IN THE BACKYARD : Philadelphia early-April
April started off cold and windy around Philadelphia. It didn’t feel much like spring, but birds migrate regardless of weather, following their age-old instinct to reach their breeding grounds, to hatch and raise the next generation. Our backyard was greening-up fast, and a handful of early migrants dropped in for sustenance. In the first days…
Early breeding warblers
As spring migration marches steadily up the Atlantic flyway, three of our locally-breeding warblers are among the earliest to arrive in the Philadelphia region – Pine Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Louisiana Waterthrush. Between mid-March and early April they appear in my local green spaces, and by the first week of April, are establishing territories and…
*Apparent* Gray-breasted Martin in NYC!
On April 1st Doug Gochfeld discovered an immature female Progne martin species flying around Prospect Lake in Brooklyn, New York City. In short, the small size and overall appearance suggests a Gray-breasted Martin over the expected Purple Martin. Cuban or Caribbean Martin are also options, however plumage and size details lean toward Gray-breasted. This would…
IN THE BACKYARD : Philadelphia in March
March is a month of transition, as winter melts into spring, and brings exciting changes in my backyard flora and fauna. While snow lingered in the first week after late-February storms, crocuses bloomed and a chipmunk emerged from its winter slumber to look for seeds under the feeder. Several rabbits criss-cross the yard frequently –…
Osprey eagle skirmish
On this beautiful sunny Saturday, I drove over to one of my favorite birding spots along the Delaware River in the metro-Philly area. Ospreys, a Pennsylvania species of concern, returned from their overwintering grounds in the past two weeks, and I was hoping to see one today. At a local shipping facility surrounded by wetlands,…
California Condors returning to northern CA!
Some very exciting news from the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the Yurok Tribe – there is a plan to release 4 to 6 juvenile California Condors into Redwood National Park and surrounding areas of northern California each year, starting this fall! For over 100 years, condors have been absent from northern CA and…
ABA adds exotic parrot
The American Birding Association (ABA) has just added 3 birds to the official ABA Checklist: Hooded Crane, Northern Giant-Petrel and Mitred Parakeet (Psittacara mitratus). While the first two are vagrants in the ABA region, the Mitred Parakeet is a non-native species that has become established in several states courtesy of the pet trade – either released…
Pink-footed in Providence!
Toward the end of February, a rare Pink-footed Goose made a brief pit-stop at a very tiny patch of open water along the Woonasquatucket River in Providence, Rhode Island. It was a much-wanted lifer for Lauren and a great excuse to visit our friends in Providence, so we made the 1.5 hour chase down from…
Blizzard of Snow Geese at Middle Creek WMA
This weekend I spent several afternoons birding and photographing at Middle Creek WMA (Wildlife Management Area) in Lancaster County, PA. The location – 6,000 acres of field and forest – is a premier destination to see Snow Geese congregating in huge numbers in early March. I never tire of the spectacle of thousands of birds…
Birding Urban Edges
Today I enjoyed a unique opportunity to bird the water treatment facility in southwest Philadelphia. Debbie and I gained special permission to access the site, which is not open to the public. Our driving loop began near the tank ponds, where large flocks of blackbirds – a mix of European Starlings and Red-winged Blackbirds, with…
IN THE BACKYARD : Philadelphia in February
After a mild January, February jolted us into winter reality with repeated snowstorms and chronic freezing days. Snow piles are still lingering in the last day of the month, which happens to be raining. Backyard bird feeders have been hopping with the usual assortment of species, and we’re always on the lookout for something different.…
Great Backyard Bird Count Weekend
The 24th annual Great Backyard Bird Count wrapped up with impressive citizen-science efforts to benefit birds. For 4 winter days, February 12-15, 2021, volunteers spent time in their backyards, local parks, and city spaces, to count more than 6,200 avian species across the globe. Wildside Nature Tours jumped into the event to record birds from…