Birds
Chesapeake Bay Boat Tours: The Captain Barry Experience
If you ever have a few hours to spend near Chincoteague Bay on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, check out one of Captain Barry’s sunset boat cruises. The Sunset Cruise I took a year ago was more than a boat ride, it was an experience. Daylight closes on the Eastern Shore. You’re itchin’ to let loose on [...]
Seven Photos of Bluebirds
Spent the morning photographing Eastern Bluebirds in the hopes of getting a few nice ones to share. The effort paid off! I hope this drop of sunshine brightens your day.
Gut Wrenching Reality of Oil Spill Disaster
If you’re feeling a bit removed, a bit numb, a bit out of the fray of the biggest oil spill/environmental disaster in U.S. history, these images may help you understand its scope of damage. Boston.com: Oil Reaches Louisiana Shores Be ready to be punched in the gut. But don’t stop there. Do something. Call someone. [...]
Birding in the Finger Lakes
Two of my favorite things to do in the Finger Lakes are to admire the scenery and to watch birds. My birding travel guide, produced at the request of FingerLakes.com (a regional tourism website), highlights a handful of key birding sites in the region – a good starting point for those who are new to [...]
Bluebirds Are Laying Eggs!
The female bluebird has been a stealth operator lately. She’s nowhere to be seen. Even her mate is quiet and hard to find. It gives the impression that the birds have moved onto greener pastures. Instinctually, that’s exactly what the bluebirds hope…that large, gangly “predators” such as me remain oblivious to their presence while they [...]
Backyard Drama: Foreign Invaders vs. Sky-blue Protagonist
A month ago I described the avian drama unfolding in my backyard. For a year I’ve hoped that last year’s Eastern Bluebird nest would be re-claimed by its original owners and I’d witness one, maybe two (dare I be so greedy as to hope for THREE?) clutches this season. In April it seemed as though last [...]
Day 3 of The Biggest Week
The weather improved considerably and so did the birding on Day 3, Sunday. Decent warbler reports came back from the boardwalk, baby Great Horned owlets were seen at Ottawa NWR, in addition to Baird’s and White-rumped Sandpipers. I had a great dinner conversation with the folks from The Biggest Twitch, and ending the evening on a [...]
Day 2 of The Biggest Week
On Day 2 of the Biggest Week, birders were here to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day. We also celebrated basics such as fleece, down, mittens, and woolen hats, because sustained winds of 35 mph with powerful gusts gave us a chilly start. No matter, however. While it was undeniably chilly, birders were undeniably motivated to [...]
Day 1 of The Biggest Week
I really want to tell you about Day 1 of The Biggest Week in American Birding here in western Ohio along Lake Eric, but the grape jelly on my keyboard is making this a bit of a slog…but I’ll carry on. Day 1 (that’s day 1 for me, the event kicked off yesterday) was a [...]
Assuage Your Urge To Bird at The Biggest Week
Thank god for birding festivals or I may never bird! I’ve been so busy with work this spring I’ve only managed to get our birding a few times. Happily, most of my work is bird related, so even if I’m cloistered in the office, in my brain I am far away mingling with the avi-gentsia [...]
