The long-awaited Third New York Breeding Bird Atlas officially kicked off at the start of 2020. Last year, for obvious reasons, it was difficult to engage in as much exploration as I would’ve liked. My reduced vehicle access and the various travel restrictions made it difficult for me to venture beyond NYC for much of the breeding season. Even though … Read More
Morning on the Mountaintop: Bicknell’s Thrush Quest
2019 was easily the fullest, most dramatic year of my life for birding. In contrast, 2020 has by necessity been a much more subdued affair. Birding close to home has nevertheless been unexpectedly rewarding, with no shortage of unexpected surprises spotted from my fire escape and at nearby Astoria Park. As the end of the school year drew nearer, the … Read More
October Big Day 2019
Who doesn’t love a Big Day? Any excuse to get out and count birds in the name of science is a worthwhile cause in my book. eBird has been orchestrating Global Big Day events each May since 2015, an international effort to record as many of the world’s species as possible within a 24 hour period. Last fall, the Cornell-based … Read More
Blackpoll Warbler! – PSU Fall Banding
When I woke up this morning, it was 36 degrees in State College. I knew Big Hollow (where our banding station is) would be very cold and that it would be a while before the sun could get down into the hollow and warm things up a bit. We started off the first few net checks with catbirds, towhees, and … Read More
Scotia Barrens – September is here, and so are the warblers!
This morning Anna and I went over to Scotia Barrens to search for migrants. We started off the morning at Scotia Pond, where we met up with Tim Schreckengost. Activity was low, and we only saw a Tennessee Warbler and a Chestnut-sided Warbler. The highlight was when Tim spotted an Olive-sided Flycatcher perched on a distant snag. We were able … Read More
Scotia Barrens – Lawrence’s Warbler?
Last evening a Red-necked Phalarope was reported at the pond at Scotia Barrens, a species that is quite uncommon in Pennsylvania. Seven of us planned on getting to Scotia Pond at day break this morning to search for the phalarope. When we arrived, Joe Verica was also present. We all searched the pond for quite a while and came up … Read More