One of the most extraordinary things about modern birdwatching is ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE! New apps like Merlin (and iNaturalist) have popped up recently that are able to make some awesome identifications from audio recordings and pictures. It is interesting to see how birding communities have changed and developed from these new technologies. For one, these apps… Read more Bird Identification Apps – Merlin
Kinglets are so extraordinary and captivating; their genus name means “tiny king“, and even though they may be small, in my opinion, they are the kings of winter. Whenever I see kinglets start to migrate back to my area, I know that winter is coming. They fly back from their summer home in Canada to… Read more Kinglets – The Tiny Kings of Winter
Shorebirds (shorbs for short) are the most complicated type of bird to identify for me. And that is not something that I say lightly… they truly are super difficult. It is also easy to become discouraged because it can take a while to learn to differentiate the most basic shorebirds. These little guys may seem… Read more Shorbs – a love hate relationship
One of the most shocking things about birdwatching wasn’t the birds, the culture, or the media… It was the Amish. Does this surprise you? It surprised me too, but it is true! A good portion of the bird-watching population in the US is the Amish! When you think about it, it does make a lot… Read more The Amish – Best Birdwatchers
Big years – the most competitive aspect of bird watching. You would think that bird-watching does not get competitive, but that is far from the truth. Some avid birders will save thousands of dollars, study and prepare, take a year off from work, and travel across the US trying to spot as many birds as… Read more Big Years In Birding
Warblers are tiny, colorful birds that are able to migrate far distances. They are hard to categorize because there are so many different warbler species- 54 species in the USA alone. There are two major migration periods for these birds: spring and fall. Migration can be an intimidating time for bird watchers (especially fall migration because… Read more Warbler Migration
A really unique aspect of the bird-watching hobby is that it is never stagnant; species are always being combined and separated and renamed in a never-ending cycle. I love this because it reflects all the cool science and discovery that is behind everything that we see in nature – including birds! This weekend I found… Read more A Quick Look into the History of Bird Names and Species
Last summer, I visited Reykjavik, Iceland for three days; as an avid birder, I was delighted to have the chance to experience Iceland. Several species of pelagic birds (birds that spend most of their life on the ocean) stop in Iceland to rest or reproduce. I spotted Northern Fulmars, Parasitic Jaegers, many gulls, and more.… Read more Atlantic Puffins in Iceland – LOVED IT!