Tropical Kingbird in Cape May!

By Alex Lamoreaux | November 1, 2022

Tropical Kingbird has an infamous aversion to New Jersey, but finally Cape May pulled it off! Howard Weinberg was the first to find it from the Coral deck, and over 60 birders were able to see it throughout the afternoon today! This sighting nicely lines up with a slew of records in the mid-Atlantic over…

ZIMBABWE PHOTO SAFARI

By Adrian Binns | July 17, 2022

If you’ve ever dreamed of photographing big cats, elephants, and birds on iconic plains of Africa, check-out this wonderful opportunity! Wildside Nature Tours’ photo instructor extraordinaire Lee Hoy and senior safari guide Adrian Binns team-up to guide an outstanding Zimbabwe-Zambia photo safari in January 2023. There are 3 spaces remaining for an unforgettable, immersive experience among…

Aerial Display

By Adrian Binns | July 5, 2022

Leaping from the top of a tall column. Soaring straight up into the sky on outstretched wings. Descending in a head-first dive before stopping at the last minute. These amazing aerial displays reflect the bold spirit of a Northern Mockingbird trying his best to attract a mate. He lives in the cemetery blocks from my…

Backyard Bounty

By Adrian Binns | June 30, 2022

June brings a bustle of avian activity to my suburban Philadelphia backyard. Birds are busy building nests, incubating eggs, and feeding their offspring. Blue Jays raised three chicks in the canopy of our magnolia tree – the first time this species has nested in the yard. The young jays were surprisingly quiet while waiting for…

Ocean City Summer Spectacle

By Adrian Binns | June 27, 2022

Ocean City New Jersey is a favorite summer destination for surf, sand, and sunshine. For birders, Ocean City brings extra-special summer fun, hosting a large rookery of wading birds that is highly accessible and fascinating. At the Ocean City Welcome Center, situated off the busy causeway that spans the bay, hundreds of herons, egrets and…

“Kamchatka” Common Gull in Connecticut!

By Alex Lamoreaux | February 15, 2022

Patrick Dugan discovered a stunning adult “Kamchatka” Common Gull on February 10th along the Stamford, Connecticut coastline. Lauren and I were driving from NH to PA on the 12th to visit my family, so it was a very quick detour off 95 to see this rarity which was a lifer for Lauren and lifer subspecies…

Alex’s 2021 Highlights

By Alex Lamoreaux | December 30, 2021

As we are about to close out 2021 and start touring all over again for 2022, I thought it would be nice to take a look back through my photo collection for the year and pull out a few of my personal highlights from each month. 2021 turned out to be a great year as…

Pale Eurasian Collared-Doves

By Alex Lamoreaux | December 23, 2021

Out of the dozens of bird species introduced to the Americas, none has been so instantly successful or has spread so rapidly than the Eurasian Collared-Dove. These large doves were introduced to the Bahamas in the mid-1970’s, quickly spreading to Florida, and then their population exploded to the point where they have been recorded in…

Hybrid Couch’s/Tropical Kingbird x Scissor-tailed Flycatcher plus a bonus Bullock’s Oriole!

By Alex Lamoreaux | November 24, 2021

Since we are up in New Hampshire for Thanksgiving Lauren diBiccari, Janel diBiccari, and I had the opportunity to chase after the stunning Couch’s/Tropical Kingbird x Scissor-tailed Flycatcher hybrid which has been very cooperatively hanging out at a WMA near the New Hampshire coast for 10 days now. The only other eBird record of this…

World Tourism Day

By Adrian Binns | September 27, 2021

World Tourism Day celebrated every September 27, was established to create awareness of the impact of tourism within the international community. For many countries tourism plays a huge role in the economy, and it is no different in Africa where I have just returned from safaris to Uganda and Zambia. For the last 18 months…

Great White Heron Out-of-Bounds

By Adrian Binns | September 3, 2021

Most birders love surprises, especially the kind that involve a rare bird in an unusual location! The Philadelphia birding community was certainly excited when a Great White Heron was found in the Manayunk Canal, on the western side of the city. This is actually a white morph of the ubiquitous Great Blue Heron, widespread throughout…

Flashing Mockingbird

By Adrian Binns | September 1, 2021

One of my favorite local birding spots is a stretch of the Delaware River behind the Philadelphia Airport. From a clearing on the vegetated shoreline, I scan through an assortment of gulls, terns and shorebirds over the water. Upland birds enjoy the space, too. One day I was absorbed in watching a Northern Mockingbird that…