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The Diabolical Waterfowl ID Quiz was both more and less diabolical than I had intended.  It’s surprising how drake ducks, with their bright colors, can still be so difficult to identify if one only has a small chunk of the bird to use for one’s identifying attempt.  Nonetheless, correct answers were, eventually, given for each [...]

Yes, it is time for another diabolical ID quiz. This one is all about ducks, and, to make it a bit easier, just drakes. The rules are the same as the last one: put your guesses in the comments, making sure to indicate which picture each guess applies to. And use the FULL common names [...]

As always when I am in the car, while Daisy and I drove to my folks’ house in Saugerties, NY, to join family for the Christmas holiday, I paid careful attention to any and all bird life I could see. I did not, however, expect to have yet another encounter with what is now by [...]

Christine Guarino is a serious birder in a funny hat. When she is not writing about chickadees, identifying out-of-place sparrows, or tracking down winter finches she stays busy educating future generations of birders in her job as a high school biology teacher. If you ever have a chance to go birding with Christine, take it, [...]

My day Saturday was spent gulling the Niagara River, a most gull-friendly spot, especially in early winter. Three species were plentiful: Bonaparte’s Gull, Herring Gull, and Ring-billed Gull. I hiked down to the floor of the gorge at “The Whirlpool” and was amazed by the sheer number of Bonaparte’s Gulls that circled ceaselessly searching for [...]

I was in Plattsburgh, NY, for work, minding my own business and walking across SUNY-Plattsburgh’s campus. Bird calls, familiar bird calls: Pine Grosbeaks. Of course, I had my camera with me, as they had recently been reported there on a local listserv and, hey, you have to be prepared to see Pine Grosbeaks! messy eater [...]

It is time to announce for the second time the results of the Diabolical Bird ID Quiz, seeing as the first answers post disappeared into the ether of the internets. I am happy to report that both John of A DC Birding Blog and Jochen of Bell Tower Birding earned the respect and admiration of [...]

Good luck on this one. All of the pictures were taken at my Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Paul’s house in Saugerties, New York, this past weekend. These are birds at bird feeders and they were photographed at close range with my macro lens. Can you get all three? First to do so will earn the [...]

A couple of days after Will and I were at Noblewood and saw a Dunlin, local nature photographer Jeff Nadler went there and reported seeing a Sanderling. Apparently, someone thought it was pretty late for Sanderling or something, because Jeff posted this to a local listserv. For those pointing out that it’s running a bit [...]

First reported to very little fanfare on Monday, November 5, scads of birders have been trying to get documentation on a bird that if it is accepted, would be the first record of the species in the eastern United States. Details on the Vermont Birds listserv.

It took until the last day I was in northeastern Germany to see Eurasian Coots. I was worried I wouldn’t see one at all, but Hendrik and I tracked some down in some sewage ponds (don’t worry, the story will be told). We didn’t get the best looks but we did see them. Then, on [...]

The Pochard is a diving duck of Eurasia, similar to the North American Redhead and Canvasback. Somehow, despite having visited several good locations like the Gulper See that should have had at least a few, no Pochard was kind enough to swim or fly through my field of view. Until today, that is, when, not [...]

Despite the fact that I have been in Berlin for two full days now I haven’t seen very many species of bird yet. This is mostly because I have been spending my time getting to know the various species of beer and going to a wedding, which, by the way, was wonderful! Congratulations Mike and [...]

A recent evening saw me birding with Will at Peebles Island and we had not seen nearly enough birds. We were hoping to track down migrants fueling up for their flight south and had mostly found Black-capped Chickadees. Normally in the fall this is a great thing as, at least around here, “to find warblers [...]

On an early morning bird-stroll at Five Rivers this week I was hoping for flocks of warblers. I didn’t get any. I did, however, see many Gray Catbirds, Song Sparrows, and House Wrens. The highlight of the morning was an American Bittern that flushed from a pond and flew off far too quickly for my [...]

Three mystery birds pictures taken over the last couple of months await your eyes below. So click and guess in the comments! No clicking without guessing though, no matter how outrageously off you are…and, a word to the wise, the first two are rather easy (I think) but the last one might take a field [...]

In the midst of a full day’s search for rare birds on Long Island and in Queens a common bird stole the show, at least for a little while. A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was perched on a pine tree in the median at Jones Beach, being assaulted by Northern Mockingbirds. It flew to a second [...]

You know the birds I’m talking about. The little ones that run to and fro on tiny black legs, alternately chasing and being chased by waves on sandy beaches. They have a black bill in addition to their black legs and are white below and dark above. They’re the ones that probe in the wet [...]

After my last attempt at getting the perfect shot of a Cedar Waxwing in flight I vowed to try again so I was pleased to discover several waxwings have made the duck pond at Congress Park in Saratoga Springs their flycatching headquarters. I spent an entire lunch break yesterday trying to get the perfect flight [...]

One of my favorite things about birding Jones Beach is how even if there aren’t rare birds around there is still plenty to see. Even when the beach is crowded with swimmers there are still gulls and terns and plovers living their lives, and because they are relatively used to people one can often observe [...]