Year listing is one of the most popular traditions in the world of birding. The annual cycle of seasons is felt especially strongly by those of us who immerse ourselves in the world of birds, and each new year brings a new set of chances to enjoy unforgettable experiences. On behalf of the whole Nemesis Bird team, I’d like to … Read More
Finch Flight Frenzy
“Mr. Healy, I have a question I’ve been meaning to ask you.” My coworker approached me as I was stowing my binoculars after a brief pre-work survey of the schoolyard. “I’ve been at my place in northern Jersey for years now, but this year I’ve noticed something different. There are these birds, I can only describe them as…finches?” I smiled, … 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
Connecticut Crossbills
November 20th was the last day of our 5 day birding trip through coastal New England. Our goals for the day were to bird various hotspots in Connecticut and try to find some of the recently-reported rarities as well as build a nice state list. None of the three us (Ian Gardner, Josh Lefever, or myself) had ever eBirded in … Read More
Now it’s December.
Not too long ago it was October 30th – Hurricane Sandy was ripping through PA and we were chasing storm birds like crazy. Then when we had time in November, we went on a 5 day birding trip and then did some PA rarity chases. Now all of a sudden, it’s December. I figured it would be a good idea … Read More
PSO Field Trip – Allegheny Front Hawk Watch, 11 Nov 2012
Nemesisbird’s Mike Lanzone and Alex Lamoreaux along with Chad Kaufman helped lead a field trip offered by The Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology to the  Allegheny Front Hawk Watch, Sunday Nov 11. The wind forecast was for south-east, light to moderate, and hopes for a day packed full of Golden Eagles filled the participants heads! Although some of the group went directly to … Read More
This winter’s irruptives
[dc]O[/dc]ne of the exciting things about winter birding is the prospect of large movements of winter finches and other more northern species. Already we are seeing signs that this winter may be good for Red Crossbills and Red-breasted Nuthatches, and it’s not even fall yet. Irruptions are fun because they give many of us a rare chance to see a species … Read More
Winter Finch forecast 2011-12
Ron Pittaway has released his annual Winter Finch forecast and there is not a lot of good news for all us in the mid-Atlantic hoping for a good year for crossbills, redpolls and grosbeaks. Despite the fact that we have a good cone crop in our region, birds will likely stay to our north were there are also good cone … Read More
2010 – My Biggest Year!
I started off 2010 terribly sick and I didn’t leave the house for a few days. Once I got better, Anna Fasoli and I drove down to Blackwater NWR in Maryland to officially start off our 2010 birding year. We picked up 60 species in one day. On Febuary 24th, I drove down to Herndon, Virginia to see the Varied … Read More