As days get longer and temperatures begin to climb, birds and birders are anxiously waiting for that annual bliss that comes with the change in seasons. Yes—you know what I am talking about: Spring Migration. While some species are already on the move, we’re waiting for that burst of northward movement from the bulk of […]
Tag: Long-billed Dowitcher
Territory battle
Instead of heading up the A12 we headed down the M20 arriving at a very murky Dungeness at first light. We attempted a short seawatch but the mist was a real problem as was the rain and lack of wind. We had a few Auks, Gannets and Sandwich Terns along with a single raft of […]
Seminole Ranch Conservation Area, 12/23/2016
This morning I drove to the Seminole Ranch Conservation Area. The parking area for it is right across the street from Orlando Wetlands Park. If there’s no hunt planned for the day, you can get there as early as you like and walk to the St. John’s River. The trail takes you to the St. […]
Alaska – 12th June (Day 16)
The morning started rather foggy and dreary, a big change from the amazingly warm weather we had been experiencing (up to 21c yesterday) and much more akin to the weather we were expecting. However, fairly quickly the fog cleared and the morning morning was gloriously sunny although rain set-in in the afternoon. We spent the […]
Arctic Warming Is Shrinking This Adorable Shorebird
The red knot shorebird is a tough, long-distance flier that migrates yearly from the Arctic into the Southern Hemisphere and back. For decades, the bird has been at risk because its food sources, such as crab eggs, have declined in the feeding grounds along its migratory route. Now an alarming discovery by an international team […]
Vermilion Flycatcher at Little Big Econ WMA, 12/31/2015
A few days ago, a Vermilion Flycatcher was found along the Little Big Econ River, very close to where it meets with the St. Johns River. This morning I decided to walk the Kilbee Tract of the Little Big Econ WMA to see if I could find it. It was a pretty easy walk to […]
Earlier snowmelt prompting earlier breeding of Arctic birds
A new collaborative study that included the work of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) biologists has revealed that migratory birds that breed in Arctic Alaska are initiating nests earlier in the spring, and that snowmelt occurring earlier in the season is a big reason why. The report, “Phenological advancement in arctic bird species: relative importance of […]
Restless Muse on Migrating Birds
Aristotle was a brilliant philosopher and observer of nature. He pioneered the study of zoology, but he was utterly clueless about bird migration. The seasonal appearance and disappearance of the birds in his native Greece perplexed him. Similar appearing species must be “transmuted” into each other across seasons, he reasoned, to explain the disappearance of […]