Because of my job I have, of late, been spending lots of time in southern New Jersey.  Of course I have not been spending time in the southernmost part of New Jersey because, as  a birder, I could never be lucky enough to have to work in Cape May.  No, I get to be in [...]

The Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) is well-known for his efforts as a writer, editor, legislator, and abolitionist. Countless towns, schools, and natural formations are named for him, including Whittier Glacier in Alaska and, by extension, its tiny neighboring town, a gateway to Prince William Sound that I’ve had the profound pleasure of visiting. John [...]

Every child who has ever seen a cartoon featuring Wile E Coyote and Road Runner has to have wondered if poor Wile E ever had a fair shot at catching the Road Runner.  According to Mark Lockwood’s Basic Texas Birds: A Field Guide, with or without Wile. E. Coyote chasing it, a Greater Roadrunner can [...]

On Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles’ famous 1967 album,  there is an odd song called “Blue Jay Way” which was written by George Harrison while he waited for Derek Taylor, who got lost trying to meet Harrison in the hills above Los Angeles on a foggy night.  The song is called “Blue Jay Way” because that [...]

There is really nothing to say about this other than, um, wow? Don’t forget that if you want to be able to identify the Angry Birds we have you covered. That is all.  Enjoy. Hat-tip to Arvind Says.

In the final version of Walt Whitman’s famed poetry collection Leaves of Grass – the “Deathbed Edition” - there is a poem dedicated to the Magnificent Frigatebird, or, as Whitman knew it, the Man-of-War-Bird.  ”To the Man-of-War-Bird” was actually first published nearly a quarter-century earlier in the British literary paper, The Athenaeum, and was reprinted in 1878 as ”Thou Who Hast [...]

Ravens fascinate people.  Their obvious intelligence, their vocalizations, their roles in the mythologies of multiple cultures, their all-black plumage, their cachet, their just plain coolness.  And a good part of what makes ravens cool to the English speaking world is Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.”  Anyone who has ever heard “The Raven” read aloud remembers [...]

Swallows are a sure sign of spring the world over. The famous swallows of San Juan Capistrano are Cliff Swallows, but for me, Tree Swallows signal both the end of winter in March and its new beginning around October.  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe poem clearly perceived the connection between swallows and spring, which he memorialized in a poem [...]

John Burroughs should be as well known as Henry David Thoreau.  He was one of the preeminent naturalists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a contemporary and friend of Walt Whitman, a companion of President Theodore Roosevelt, and a distinguished writer and conservationist.  His nature essays are a joy to read, especially for [...]

Yet again, despite my best efforts, I’ve been sucked into the insatiable vortex of popular culture. Then again, how long could I resist an addiction that encompasses three of my favorite things, namely birds, video games, and my Droid? Perhaps you’ve heard of this game Angry Birds… The survival of the Angry Birds is at [...]

In New York City temperatures have reached into the fifties on the Fahrenheit scale today and they are predicted to do the same again tomorrow.  Spring is, of course, more than just one warm spell but as of today we are getting a full hour and twenty-nine minutes more daylight then we did on the winter solstice [...]

The ground is my friend. For someone who spends so much of his time in the air, the feeling of a secure surface comforts me as a mother’s hug soothes a child. Since becoming an adult I have maintained a respectable distance between me and the ground as befits a grown-up conforming to public dignity, [...]

Whilst we are on holiday in Tasmania I thought I would take the opportunity in sharing with you some of the great road signs we saw on our last trip there two years ago. There is quite a large Pied Oystercatcher breeding territory to the south of Hobart and studies were done on these birds [...]

Word has reached us that Santa Claus, also known as Kris Kringle, has been killed in a horrific mid-air collision between his fast-moving sleigh and a flock of night-flying Canada Geese.  The collision, which occurred over New York City shortly after midnight local time, forced the magical sleigh down in a marshy area of the [...]

Just occasionally, seemingly ordinary conditions or events can combine to create a blissfully perfect moment during which the weight of all our stresses and worries is lifted from us. Warm, moving moments such as these, comfort and inspire us, reminding us of how rich life can be. It would require no great leap of faith to [...]

Hi to all birders, I was invited by Corey to write about the birds of Honduras and I will in due time.  But first I would like to express my appreciation to the ones who have made my lifestyle in Honduras possible: the birders. Many thanks goes to all of the people who have supported [...]

What can make dawn sky and bright moon even better? Egrets in the air.               … If you liked this haiku and would like to browse the entire archive of poetry posts on 10,000 Birds please check out our Bird Poems page.

It is time, once again, to put long-suffering 10,000 Birds readers through the exquisite torture that is one of my posts in doggerel.  This time my maniacal muse has inspired me to versify what is perhaps the most vile substance that birders have come into contact with; the mud on the East Pond of Jamaica [...]

Way back in 1960, on 29 July to be exact, a time before personal computers, rap music, cell phones, fax machines, and a host of other modern distractions, Charlie Moores came into the world.  Back then Harold Macmillan was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Dwight Eisenhower was President of the United States, Dag Hammarskjöld [...]

In New York City the heat hits you in the gut when you leave the comfort of an air conditioned building, forcing you to blow from your lungs the last of your artificially cooled air.  Your next breath feels like a a burst of greasy, gritty fire in your chest and the sweat is already [...]