Each of the four seasons has something special to offer the birding world. I will always cherish the lively color and music of spring when birds return after months of absence. Winter brings the festive joy of Christmas Bird Counts and new year lists, while summer offers breeding bird surveys and plenty of free time for adventures. Even so, I … 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
Missed the Lesser Goldfinch…..
This morning several of us from State College ran down to Greencastle, PA in search of the Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) that Dale Gearhart reported yesterday. There are no previous records of Lesser Goldfinch in Pennsylvania, and sightings anywhere east of the Mississippi are sparse. Dale had the feeders filled and they were pretty busy during our entire stay. Both White-crowned and White-throated … Read More
Banding at the Bald Eagle Birding Festival
Today I spent the day banding with Emily at the Bald Eagle State Park Birding Festival. We set up at 7am for the dedicated few who made it to the park at such an early hour and then decided to keep the nets open for the day because the festival activities mostly started at 4pm. We ended up with over … Read More