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, Florida’s first Bronzed Cowbirds were found in Sarasota County, however it wasn’t until July 2009 when breeding was confirmed for the first time in the state, in Broward County – the young cowbird was being … Read More
Good run up the coast, fallout potential
Regional Overview The Northeast finally got a good pulse of migrants last night, however the cold front and associated storms limited migration to along the East Coast. New Jersey, extreme eastern PA and NY, and most of the New England states have potential for fallout this morning as storms passed through areas with good migration during the night time hours
Photo Study: Gray Jays in Algonquin Provincial Park
Back in mid-February, I joined a group of birders from the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology on a trip to Ontario. Our main destination was Algonquin Provincial Park, a massive park that encompasses thousands of acres of boreal forest and scattered lakes and ponds. Here, even in the dead of winter, birds manage to find a way to persist on limited … Read More
Photo Study: Marbled Godwit
One thing I really love about shorebirds is that there is so much variety in size, shape, color, and habits. From Least Sandpipers to Long-billed Curlews, there are some truely amazing species across North America. One of my favorites is the Marbled Godwit. The first time I ever saw these big, cinnamon-colored shorebirds was on an Audubon Society field trip … Read More
Christmas Red-tailed Hawk
After a Christmas Eve dinner last night and a morning breakfast with my family today, I drove out to a few birding locations that I like to visit when I’m in Hershey. Bird activity was kind of slow but Red-tailed Hawks (and a few Great Blue Herons) were all over, hunting for small rodents in the tall-grass fields. Of the … Read More
Maryland Herald Petrel – 8/25/12
This past weekend, 5 of my friends and I were fortunate enough to be on the See Life Paulagics overnight pelagic out of Lewes, DE. This pelagic turned out to probably be Maryland’s best-ever summer pelagic due to the shear number of awesome species and the great looks we were able to get throughout the day, despite rough seas. For … Read More
Photo Study: Stilt Sandpiper @ Conejohela Flats
Recently I posted about a morning I spent birding at Conejohela Flats in Lancaster County, which mentioned that I saw and photographed an adult Stilt Sandpiper. That morning I was incredibly lucky because the bird actually flew over and landed where I was already set up and taking pictures of some Black Terns. Lighting conditions were really in my favor … Read More
Photo Study: Dickcissels in Mercer County, PA
Drew recently posted about this summer’s influx of Dickcissel sightings throughout Pennsylvania. This past Saturday, I was finally able to get in on the action and visit a site in Mercer County where quite a few Dickcissels have been seen over the past two weeks. After a few minutes of trying to find the exact spot, my friend Josh Lefever … Read More
Lincoln’s Sparrows – Beautifully Bland
The ABA area has it’s fair share of sparrows and I have been fortunate enough to have seen most of them but for some odd reason the one that really gets me excited, and the one that for whatever reason I really like the most, is the Lincoln’s Sparrow. To a beginner birder, the Lincoln’s Sparrow might look identical to … Read More
Photo Study: Sandwich Terns!
One of the most elegant terns on the east coast has got to be the Sandwich Tern. So far this year, I have been lucky enough to have the chance to photograph many Sandwich Terns along the Atlantic Coast of Florida. Below are some of my personal favorite shots. I hope you enjoy them! Note that many of the individuals … Read More