Beach Birds

I am off to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to spend a few days with my cousin.  She and her husband are not birdwatchers, but appreciate that I am, so I will be able make myself scarce a few hours of the day to see what is around.  I hope there is some interesting [...]

Bird Photography Weekly

 
 
In the distance from atop some weeds a rusty hinge squeaked out 3 notes.  
♪Me. Me. Me. ♪  
I looked around perplexed.  It did not sound like anything I knew, yet, there was something familiar about the 3 creaky notes.  Like an opera diva warming up.  
♪Me. Me. Me. ♪  
When I got closer I saw it was a [...]

Ducks are on the Move

With the last of the ice melted from lakes and reservoirs, waterfowl has been on the move north.  I popped over to the Wallkill NWR the other day to see what was shakin’.  Used to having the place to myself, with perhaps one or two other cars; I was stunned to find the parking lot [...]

New-fangled Approach to Eating Duckweed

Common Moorhens eat aquatic vegetation, as well as snails, worms, berries and fruit.  Normally I see them picking along at the edge of the reeds.  When I came across several paddling around in a pond covered in duckweed, it was sort of cool looking, so I stopped to take a picture. I noticed that one [...]

Bears and birdfeeders

Alas, bears and birdfeeders do not go well together.  At this time of year, I keep an eye peeled for the first torn garbage bag to judge when the bears have gotten up.  And sure enough, I saw one on my drive to work last week, so with bitter resentment and sadness, I said goodbye [...]

Happy Spring!

At last spring has sprung and I am teasing you with the joy of birds to come.  The first wablers I see are usually Palm Warblers. And that won’t be for another few weeks.  But my friends, they are coming.

Bird Photography Weekly

Common or Wilson’s or Eurasian, whatever.  This is a Snipe.  When I first started birdwatching, this was a Common Snipe. Then they changed its name to Wilson’s Snipe.  Now I have no idea what it is called.  The Shorebird Guide says one thing, Big Sibley something else.  Want to weigh in on this?
To see other [...]

Chimney Swifts are on their way back

The first Chimney Swifts of the season have been spotted on the Gulf Coast.  YAY!!!  The folks at Driftwood Wildlife Association will be plotting the swifts’ movements northward over the next few months.  If you would like to contribute, let them know when you see the first ones in your area.  They will post the [...]

Blackbird pick-up calls

“Hey, Baby, Baby.”
“Look what I got to offer.”
“You want big, I got big.”
“You have never seen a brighter red.”

“Oh, Pleeeze.”

Birding with Alligators

I live in the northeast where there are, thankfully, no alligators (NYC sewer gators, notwithstanding) so when I come across them in my travels they always freak me out a little; it’s all that nature programming that shows them running with burst of speed at 30 MPH.  Of course, I have seen them in Florida, [...]