I’ve often said that people who are more actively observant of the natural world around them are more acutely aware of the seasonal cycle. When you spend most of your free time watching the comings and goings of animals, you can’t help but notice the gradual, steady changes each day brings on our yearly journey around the Sun. This is … Read More
2020 Top 10 Birds
Every year offers a different set of experiences. In 2019, I saw so many lifers that I couldn’t imagine narrowing them down to a Top 10. 2020 stands in stark contrast to last year’s international adventures, and though I managed to make the most of this challenging reality I did not crack into the double digits for new birds observed. … Read More
Beyond the Shelf Again
Late summer is usually a busy time, filled with pre-work preparations and plenty of outdoor exploration as vacation ends and migration begins. This year I was fortunate enough to join a pair of offshore journeys with See Life Paulagics. The first was a two-day cruise from Point Pleasant, New Jersey on the Voyager in mid-August. The latter was a September … Read More
California Gulls vs Cliff Swallows
This Memorial Day weekend I headed into the Yellowstone Ecosystem for some birding and wildlife watching. The highlight of the weekend was at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge near Lima, MT where myself and a friend observed a California Gull actively hunting Cliff Swallows. At Lower Red Rock Lake the swallows had formed a small nesting colony beneath a … Read More
A Year in the Yard
Back in January 2011, I decided I would spend the next year trying to find as many birds as possible on my property during the year. During the previous year I had recorded 149 species, annoying close to the 150 mark. To find 150 species in my yard during the year would be a tremendous feat, considering I don’t live … Read More
Nesting Cliff Swallows
Cliff Swallows are social birds. All you have to do is look at how they nest to see how true that statement is. Cliff Swallows usually nest in large colonies, up to 3,500 active nests in the bigger colonies. An interesting fact about Cliff Swallows is that they have only in the last 100-150 years expanded their range to include the … Read More