back into Cape May on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings. And that’s in addition to the thousands already in Cape May each day that didn’t pass it off the night before, … Read More
Fork-tailed Flycatcher! – Cape May Autumn Birding Festival
Cape May has been having an incredible run of rarities this fall, and with Whiskered Tern capping off September and a Vermilion Flycatcher earlier this month, this past weekend’s Cape May Autumn Birding Festival was bound to turn up something crazy! An American White Pelican kicked off the rarity excitement when Bill Boyle spotted one soaring and flying around fairly low … Read More
Sparrow Obsession
Guest contributor Matt Sabatine is back with some information on his recent Nelson’s Sparrow obsession, as well as tips on where to look for them during fall migration in Pennsylvania. Enjoy! What began as a halfhearted attempt at finding a Nelson’s Sparrow for the fall soon turned into a temporary obsession. On the morning of October 11th, I rolled … Read More
Vermilion Flycatcher! – Cape May, NJ
Cape May is having a great run of rarities this fall, and yesterday morning Richard Crossley (of the Crossley ID guides) added to the madness by discovering a beautiful young male Vermilion Flycatcher hawking insects at the Rea Farm (aka The Beanery) in West Cape May! The flycatcher spent the rest of the day showing off for birders by perching at … Read More
Rough day for catbirds
Throughout the northeast lots of Gray Catbirds are migrating south on a daily basis. It is also peak falcon migration right now. You can probably guess that this combination isn’t going to fair too well for some catbirds…sure enough, today at the Cape Henlopen Hawkwatch we had a Merlin fly in after crossing Delaware Bay, drop down into the brush near the hawkwatch, and … Read More
Upstate Dickcissel
I’ve got a favorite sparrow patch in Syracuse that I like to visit frequently. It’s right by the Inner Harbor, and is an overgrown weedy field that is probably going to turn into some development project in a few years. It’s a new spot, as last year it was mostly gravel and bare dirt, but now it is gloriously overgrown … Read More
Connecticut Warbler at Tuckahoe State Park
A few minutes before sunrise this morning, Alex and I made our way to the start of our first transect for the day – Tuckahoe State Park in Caroline County, Maryland. Alex and I are working together this fall, where we are conducting surveys for migrants throughout Delaware and Maryland. Anyway, Alex went ahead and started the bird survey, while … Read More
Photo Essay: Iceland birds
Some of you may know, (though most of you probably don’t and why would you?), that I was just in Iceland with my girlfriend, Audrey (everybody please give her a warm welcome to the birding community), for a combination of hiking, camping, birding, and general nature viewing. Â I’d never been to the Arctic before this… and I still haven’t! Â Iceland … Read More
The Puffins of Latrabjarg
Puffins are definitely one of those captivating and exciting animals that anyone will enjoy looking at.  Perhaps  it’s their clownish and colorful faces, or superficial resemblance to penguins which draws so many people to them. Although you don’t have to go all the way to Iceland to see them (Pelagic Boats out of the northeast in winter, or on their … Read More