Weather and fall pelagic trips often don’t mix well. The September two-day trip out of Hyannis, Massachusetts that I hoped to attend with the Brookline Birding Club was regrettably called off due to interference from the remnants of Hurricane Florence. The cancellation was a bit of a letdown, but I told myself that I was satisfied with the offshore action … Read More
Fighting the Doldrums of Late February Birding
Birding is a year-round activity. It’s probably one of the best things about it. But without a doubt there are peaks of activity that ignite the fire in all birders and gets the masses out every morning. Obviously, I’m talking about migration. We all crave it; those warm spring mornings in early May, teaming with melodic songs and endless possibilities. … Read More
Thayer’s Gull – Daytona Beach Shores, Florida
The gull spectacle at Daytona Beach Shores in Volusia County, Florida, is talked about across the country and especially here at the Space Coast Birding Festival. Drew and I have seen reports of Thayer’s, Iceland, and Glaucous Gulls in the area, so we decided to check it out. We arrived on sight around 4:30, drove onto the beach, and saw … Read More
Finding a Little Gull in Illinois
Three days ago, March 26th, I had only about six hours to go birding. I talked with my friend Andy Sigler to see what would be possible, and we outlined the possibilities. We could go to the Kankakee River (Kankakee County) for White-winged Scoters, go to Dresden Lock and Dam (Grundy County) for White-winged and possibly a Surf Scoter, hit … Read More
Another year of birding underway!
With the first month of the year officially behind us now, I thought I would take a look the current status of my year list. Beginning a new year is always fun – every single bird is ‘new’, it’s winter, and there are typically a bunch of winter rarities and other good birds around to chase. You never really know what the … Read More
It’s really good to see you once again.
When you spend a lot of time birding local patches around your home, you can get somewhat attached to the birds you come across when you know they are likely the same individuals you see every time you go there. For instance, there is an injured Ring-necked Duck that has been hanging out at the local ‘duck pond’ for the … Read More
Winter Rarities at Cape May Point SP
It isn’t much of a secret that Cape May Point State Park, at the southern tip of New Jersey, is one of the country’s top birding locations and rarity traps. Every winter something interesting turns up at the park and stays for a few days, weeks, or maybe even over-winters there. This winter, however, is totally off the charts! Besides … Read More
Frustrating Goose Chase
On January 18th Justin Bosler, Chuck Berthoud, Josh Lefever, and I literally went on a wild goose chase. There were reliable reports of a Pink-footed Goose and at least 2 Barnacle Geese just over the border in New Jersey, and that’s not to mention the incredible mini-flock of 3 Northern Lapwings nearby! There were a few other notable birds in … Read More
Chasin’ on a Foggy Day
This is the second year in a row that a Pink-footed Goose has shown up in eastern Pennsylvania. Last year, I just never had a chance to chase the goose so I was really excited when another pink-foot was found this winter at Peace Valley Park in Bucks County. In addition to that bird, there are also potentially up to … Read More
Delaware Big Day – January 2013
One of the main reasons for our New Year, New Birds trip was to do a January 1st Big Day in Delaware with Tim Schreckengost from Thermal Birding. Tim lives and works down in Delaware right now, and has been a friends of ours for a few years now. The following story was co-written by Alex and Tim and is … Read More