When Drew first established this blog so many years ago, he christened the new site with a title based on one of the most evocatively named phenomena in birding. The concept of a nemesis bird is something most birders are familiar with, though the exact definition may vary from person to person. It could be that incredible vagrant you “just … 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
Gull-tastic Buffalo
Once you’ve tried all the chicken wings, visited some Frank Lloyd Wright houses, and watched the Sabres lose a few hockey games, you might think you have seen all there is to see in Buffalo. Well, guess again weary traveler, because if you can brave the high winds an chilly air, you may just happen across a gull bonanza along … Read More
Little Gull and Harris’s Sparrow – Centre County, PA
This morning, a few of my friends and I went back over to Howard to see the continuing Harris’s Sparrow. The bird was very cooperative and was present at the bird feeders as soon as we arrived. We were able to watch it for quite a while, when it would come in to the feeder and sit there eating nonstop … Read More
Little Gull and Sandhill Crane – Centre County
This morning, was the last official weekend trip for the PSU Ornithology class and we hit the jackpot. Our first stop of the morning was to Julian Wetlands where we had the usual wetlands birds such as Virginia Rail, Tree Swallow, and Blue-winged Teal – nothing out of the ordinary. Our second stop was to Curtin Wetlands. As soon as … Read More