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
See the weather in a whole new way
Savvy birders are meteorologically astute. They keep an eye out for what may be arriving with the next airmass, wrung out of the skies by an approaching front, or even just a pop-up thunderstorm on an otherwise migration-friendly day. In the age of smartphones and apps, it’s now more convenient than ever to stay abreast of changing weather conditions. Anyone … Read More
Migration update: And we’re back, as are the birds
Fall migration is definitely back in session. Reports of a wide number of migrants have been trickling through the listservs and now the weather patterns are starting to push larger numbers of birds south. I’ll try to post some more information on interpreting radar in the near future, as well as put some effort into interpreting the migration each morning. … Read More
Cape May Trip – Part 4
This is the fourth part of a series of posts about my recent birding trip to Cape May, which began with Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. On October 22nd, the three of us got up extra early to make it over to the Higbee Beach SWA Morning Flight station. While we waited for the sun to rise, we could … Read More
Photo Study: Yellow-rumped Warbler
If you live in the eastern United States and have even stepped outside during the past three weeks, then I am sure you have seen at least one Yellow-rumped Warbler. If you have been out birding recently I bet you have seen hundreds, if not thousands. This past weekend, I was in Cape May, NJ birding, and there were Yellow-rumped … 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