Experiencing migration is one of my favorite parts of birding. Whether I’m scouring a small patch of habitat, looking over an expansive wetland, or watching the skies at a hawkwatch site, I’m always tuned in to birds from faraway places. My interest in bird migration comes from both a severe case of wanderlust and a […]
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In the fall of 2007, I was hired to count the raptor migration along the Eastern Shore of Virginia. My good friend, Joe Medley, was also there working on trapping and banding migrating hawks just down the path from me. By late November, migration had slowed to a crawl. Those peak days in September and […]
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Some birds demand attention with color or sound, while others reward you for looking closer. The Gadwall (Mareca strepera) falls into that second category. It’s the kind of duck most people overlook: gray, quiet, and tucked among brighter species. But spend a moment watching one in good light, and it becomes clear, plain is not […]
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As autumn deepens across North America, the rhythm of open water begins to shape where Bald Eagles spend the colder months. In northern latitudes, when lakes and rivers start to freeze, fish and waterfowl concentrate around the remaining open leads where water continues to flow. In the interior West, deep reservoirs and prairie lakes often […]
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In the field, plumage often gets the most attention, but the color of a bird’s eye can be just as striking. From the icy white iris of a Common Grackle to the deep ruby glow of a Spotted Towhee, eye color in birds ranges from pale yellow to fiery orange to blood red. It’s not […]
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Each fall, a narrow coastal corridor in eastern Mexico becomes one of the busiest bird highways on Earth. This region, where the Sierra Madre Oriental meets the Gulf of Mexico, creates a natural funnel that channels millions of southbound migrants through the skies over Veracruz. By early October, the Veracruz bird migration is in full […]
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Birds don’t just look different from us. Their bodies are shaped by the unique demands of flight and sound. Every feather, breath, and beat is part of a system refined by evolution for maximum efficiency. Whether it’s a hummingbird darting from flower to flower or a robin singing from a treetop, their actions are powered […]
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September is one of the most exciting months of the year for birders, as fall migration brings a quiet kind of beauty. While spring dazzles with bright colors and bold songs, autumn rewards birders who are patient and present. Warblers, tanagers, flycatchers, and thrushes pass through in drabber or less distinct plumages blending into their […]
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If your feeders feel less busy this month, it’s not just your imagination. August can feel like a lull, but in the lives of many birds, it’s anything but. Molting Season By now, many of the songbirds we saw in spring have finished raising young. They’re entering a critical stage known as the prebasic molt, […]
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Each July, after the first real monsoon rains, I find myself scanning the forest floor a little more closely, not for feathers or tracks but for the rounded, red-brown cap of Boletus rubriceps. Also known as the Rocky Mountain porcini, it’s one of the best-tasting wild mushrooms in the West—firm, earthy, and deeply satisfying. I […]
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