My winter birding trip to Minnesota was proving successful, with great looks at Northern Hawk Owl and Great Gray Owl, as well as Pine Grosbeak, Gray Jay and Boreal Chickadee at some of the numerous feeders in the Sax-Zim bog region.Zub-zero temperatures reigned, as we continued on to explore the Duluth/Superior area, in search of…

I decided to escape the deep snows of Philadelphia by going to Minnesota for a short winter birding trip!  I was joined by California Girls, Ann, Janis and Michelle, none of whom have ever felt a northern winter. With constant, below-zero temperatures, this was definately a new experience for them! We spent much time northwest of…

Wow, technology! I am the proud owner of a new Verizon iPhone and can now blog from anywhere. I’m not sure that’s a good thing but I am looking forward to playing! I am very curious how many of our readers use smartphones for blogging? For reading blogs? – Kevin – Posted using BlogPress from…

Puerto Rican Spindalis Our final day of the Endemic Dash offered more wonderful birds to savor! We began the morning in the gardens of the Fajardo Inn, the best place to find the Green-throated Carib and Antillean Crested Hummingbird. As we waited for the hummers, a beautiful male Spindalis flew in for great views. Antillean…

Adelaide’s Warbler Our fourth day began with a quick visit to the La Parguera water treatment plant to get close views of White-cheeked Pintail before heading off to Guanica State Forest. This dry forest in southern Puerto Rico offers great birding along the main trail leading off the parking area. Here we had stunning views…

Puerto Rican Spindalis (female)  This morning was full of song. Eating breakfast was difficult as interruptions were frequent. Antillean Euphonias, Puerto Rican Bullfinches and a pair of Puerto Rican Spindalis were definitely highlights. Saddlebags sp.  A visit to Laguna Cartegena offered lots of dragonflies and a few butterflies as well as another Masked Duck, West…

Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoo  The second day of this trip was spectacular! A day full of endemics, we began in Cambalache with great views of a very close, cooperative Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoo. We had (introduced) Monk Parakeet flyovers here as well. Red-legged Thrushes we quite common as were Puerto Rican Woodpeckers. We found several…

Pied-billed Grebe As everyone arrived early, we were able to easily explore a few extra locations on this Endemic Dash first day. The ponds in the north offered nice views of Pied-billed Grebes, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer and Spotted Sandpiper. Caribbean (American) Flamingo Our flamingo was still in the pond and wandered back and…

Puerto Rican Spindalis Our Puerto Rico Endemic Dash is a whirlwind tour… 5-days & 4-nights of birding fun! We hit every corner of the tiny island of Puerto Rico, which is ‘only’ 110 miles long by 39 miles. The roads, however, are not all straight, and we easily drive over 600 miles in 5 days…

Golden-Olive Woodpecker Birding along the Urubamba River in Auguas Calientes, below Machu Picchu, can be quite productive. This day was no disappointment! Woodpeckers, flycatchers, tanagers and warblers were all coopertative. Highland Motmot We saw no less than three Highland Motmots… in one view! This one swooped in a bit closer to perch on a rock…

What a way to finish our wonderful trip to Peru. While birding along the river below Machu Picchu we were treated to a Spectacled Bear feeding on the bromeliads in a tree over the river! We watched and enjoyed this beautiful creature for nearly 30 minutes! video and text © Kevin Loughlin

Our final location on this trip was the magnificent Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. This marvel of architecture was built in the 1400’s, before the arrival of the first Europeans. It was used for about 100 years, until the Spanish Conquest helped diminish the Incan population through war and disease, although the Spanish never actually…