Tag: Birding
Arrival Day & Tandayapa Bird Lodge
This was a mind-blowing trip. And for better or worse, I’m used to posting updates of my birding adventures with you…but during the entire seven days of adventure, I had to tame that urge. Even so, synopses of each experience would bleed through my brain…in 140 characters or less. I decided to just go with it. I’m going to roll out My Trip in Tweets…the tweets you would have seen had I been able to post every fleeting thought and wisp of amazement that lit my cranium.
RGV: Birding Estero Llano Grande
Okay, now that I’ve cleared introductions 1 and 2 from my brain, let me tell you a bit about Estero Llano Grande State Park. Estero Llano Grande State Park is one of nine designated World Birding Centers in the Texas state park system, and one of the most convenient and productive place to bird during any [...]
Birding is hard. But someone has to do it.
Some thoughts on what it’s like to attend a birding festival One of the best lines from the Rio Grande Valley Birding & Nature Festival was “Birding. If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not doing it right.” This grand statement was uttered by a 20-something birder (Michael Hilchey) from New Mexico. So young, yet already a sage…. [...]
High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid, New York
High Peaks Resort is a good choice if you travel to the rugged Adirondacks, but prefer to leave the hardships behind on the trail. The resort features a prime location right in the heart of Lake Placid’s bustling downtown, two indoor and two outdoor swimming pools, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a full-service spa & salon, and stylish guestrooms that can’t be beat.
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 [...]
Hermit Thrush at Owl Woods, NY
Whenever the illustrious Mike Bergin of 10000birds.com is hunting for owls around Rochester, I am obliged to accompany him as his talisman, his good luck charm, his supersonic owl finder. (I’ll tell you, but nobody else, that I’m exceptionally sharp at finding owls, but we’ve had some excellent luck at scoring Strix and Bubo and [...]
Feeding Chickadees by Hand and Head!
Our local park here in Rochester, NY (Mendon Ponds Park) has a songbird trail where chickadees, titmice, and even nuthatches gather to eat from the hands of chubby-palmed children and wistful adults.
We visited Saturday in order to get the family outdoors on the first sunny day we’d had in a long time. Why stop at the hand? thought my husband, and offered his balding pate as a serving platter of black oil sunflower seeds.
Green Jay: a Caribbean Creamsicle
I never tire of examining the plumage of Green Jays…the blacks and blues, the greens and yellows along with their chartreuse sibling. When I peer at them long enough, I see ocean beaches. I see Caribbean creamsicles, a coral reef with wings. And this makes my eyes melt.
Ten Favorite Bird Photos of 2009
As long as round-ups are making the rounds, here’s my round-up of my ten favorite bird photos from 2009. Chosen either for quality or for the excitement of the bird itself, these are the top ten I’ll hold near and dear to my heart for years to come.
Watching Gulls at Niagara Falls
Cool update: I added a 5 min audio recording of Peter giving us gull neophytes a tutorial on the Thayer’s >>> Kumlien’s >>> Iceland Gull cline. Watching gulls. That’s what birders in the Great Lakes are wont to do in winter. And the place to do it, at least around here (globally speaking) is Niagara Falls. [...]
