I just returned from a fishing trip to northeastern Montana with two biologist friends from graduate school. Impressive scenery. I expected it to be flat and cold. Well, it was cold, but the topography – mountains and valleys and canyons made for an attractive background. We fished and talked biology for 10 days. Not being […]
As I write this, I am at sea about 600 miles east of the Caribbean. Very few birds are in the middle of the ocean here except for the occasional shearwater. But yesterday we had some unusual avian visitors. First I saw a white egret circle the ship a few times. I wasn’t quite sure
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The title of this blog is a quote from our former president George W. Bush. Of course I refer to Canada, specifically Newfoundland, where I visited a while back in the fall season. One of the best things about traveling is learning history, culture, and especially geography. Do you know where the easternmost tip of
Our Most Important Neighbor to the North Read More »
Wherever I travel, I look for birds. Big cities, the suburbs, the sands of Namibia, and a few years back, Disney World. Disney World is huge, spread over 43 square miles and employing 50,000 people. Hordes of people, tens of thousands of vehicles, and enormous structures are everywhere, although a lot of natural vegetation
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I was reminded by a flock of Sandhill Cranes flying overhead that it’s that time of year again – migration. As the days lengthen as winter wanes, birds in northern climes get restless and finally uproot themselves from their southerly wintering areas. It’s always a sight to ducks and geese and cranes flying in their
Birds have been banded since ancient times. In one recorded instance a besieged Roman garrison was sent a swallow with three threads around its toes, indicating that help would arrive in three days. By the late 16th century many species of birds were being tagged in some way. Some Chinese put silver tablets on their
There is something like one bird book published every day in the U.S. Look in your local bookstore and you’ll find a plethora of titles. I gave a quick perusal of Amazon.com and found 432 books on hummingbirds alone – there were more, I just got tired of scrolling down the page. To the left
Bird Books of a Feather Read More »
 A couple of years ago there was a Falcated Duck visiting the Colusa Wildlife Refuge in Northern California, way out of its normal range of Russia, China, Mongolia, Japan, and Korea. Of course this got birdwatchers all excited and some came to see the bird from as far away as Florida. Now it’s certainly possible
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I was in Warsaw, Poland about ten years ago, just being a tourist. As my wife and I walked through the main square we noticed a lot of commotion and people gathering. We were curious so we stood around for a few minutes to see what was up and all of a sudden a
I just spent a week on Christmas Island in the country of Kiribati, 1200 miles southwest of Hawaii. This is my second visit to this volcanic coral reef for a fishing trip, and of course watching birds. It has been 15 years since my last visit and although not much has changed, one thing definitely
Christmas Island Birds and Climate Change Read More »
