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
The Satisfaction of Discovery
The excitement of a rarity chase is one of my favorite aspects of birding, but it’s nothing compared to the thrill of finding something unusual yourself. For me, the feeling of accomplishment that comes with turning up even a minor regional oddity often rivals the triumphant joy of a successful twitch or long-distance trip. That finder’s high is a hell … Read More
Long Island Chase – Common Ground-Dove 11/16
I recently took a hiatus from blogging (mostly unintentionally), but would like to change that in upcoming months. In these past few months, I have been getting accustomed to the college life, as I am now an undergrad at Cornell University (in Ithaca, NY). Birding out here is amazing, and the community around Cornell is quite special. Â There are many … Read More
December Marbled Godwit – Pittsburgh, PA
Yesterday morning Jack and Sue Solomon discovered a Marbled Godwit, a very unusual bird for this time of the year in PA. This is also the first sighting of this species in the state in two years! The Solomon’s found the godwit foraging on the exposed mudflat at Duck Hollow along the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh. This is a late … Read More
Photo Study: Marbled Godwit
One thing I really love about shorebirds is that there is so much variety in size, shape, color, and habits. From Least Sandpipers to Long-billed Curlews, there are some truely amazing species across North America. One of my favorites is the Marbled Godwit. The first time I ever saw these big, cinnamon-colored shorebirds was on an Audubon Society field trip … Read More
Glaucous Gull – Huguenot Memorial City Park, Florida
Anna and I are slowly making our way towards Gainesville, Florida where Anna is starting a job soon. Today we stopped at Huguenot Memorial City Park which is east of Jacksonville. Huguenot Memorial City Park is a famous birding spot on the northeastern coast of Florida. Anna and I had been here once before and loved it, so we knew … Read More
Cape May Trip – Part 2
This post is part of a series of posts about my recent birding trip to Cape May, which began at this link. As the tide began to rise, we knew it was time to head over to the southern point of Brigantine Island to see the shorebird flock that we heard had been roosting there recently. We arrived around 2:40pm … Read More