You are browsing the archives of 2006 May.

Being born and raised in the Bronx inures one to noises that might disturb or awaken those from more peaceful areas. Our apartment faces a very noisy street so I’ve learned to sleep through car alarms, sirens, and screaming punk kids (can’t stand those little punks!) Imagine my surprise, then, when my blissful slumber was [...]

These are good times to be a birder in temperate climes. The mass migration of spectacular songbirds, shorebirds, and raptors, many of whom those of us who dwell north of the equator haven’t seen in months, is quite simply the premiere birding event of the year. May is like a Christmas morning or Mardi Gras [...]

The first thing one notices about Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion is its intimidating bulk. This massive tome, larger even than The Sibley Guide to Birds, is not likely to accompany any but the strongest-backed birders into the field. Next is the astonishing realization that, apart from the dust jacket, this book is devoid [...]

Amy of WildBird on the Fly was not the only blogger to figure prominently in this big birding weekend of mine. Charlie also came to town, and he was on a mission. We had a list of three target birds to locate and a prime location for all three. Too bad the capricious, fitful weather [...]

The World Series of Birding was held in Cape May, NJ this weekend just a few hours from NYC while, at the same time, Empire State avian enthusiasts conducted their own fund-raising Birdathons. Though I was unable to participate in any formal birding activities (and way too bush-league to compete in the WSB) I enjoyed [...]

The Core Team stayed close to home base these past few days, but there’s no way I could let the weekend wave of migrants wash over without dipping my toe in a little. Central Park has been flooded by both songbirds and bird watchers, with new species of the former being tallied by the latter [...]

Approach your partner… Even though spring migration is not yet in full flower, every moment of birding seems fraught with possibilities. That’s why we’ve been stealing any possible moment to go birding. Here’s are some brief highlights from of our recent excursions in Westchester and Orange Counties: CRESTWOOD LAKE – A brief stop sans optics [...]

John of DC Birding Blog started a cool new birding meme, possibly the first such meme ever, and promptly tagged me with it. Rules: Post a list of the 10 birds you consider most beautiful on your blog; you may limit the list to the ABA area (continental United States and Canada) or use a [...]

Friday morning found me in Central Park again. I had hoped to meet up with someone for a bit of birding before business hours. Though those plans never materialized, I did manage to squeeze in almost two hours of birding and still get home by 8:30 AM. My eyes, I should point out, didn’t start [...]