ANTARCTICA: The Iceberg Graveyard
BING-BANG-Bong!… Another beautiful, muted gray morning as we rose for breakfast. Looking out the port hole the view was incredible. Giant icebergs towered high above the water’s surface. Intense hues of blue and white above… and green, teal and deep blue below the surface.After breakfast we launched the zodiacs to explore the residents of this…
A Spring Bird Walk at Ridley Creek SP
Enjoyed a lovely spring walk this morning, on the DVOC field trip, through Ridley Creek State Park (above). Though this is one of Delaware County’s best spots to to witness the spectacle of spring migration, however we found only a few including Gray-cheeked Thrush, Black-throated Blue Warbler and several singing Blackpolls. There was plenty of…
ANTARCTICA: Neko Harbor
At Neko Harbor the Gentoo Penguins came out to greet us, swimming and porpoising around our zodiac and along the shoreline. Fun to watch, they were a challenge to photograph! While on shore, the crackling explosions of the huge glacier descending upon the bay kept us alert. We were warned of large waves that could…
ANTARCTICA: Skontorp Cove in Paradise Bay
BING-BANG-Bong… “Good morning, everybody, good morning!” Our wake-up call today seemed to come a bit too early. It was dark and gray and the heavy cloud cover made the morning seem dark and muted. I braced for the cold as I went outside and was pleasantly surprised at how warm it seemed, even surrounded by…
A few spaces to fill on our Maine Puffin Journey!
We still have a few spaces we would like to fill on our Maine Puffin Journey. This trip is designed for birders and photographers as we travel by private, 90 ft. yacht along the rugged Maine coast. From Belfast, Maine, on Penobscot Bay we will motor throughout the protected coves to enjoy nesting sea birds…
ANTARCTICA: Deception Island
Deception Island, once a whaling station, was a British Base during WWII. The base was built to ‘deceive’ the Germans into believing that the Allied Forces had mis-translated their coded communications. In fact, the Allies had advanced interpretation equipment and knew exactly what the German forces had planned… but did not want them to have…
Nikon/DVOC Lagerhead Shrikes win World Series of Birding
Lagerhead Shrikes logo © Adrian Binns Congratulations to the NIKON/DVOC Lagerhead Shrikes – Paul Guris, Mike Fritz, Bert Filemyr and Zach Baer – on tying for 1st place in the World Series of Birding with 228 species. This is a 24 hour birding event that is held in New Jersey and it is the 10th time in…
MAGEE MARSH: The Biggest Day in American Birding!
Hopefully this will sum it up, but on second thoughts it will not come close to doing today justice. Yesterday afternoon’s winds came from the south and heavy storms crossed the area last night. The potential for an excellent day of migrants was in place. Black-throated Blue female, Parula, Warbling Vireo, Black-and-white acting like a…
ANTARCTICA: First Landfall – Livingston Island
Land… I see land! BING-BANG-Bong… “Good morning everybody good morning,” our expedition leader’s voice boomed. The water was calm. It was overcast and a balmy 30 degrees fahrenheit. No wind, thank goodness! We devoured a buffet breakfast and prepared for our first zodiac boat launch to Livingston Island. Gentoo Penguins were the first to greet…
MAGEE MARSH: Raw and Wonderful
What a difference a day can make. Though the unseasonably cool weather and overcast skies continued, it was raw, barely reaching 50 degrees, the winds had died down and all we got in the way of precipitation was misty conditions for half the morning. The extensive car park at Magee Marsh was full of cars.…