Knowingly seeing an individual bird that has been previously encountered is a special treat in the world of birding. Most birders would probably agree that the fascinating life cycles of these wild creatures are among the greatest draws that keep people invested in the hobby. It is a truly remarkable privilege to witness multiple chapters in the stories of specific … Read More
Boreal Bird Blitz
No one likes to let vacation time go to waste. As my schedule began to fill up with responsibilities and obligations, it became apparent that I wouldn’t be able to orchestrate a grand international adventure for my February break this year. Nevertheless, I still had a few days to spare and didn’t want to spend them just sitting around. I … Read More
New Year Birding
Year listing is one of the most popular traditions in the world of birding. The annual cycle of seasons is felt especially strongly by those of us who immerse ourselves in the world of birds, and each new year brings a new set of chances to enjoy unforgettable experiences. On behalf of the whole Nemesis Bird team, I’d like to … Read More
Finch Flight Frenzy
“Mr. Healy, I have a question I’ve been meaning to ask you.” My coworker approached me as I was stowing my binoculars after a brief pre-work survey of the schoolyard. “I’ve been at my place in northern Jersey for years now, but this year I’ve noticed something different. There are these birds, I can only describe them as…finches?” I smiled, … Read More
New York Townsend’s Solitaire Plus More
This past Wednesday, Garrett MacDonald, Andrew Dreelin, and I birded in Madison County, New York. Specifically, we decided to chase some Evening Grosbeaks tending to a feeder near the town of Sheds, as well as a continuing Townsend’s Solitaire in Erieville. My classes didn’t start until 12:20 PM on Wednesday, so we were able to have enough time to try and get … Read More
Evening Grosbeak! – Centre County, PA
Due to low conifer and hardwood tree seed supplies in eastern Canada, it has been predicted that this year could be a good one for Evening Grosbeaks to visit Pennsylvania. Evening Grosbeak is a species I have been missing on my PA list. They are also the ABA Bird of the Year so I knew that as soon as a chaseable report came … Read More
ABA Bird of the Year – Evening Grosbeak
The American Birding Association just announced the 2012 Bird of the Year– the Evening Grosbeak. Evening Grosbeaks used to be fairly common in Pennsylvania back in the 1980’s before I was a birder. Evening Grosbeaks populations fluctuate with spruce budworm outbreaks and populations have declined as the effort to control spruce budworms has expanded. They are irruptive migrants and their lower … Read More
Winter Finch forecast 2011-12
Ron Pittaway has released his annual Winter Finch forecast and there is not a lot of good news for all us in the mid-Atlantic hoping for a good year for crossbills, redpolls and grosbeaks. Despite the fact that we have a good cone crop in our region, birds will likely stay to our north were there are also good cone … Read More
Idaho Highlights
Anna and I have been working here in Idaho since April 4th. It has been a wonderful and bird-packed three and a half months, but now it must come to an end. On July 11th, Anna and I will begin our road trip down to Blythe, California, where we will be working for the remainder of the summer. For this … Read More
Idaho Mountain Birds!
About 25 miles through the Boise foothills past where Anna and I live, the scenery changes from steppe-scrub to Lodgepole Pine forests. Anna and I took a drive up to Idaho City this morning and at that elevation, winter was still very much alive and kicking. Our destination was Jennifer Alban’s beautiful ranch house nestled into the side of a forested hill with … Read More