50,000 Snow Geese look like snow!Today’s PA Young Birder’s, a privileged four kids, three parents and four volunteer leaders witnessed the strong beginnings of the waterfowl migration through Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) near Kleinfeltersville, PA. Shortly after arrival at the WMA we began spotting many geese with yellow, numbered rings on their necks and…

We have a new tour to see and photograph Atlantic Puffins–a fun, exciting and inspirational cruise along the Maine coast! The Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) is a seabird species in the auk family. It is a pelagic bird that feeds primarily by diving for fish, but also eats other sea creatures, such as squid and…

Our final day, our last opportunity to see the huge numbers of Monarch Butterflies, could not have been planned better. We departed for Cerro Pelon on a beautiful crisp day offering blue skies filled will puffy, white clouds. Our first stop was at the local school to deliver supplies like pencils, pens, chalk, markers and…

Russet-crowned Motmot The rains have been tough on Mexico during this El Niño year. The historic town of Angangueo was hit by mud slides, killing 18 people, just a week before we flew to Mexico. We stayed in Tlalpuhua instead. Below the town of Jungapeo the river swelled to five times its normal size, sweeping…

A star of our birding trip was the tufted flycatchers that were so very cooperative for the photographers. This one, photographed in the rain while perched over a reservoir outside Zitacuaro, often came too close for focusing! On the same lake, Barn Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows zipped by too fast for focusing, but perched…

Getting great scope views of winter ducks! Better late than never! This trip report was from our January 9 PA Young Birders Club field trip! Eleven kids and their families, including students from Kevin’s sister’s Kim’s Project Eagle, braved the frigid temperatures and wind on this sunny morning to walk the jetty at Barnegat Lighthouse. …

We came to see the Monarch Butterflies. One is a beautiful creature… silent as it flutters by. These fragile creatures migrate to the high mountains of Mexico every year by the millions. Here they over-winter before mating and then returning (just the females) to the USA and Canada. Here they lay their eggs and die.…

A church along the main road to Tlalpujua. Mexico is a land of wonderful color. Although we were there for the Monarch Butterflies and the many species of birds, there was no driving passed any photo opportunity. The many and varied churches made for some great studies in color and texture. A church off the…

Monarch Butterflies cover the trees at Cerro Pelon. WOW! The Monarchs were definitely there! There being their wintering grounds in the mountains of Mexico in the state of Michoacan. Each year millions of these seemingly fragile creatures make their way thousands of miles to a small region in Mexico to over-winter, and each year we…

Splashing around in the Bioluminescent Bay creates an eerie blue glow! The unfortunate name of Puerto Mosquito was bestowed on this natural marvel centuries ago. However, Puerto Mosquito on the tiny island of Vieques (off Puerto Rico’s eastern shore) is now considered one of the best bioluminescent bays in the world. Mosquito Bay’s eerie, electric…

This Pearly-eyed Thrasher was preening after a bath in the morning dew. The Pearly-eyed Thrasher is not a Puerto Rican endemic as it is found on many islands in the Caribbean. An opportunistic omnivore, the thrasher feeds mainly on insects, but also on fruit, lizards, small crabs and other birds’ eggs and young. An aggressive…

Few words are needed for this image. The Cubuy River and its spectacular falls lie a short walk down the hill from Casa Cubuy, our lodge for two nights. Along with these incredible views, Casa Cubuy is also the most reliable place to find the endemic Puerto Rican Screech Owl. photo and text © Kevin…