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
Gotta Atlas ‘Em All!
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
Coastal waterbird notes from southern Belize, Fall 2014
We are spoiled in the United States with many concentrated birding efforts taking place throughout fall and spring migration such as hawkwatches, seawatches, Big Sits, and other surveys which all help to pull in loads of data on bird numbers and distribution, but there are very few endeavors taking place in countries like Belize. Thanks to the Belize Raptor Research Institute, there … Read More
Upstate NY Arctic Tern
Having a nearby birding spot to stop and scan for birds is great. When you read through the listservs, you will probably notice that there are certain birders who seem to always bird the same area, and are often turning up great birds just from frequenting that favorite spot. I have a great spot that I can frequently visit over … Read More
Terns, jaegers, and gulls of the Gulf Stream
August in the Gulf Stream off North Carolina is usually thought of by birders as the ultimate time to try for the rarer Pterodroma species, such as Black-capped Petrels, Band-rumped Storm-Petrels, and Herald (Trindade) Petrels aboard Brian Patteson’s pelagic trips. Sure, those Pterodroma species (and many others) can be found out there and are always exciting to see, but not many people … Read More
BESP – Red-necked Grebe, etc
This morning Drew Weber, Josh Lefever, Nadia Barkawi, and I drove out to Bald Eagle State Park to see if any of the waterfowl Drew and I had found yesterday were still around. Our first stop was to Lower Greens Run, where Josh spotted a Red-necked Grebe. Before long, Joe Verica, Mike Dreibelbis, Jim Dunn, and one or two other … Read More
Ruddy Turnstone and banded Common Tern at BESP
Four of us went back out to Bald Eagle State Park this morning to try to find the Ruddy Turnstone again. As soon as we arrived at the dam, we saw the Ruddy Turnstone foraging down in the grass alongside Killdeer and Bonaparte’s Gulls. Twice the entire group flushed for some reason but then quickly resettled on the grass. The … Read More