The most cost-efficient option for me to get from the US to Belize this past November was to fly to Cancun, Mexico and then take an overnight express bus to Belize City. Being a birder, I purposely scheduled my flight to arrive in Cancun early so that I could have the entire afternoon to roam around the city before the bus left at … Read More
Coastal waterbird notes from southern Belize, Fall 2014
We are spoiled in the United States with many concentrated birding efforts taking place throughout fall and spring migration such as hawkwatches, seawatches, Big Sits, and other surveys which all help to pull in loads of data on bird numbers and distribution, but there are very few endeavors taking place in countries like Belize. Thanks to the Belize Raptor Research Institute, there … Read More
Winter Kingbirds of NYC
Remarkably both a Couch’s and Cassin’s Kingbird have taken up residence less than 15 miles apart from each other in New York City, and are so far successfully overwintering despite the strange, urban locations they are living in. The Couch’s is being seen around Washington Commons Park in the West Village and was first reported to birders on December 25th, but local, … Read More
Barnacle Geese – Weir Lake, Monroe County, PA
It’s not often that Barnacle Geese show up in Pennsylvania, in fact there have been less than 20 instances of this beautiful goose in the state, but they are on the increase throughout the northeast and every winter more and more are discovered among flocks of Canada Geese as more birders get out there looking. Typically a sighting here in … Read More
Belmar Paulagic – Jan. 2, 2015
See Life Paulagics kicked off it’s 2015 winter pelagic line-up with an 8 hour trip out of Belmar, New Jersey on January 2nd. This short trip stayed close to shore, and we had great weather, and fairly calm seas which helped to make this the perfect trip for birders new to the pelagic scene. A constant stream of chum behind the … Read More
Lark Sparrow – Cumberland County, PA
During the January 4th Newville CBC, Ramsay Koury discovered a Lark Sparrow foraging with other sparrows around a brush pile in a new housing development along Peyton Road near Carlisle, Pennsylvania. This is approximately the 15th record of Lark Sparrow for Pennsylvania, with the most recent sighting from 2006. This is the first record for Cumberland County. Lark Sparrows have … Read More
BRRI Hawkwatch: November 17, 2014 – Dragonflies and Bat Falcon!
Today started out with migrants trying to get lift into a low cloud ceiling with little wind and no thermals at the BRRI Cattle Landing Hawkwatch, run by Belize Raptor Research Institute. Thousands of dragonflies were on site for the first few hours, which made it difficult to spot the few raptors that were attempting to head south (the swallows however, had … Read More
Belize Birding: Ridiculous Yard Birds
I’ve been in Belize for nearly two weeks now and my Belize list is already at 171 species, with 78 lifers- inching me ever closer to the 700 club! I think its fairly impressive considering I’ve seen most of these birds within a mile of my house, and many right in my yard. For example, while we are busting our butts … Read More
Coastal Delaware Birding Blitz – November 15th, 2014
A Search for Rarities and Fall Migrants along the Delaware Bay and Seashore! The Coastal Delaware Birding Blitz (CDBB) will be held on November 15th, 2014. The main target area for the count is coastal habitat between Fowler Beach Road and Fenwick Island, with primary focus on scrub and marsh habitat, but the bay and ocean will not be neglected. This post … Read More
Mangrove Cuckoo Madness
The Cattle Landing count site run by Belize Raptor Research, where I am currently volunteering, is just north of Punta Gorda in the Toledo District of southern Belize. It is located just a few meters away from the coastline, which makes it an ideal spot for migrants of all kinds, not just raptors. Migrants can funnel in from the Mississippi … Read More