Warblers – Where To Go And When

By Greg Miller | April 8, 2019

Spring is finally here. Well. Early spring. Weather teases us with warmer temperatures and then bashes us with the last blasts of winter’s fury. It’s an up and down time for weather. But the birds know that change is in the air. And birds are looking for favorable winds from the south to help them…

 
     

Help For Your Hearing

By Greg Miller | March 21, 2019

  I grew up with many, many ear infections as a child. In my early 30s, I had a surgery on my right ear called a mastoidectomy. It was greatly successful and I recovered 100% of my hearing. But about 20 years later I noticed a mild decline in hearing. I was straining to hear…

 
     

IBG Spotlight – Where To Go in January: Santa Clara County, California

By Greg Miller | January 14, 2019

  IBG is my creation–Impatient Birder’s Guide. Latest data in my database is from the 299 most-eBirded counties in the United States from 2006-2016. I am highlighting Santa Clara County, California today. Why? January is the “best time to go” to Santa Clara County for the greatest number of anticipated species seen in one week…

 
     

Big Year Tours Spotlight: Florida – Reddish Egret

By Greg Miller | January 4, 2019

  Back in 2015 I was sitting with Kevin Loughlin, owner of Wildside Nature Tours, in his house near Philadelphia. We were brainstorming about an idea I had to do a few “Big Year” style tours. Together we came up with 11 one-week tours. These 11 tours were crafted around Wildside’s busy birding festival schedule…

 
     

IBG Spotlight: Cape May Warbler

By Greg Miller | August 8, 2018

What is IBG? It’s the Impatient Birder’s Guide. It’s my own creation from eBird data at eBird.org. The latest iteration is from data collected from 2006-2016 as of September, 2016. I have data from the 299 most eBirded counties in the United States representing all 50 States. Nearly half of all the checklists for the…

 
     

DIY Big Year: Breaking It Down By Strategy By Trip By Priority

By Greg Miller | December 6, 2017

In the first section I discussed with you several strategies for doing a working person’s Big Year using 4 weeks (or 20 days) of vacation. The four strategies are: Four one-week trips for 400+ species without Alaska & Hawaii Four one-week trips for 400+ species with Alaska & Hawaii 10 Long Weekends without Alaska &…

 
     

DIY Big Year: 10 Long Weekends Species Master List (with Alaska & Hawaii)

By Greg Miller | December 4, 2017

Here is a big list of all 553 “possible” species listed in eBird format. By possible I mean any species that has been submitted to eBird, an online database of checklists, between 2006 and 2016 as of mid September 2016. I have further filtered the data so that what is listed are all at least…

 
     

DIY Big Year: 10 Long Weekends Species Master List

By Greg Miller | December 1, 2017

  Here is a big list of all 509 “possible” species listed in eBird format. By possible I mean any species that has been submitted to eBird, an online database of checklists, between 2006 and 2016 as of mid September 2016. I have further filtered the data so that what is listed are all at…

 
     

DIY Big Year: 4 Weeks 400 Species Master List (with Alaska & Hawaii)

By Greg Miller | November 29, 2017

  Here is a big list of all 443 “possible” species listed in eBird format. By possible I mean any species that has been submitted to eBird, an online database of checklists, between 2006 and 2016 as of mid September 2016. I have further filtered the data so that what is listed are all at…

 
     

DIY Big Year: Resources

By Greg Miller | November 20, 2017

  The Basics Binoculars The best binoculars are the ones you are going to carry with you. Everywhere if you are doing a Big Year. Maybe you don’t feel comfortable carrying a pair of high end binoculars everywhere you go. Or maybe you are just scared of carrying a priceless gem for which you have…

 
     

DIY Big Year: 4 Weeks 400 Species Master List

By Greg Miller | October 19, 2017

Here is a big list of all 435 “possible” species listed in eBird format. By possible I mean any species that has been submitted to eBird, an online database of checklists, between 2006 and 2016 as of mid September 2016. I have further filtered the data so that what is listed are all possible. But…

 
     

DIY Big Year: Increasing Your Efficiency

By Greg Miller | October 18, 2017

If you have ever done a Big Year you will probably have experienced spending an inordinate amount of time on one species in a specific area or a particular time of year only to find out later that this same species is much easier and/or quicker to find in another area or at a different…