Overcast skies and a nice breeze made for a more relaxed morning of bird banding, but the flocks of White-throated Sparrows moving through kept us … Read More
Thrush Comparison – PSU Fall Banding
Yesterday morning we captured and banded 71 individual birds. Forty-nine of those were White-throated Sparrows. The remaining 22 birds consisted of 4 Black-capped Chickadees, a … Read More
Black-capped Petrel – Variation in Plumage
One of the most iconic birds of summertime in the Gulf Stream is the Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata), and with two days aboard the Stormy … Read More
Pale Western Willet at Chincoteague NWR, Virginia
Ed note: Tom Johnson helpfully pointed out that this bird is not leucistic, but rather has dilute plumage. Leucism would leave the bird with white … Read More
The Bronzed Cowbirds of Southern Florida
First discovered in the United States in Texas in 1940, the Bronzed Cowbird rapidly expanded throughout the desert southwest and Gulf Coast states. By 1962, … Read More
Magnificent Frigatebirds – Determining Age and Sex
The Magnificent Frigatebird is one of the most well-known seabirds throughout the American tropics. Most recognize this species for the inflatable red gular sac shown … Read More
Delaware Birders robbed of 1st State Record?
Editor’s note – 4/4/13 – The identification of this bird is far from settled, and hummingbird experts and banders have varied opinions. Bruce Peterjohn, who … Read More
Delaware Anna’s Hummingbird – Then and Now
Read some newer info about the identification of this bird. During the late fall of 2012 it seemed almost as if a western hummingbird invasion … Read More
A three redpoll taxa day in PA
The Redpoll Challenge, to see all four New World taxa of redpolls (Greater Acanthis flammea rostrata, Common A. f. flammea, Hornemann’s A. hornemanni hornemanni, and … Read More
A Greater Redpoll (Acanthis flammea rostrata) in PA
Today while looking through a large flock of 100 to 200 redpolls in Centre County PA, my eye was drawn to a redpoll that was … Read More