It’s finally May, and May means migration! There is no single month that can top the action and excitement of peak spring birding here in New York. This mad dash to the breeding grounds is the most intense time of the year for many species. As much as I adore fall migration, the southbound movement of birds is a more … Read More
Adirondack Adventures
New York is home to an impressively diverse array of natural habitats. The Empire State’s various ecoregions run the gamut from the beaches and marshes of Long Island to the grasslands and high peaks near the Canadian border. The Adirondack Mountains are perhaps the wildest, most distinct region of the state, representing the southern edge of the boreal forest biome … Read More
South Padre Warblers on Parade
Sandwiched between the rush of spring-breakers in March and the arrival of beach-goers in June, there is another invasion of visitors to South Padre Island during the end of April and beginning of May. They may be much more discrete than rowdy, drunken college kids but dress just as gaudy and they don’t crowd the beaches with 4X4’s and umbrellas like … Read More
10 Warblers you won’t want to miss at the Biggest Week
Ah, the Biggest Week in American Birding is just around the corner. As I am writing this post, the Warbler Capital of the World will be loaded with birds and birders in 2 weeks, 3 days, 6 hours, 16 minutes, and 55 seconds. Anna was thinking about the Biggest Week back when she was tired of winter back in March, … Read More
Yellow-bellied Invasion – PSU Fall Banding
After a week’s worth of warm weather, the cold front moving through also brought an incredible push of migrants across the Northeast. I was very excited to get out this morning and try to catch some birds, hoping Big Hollow would be full of migrants. As I was walking to the banding site I could hear (and sometimes see) warblers … Read More
Biggest Week 2013: Day 1 photo highlights
You have probably already read my summary of my first day at the Biggest Week, but were wondering where all the photos were. Well, here they are!  Check out the summary post here: The Biggest Week 2013: Day 1! and also check out my Cerulean Warbler post, my favorite bird I saw on my first boardwalk stroll!
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
Bird banding in the ANF
I recently had the good fortune to help out with some bird banding in the Allegheny National Forest. It is fairly early in the season so a majority of the birds were likely local breeders and young. The project is looking at the birds using recently clear-cut areas to better understand how birds are using those areas. The abundance of … Read More
Scotia warbler bonanza
It was a great morning at Scotia Barrens IBA. Overall I saw/heard over 150 individual warblers while I drove through Scotia Barrens. Highlights were an Orange-crowned Warbler near the powerline close to the south entrance, a singing Mourning Warbler that I got great looks of at the research shed, a Wilson’s Warbler singing and jumping around low in some bushes and … Read More