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
HundredQuest: Global Big Day 2021
It’s finally May, and May means migration! There is no single month that can top the action and excitement of peak spring birding here in New York. This mad dash to the breeding grounds is the most intense time of the year for many species. As much as I adore fall migration, the southbound movement of birds is a more … Read More
Belize Birding: Cattle Landing Dump Site
A few days ago our boss took us for a ride through the local and unofficial dump site just north of the towns of Cattle Landing and Hopeville (just north of Punta Gorda). This road ends near the mouth of the Rio Grande River. Today however I was on a bike. The satellite image below is from 2007 and shows absolutely no … Read More
Weekend Digiscoping Spotlight 14
The Weekend Digiscoping Spotlight will highlight some of the fun shots we’ve gotten recently with a camera paired with a spotting scope. We welcome submissions of your favorite digiscoped shots to be featured in future spotlights, just use the contact form in the menu above. –~~=-=~~– Digiscoped with a Leica APO Televid 65 with Phone Skope adapter for iPhone 5s. … Read More
10 Warblers you won’t want to miss at the Biggest Week
Ah, the Biggest Week in American Birding is just around the corner. As I am writing this post, the Warbler Capital of the World will be loaded with birds and birders in 2 weeks, 3 days, 6 hours, 16 minutes, and 55 seconds. Anna was thinking about the Biggest Week back when she was tired of winter back in March, … Read More
Close encounters of the feathered kind
Late last week brought the first spring fallout of warblers to South Padre Island. Trans-gulf migrants, or birds that cut straight across the Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatan Peninsula, find themselves exhausted upon reaching land. If the winds are “right” (“right” being a rather awful term, because although great for birding, it is awful for the birds as many … Read More
Morning Flight
It is well known that many of our songbird species, including warblers, thrushes, and sparrows, are nocturnal migrants. After a long night of flying, birds often land in a place where food and safety are available. Sometimes a desired habitat is directly below where the birds are flying. Other times, a bird needs to keep flying to find suitable habitat. … Read More
Scotia Barrens – September is here, and so are the warblers!
This morning Anna and I went over to Scotia Barrens to search for migrants. We started off the morning at Scotia Pond, where we met up with Tim Schreckengost. Activity was low, and we only saw a Tennessee Warbler and a Chestnut-sided Warbler. The highlight was when Tim spotted an Olive-sided Flycatcher perched on a distant snag. We were able … Read More