I’ve always appreciated the seasonality of birding. When you’re paying close attention to the goings-on in the world outside your windows, the annual cycle of nature is conspicuous and easy to track. This visible, reliable schedule has been a major boon throughout the pandemic, which has caused weeks and months to blur together and warp all perception of time. The … Read More
Apartment Birding and Fire Escapism
When I first moved into my Astoria apartment in early December, I immediately began keeping a “yard list” of birds seen around my new home. My expectations for the potential of this urbanized neighborhood weren’t particularly high, but I reasoned that watching for birds of note outside my window would be a fun way to pass the time between proper … 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
Blizzard Raptors – Houtzdale WRS
Earlier today I ran the Houtzdale Winter Raptor Survey in Clearfield County. This 110 mile route meanders through pockets of grasslands, stripmines, agricultural fields, and forests from Tyrone to Curwensville and then up to Clearfield. When we left State College to drive down there this morning it was sunny and calm. About halfway, in Blair County, we spotted an immature … Read More
Rain with a chance of shearwaters – Lewes Paulagic
This past Saturday, fellow NemesisBird contributor Tim Shreckengost and I joined Paul Guris‘ seabirding crew and about 30 other birders from mostly Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania on a 12 hour pelagic trip out of Lewes aboard the trusty Thelma Dale IV. The morning started off with heavy rain. I was too excited to be cooped up inside though, so Tim and … Read More
Neotropic Cormorant – Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Florida
Among the urban sprawl of southeastern Florida, Wakodahatchee Wetlands is a 50 acre safe haven for literally thousands of wetland birds of 171 species. These wetlands act as a natural filter for two million gallons of treated water on a daily basis, while also providing an incredible opportunity for locals and tourists to see wildlife up-close as well as learn the … Read More
Connecticut Crossbills
November 20th was the last day of our 5 day birding trip through coastal New England. Our goals for the day were to bird various hotspots in Connecticut and try to find some of the recently-reported rarities as well as build a nice state list. None of the three us (Ian Gardner, Josh Lefever, or myself) had ever eBirded in … Read More
October 12 Hawk Watching at Jo Hays Vista
On Friday, I joined Chuck Widman, Josh Lefever, and Alex Lamoreaux for a day of hawk watching at Jo Hays Vista. Winds were gusty out of the northwest, which brought in a high number of migrant Red-tailed hawks (96 for the day!). At one point we had five in the sky at the same time! Â Sharp-shinned hawks were also … Read More
Sora and other non-warblers at the Biggest Week!
There is a lot more than just warblers at the Biggest Week, and we have been lucky enough to come across quite a few pretty cool things! When we first got into town on Sunday night our first stop was Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. We wanted to be able to take advantage of the auto tour loop being open to … 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
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