You are browsing the archives of 2007 February.

When I finished work yesterday I raced to the winter entrance of Papscanee Island. Papscanee is not actually an island, but it is a marvelous preserve, part mature forest, part open fields. It is directly across the Hudson River from the south end of Albany. I got my first and only Cerulean [...]

and record participation. The Birdchaser has the scoop.

In the quartet of classical elements - earth, air, fire, and water - one would think Class Aves would be easy to classify. After all, birds seem to own the air in a way that few other organisms can match. Many species of birds, however, are aligned with other elements. Penguins may be the first [...]

After leaving Point Lookout behind Will and I decided to head up to a pond next to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Cold Spring Harbor, NY, on the north shore of Long Island. The day before a Eurasian Wigeon and a Greater White-fronted Goose had been reported there, both of which would be lifers [...]

Temperatures well below the freezing mark? Arctic wind howling down from the north? Sounds like a great day for the beach! Actually, if you leave the bathing suit at home and bring binoculars instead, you could do much worse. Winter on the Atlantic coast introduces an array of seaducks, shorebirds, and tundra breeders impressive enough [...]

After the Adirondacks on Saturday and an out-of-place oriole on Sunday why not my first two longspurs on President’s Day?
Will, who you met Saturday, and I raced down the New York State Thruway President’s Day morning to meet Mike. Our mission was to find the Lapland Longspurs and Smith’s Longspur that have been frequenting [...]

Imagine that a band you’ve always wanted to see (or a musical or car show or sporting event… whatever floats your boat) arrives unexpectedly in your area. Normally, this band (or musical or car show, etc.) plays venues 1,000 miles or so from your home, so its appearance within an hour of your home is [...]

America’s greatest Presidents gave all to defend the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If blogging about wild birds is part of your particular pursuit, show your respects during the extended President’s Day observance by submitting your links for the next I and the Bird. Get in touch with me or [...]

About two weeks ago word went out on the New York listservs that a Bullock’s Oriole was frequenting feeders on Tremper Road in the tiny town of Phoenicia, NY, a mere twenty-five minutes from my hometown. Bullock’s Oriole is the western version of the Baltimore Oriole and the two are so similar that they [...]

David Ringer of Search and Serendipity pondered some deceptively slippery subtleties about the nature of seeing recently:
In that brief moment, a question I’ve long pondered became much less hypothetical: If I saw a bird in a mirror or reflected in a body of water would I feel satisfied enough to list it? In this case, [...]