Book Review: Hawks at a Distance
Anyone who has spent any amount of time at a hawk-watch site in North America knows the name Jerry Liguori. His raptor guide Hawks from Every Angle will be found somewhere—on a picnic table, or on the...
View ArticleExtraordinary
I love eBird for many reasons. It’s a great tool, the project is visionary and it just keeps getting better. One of the things I most enjoy about eBird are the “alert” emails. Based on the lists you...
View ArticleSandwich or Cabot’s?
A year ago, Chicago birders were literally in a frenzy over Illinois’ second record of a Sandwich Tern. The bird remained in the area, although it was difficult to find, for nearly a month. During that...
View ArticleGallinule or Moorhen in Nova Scotia?
While trolling the interwebs this morning, I cam across a set of photos by Bernard Burke, taken yesterday near Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, of a Common Gallinule. But as I looked at the photos, something...
View ArticleID Problem: Mew and Ring-billed Gulls
Gulling season is getting off to a rather slow start in much of our area, but things are starting to pick up. One of the most sought after vagrant gulls east of the Rocky Mountains is Mew Gull. Here’s...
View ArticleFeather Mystery
I found these feathers on the sidewalk outside my home (near Chicago) yesterday. Apparently, the bird they belonged to was a Cooper’s Hawk kill. I have a strong hunch as to what species they might be...
View ArticleOut owling.
2011 has been a great year for me as far as birds and birding are concerned. Skrentny and I completed our Year of Big Days, breaking 11 out of 12 big day records for northern Illinois and setting two...
View ArticleA new way to identify Selasphorus hummingbirds?
In November, a Selasphorus hummingbird showed up at a feeder near Chicago, IL and caused quite a stir. There were many reasons for this (this genus is rather rare in Illinois), but mostly because it...
View ArticleTexas Birding Trip, Part 2: Neal’s Lodges
Our next Texas adventure takes us north from El Canelo in Raymondville to the southern part of the Edwards Plateau. We awoke bleary-eyed in the parking lot of a truck stop on the outskirts of Crystal...
View ArticleTexas Birding Trip, Part 3: Lost Maples State Natural Area
My hydration level depleted from the previous day’s tromping in extreme Texas heat, I awoke to dizziness, smashing headache, and rapid heartbeat. Apparently the previous day’s ice cream with a vodka...
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