Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but what he really aspires to be is a naturalist. Besides founding 10,000 Birds and I and the Bird, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining sites and resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network.

Business brought me out to Orange County, CA for a week in mid-October. Despite the length of my stay, I had precious few available moments for birding. My dear pal Amy brought me for some Upper Newport Bay birding not once but twice. The first attempt was undermined by the severity of Santa Ana winds [...]

October is screaming to an end, which means that for many of us, fall migration is drawing to a close. If you’re closer to the equator than I am, you may still have a shot at interesting birds. At my latitude, however, the skies are filled mostly with falling leaves and errant snowflakes. What are [...]

Blogging is just like everything else in this wild world… if you work at it long enough and surround yourself with talented individuals, you’re bound to earn some level of respect. 10,000 Birds has been most fortunate in that regard.  We’ve been showered with links, spots on people’s blogrolls, heck, we were even declared one [...]

Get excited, plant people! I’ll be hosting this month’s edition of Berry Go Round, the carnival devoted to fantastic flora blogging. Please send me links and summaries to your best plant posts of the last month or two. Also include, if you’d be so kind, permission for me to use any exceptional associated images… [...]

Upper Newport Bay has a sterling reputation as a locus for some of the best coastal Orange County birding around. This is a big deal, considering both the outstanding avifauna this part of California can deliver as well as the other superlative sites along this stretch of the Pacific. Unfortunately, my first taste of [...]

Business has brought me once again to a shiny section of the Golden State. It is the height, indeed the very definition, of privilege to rise up after breakfast over a variegated expanse of autumn hues to arrive for lunch in a portion of the Pacific coast where one is far more likely to spot [...]

Do you feel it in the air? The last whispers of summer are slipping away. Many of us grow wistful this time of year, and dear Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was no exception. Fortunately, she could find words for the sense of loss that accompanies the passing of a cherished season. One of the greatest [...]

Did President Bush actually say, “I believe the Agreement to be fully in the U.S. interest” in reference to The Agreement for the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels? He did and one hopes the U.S. Senate will feel the same way.

In the middle of October, nearly every migrant in on the move. Raptors and songbirds and butterflies and who knows what else are all winging their way closer to the equator. If you’re not on the move yourself, you could do worse that to lift your head to see the streams of birds sailing south [...]

Perhaps I’m growing suspicious in my old age. Maybe my ability to judge others has, through constant application throughout the years, become more sensitive to deception and, dare I say it, deviance. Whatever its origin, this nagging doubt has festered in my mind long enough, causing me to question birders, bloggers, and possibly the entire [...]

You don’t need to be a birder to know that most birds above the equator fly from temperate northern climes to more tropical southern locales for the winter. Changes in light, temperature, and food availability trigger the instinct to migrate, an urge so powerful that only a really well-stocked backyard bird feeder can override it.
Migratory [...]

Mid-October is a beautiful time of year in most parts of the world. Whatever you plan to do, do it in style. The 3-day weekend many of us in the United States will enjoy should inspire you to go big. You can dream big, play big, even sit big! Whatever you expect to do this [...]

Considering the host, it should come as no surprise that the newest Carnival of the Blue coincides with the 2nd annual International Cephalopod Awareness Day. Happy Squid Day!

Sara, Mason, Ivy, and I took a quick jaunt to Mendon Ponds this weekend. Has fall migration passed me by up here on the icy shores of Lake Ontario? If the kind of common species I’m spotting - Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Black-capped Chickadee, etc. - are any indication, warblers and their ilk are long [...]

I just saw the new Bill Maher documentary, which I recommend without reservation. However, be warned that there is a moment during the movie that bird watchers might find uncomfortable!

As connected as it seems our North American bird blogging network is, it sometimes feel very removed from the greater international birding culture. For example, did you know that this month, people all around the world are participating in the 2008 World Bird Festival?
The 2008 World Bird Festival is a month-long celebration of the cultural [...]

The month of March gets great press for ending more placidly than it begins. Why isn’t October acknowledged, at least in the temperate zones above the equator, for coming in like a lamb but going out like a lion? Perhaps we’re too distracted by all that Halloween candy. What does this rather random point have [...]

Due to technical difficulties beyond Y C Wee’s control, the 85th edition of I and the Bird will not be hosted at Bird Ecology Study Group as planned. Still, as they say in show business, the show must go on! The IATB Players have put together a sensational performance as always. Sure, we may have [...]

The Bird Ecology Study Group may be experiencing some technical difficulties at the moment but fear not. The IATB show will go on. Send your submissions with confidence to me or Y C (wee37 AT starhub DOT net DOT sg) by the end of the day!

Did you know that this past Saturday was National Hunting and Fishing Day in the United States?
From our rugged peaks and mountains to our shining seas, our Nation is blessed with remarkable natural treasures. These magnificent landscapes are places where families and friends can create lasting memories and enjoy the outdoors. On National Hunting and [...]