Last year I hardly went to New York at all (surprising, really, given that the airline I work for has seven daily flights), but this year I’ve been enough to apply for residency. No complaints from me, of course: I really like birding the State (and up until a few weeks ago when Mike moved [...]

Recent visits to Jamaica Bay, in addition to providing a wealth of bird sightings, have allowed me to see some Gray Tree Frogs (Hyla versicolor) up close and personal.  They are particularly likely to be found hiding in cracks and crevices in the bird blind at Big John’s Pond, a fact I read quite some [...]

Upon our arrival at Kieshofer Moor, where we hoped to find Middle Spotted and Black Woodpeckers, Jochen had to head home, leaving Hendrik and I on our own, but not before Jochen went over the map with us to show us the best spots to look. It was a great pleasure to meet Jochen in [...]

It’s not easy being green…or so sang Kermit the Frog. It is easy though, to identify the frogs that you encounter while you’re out looking for birds that you can’t find. And while this blog is a birding blog, blogging about just birds in July is impossible because the birds are busy avoiding the blazing [...]

For Part 1 of this two-part poem, click here.  Enjoy!
At one-forty AM the alarm clock buzzed me awake.
That’s horribly early for one to forsake
Their comfortable bed. But arise I did,
Rubbing the sleep from each tired eyelid.
Out to the hall to awaken those sleeping,
A tough night for Mike cuz Hunter was keeping
Him awake through most of [...]

 
I found this Northern Spring Peeper in my parents’ back yard a week or so ago.  The cone it is sitting next to is a hemlock cone, which shows how tiny a creature it is.  After a couple of pics (including some on my Mom’s wrist while my nephew admired it) I moved it to the edge of [...]

Chipping Sparrow, macro-style
On Friday, at my Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Paul’s house in Saugerties, NY, I enjoyed myself watching their feeders and photographing the freeloaders. Their two clear-plastic feeders suction-cupped to their living room window had a steady stream of visitors but only titmice, chickadees and Chipping Sparrows would let me get close [...]