On this mornings walk around the neighborhood, the songs of Carolina Wren, House Wren, European Starling, Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, American Robin, Brown-headed Cowbird, Carolina Chickadee, Blue Jay, Red-tailed Hawk, or was that a Blue Jay imitating a Red-tail, and Black-billed Cuckoo are all coming from one direction. What is interesting is that it is not…

Well she is still sitting on eggs. No surprise that my guesstimate as to the hatch date was off! Checking on it today, she took two short stints off the nest and both times sat back down just as she would if there were eggs there. Since they have yet to hatch, I thought I…

Warblers can be frustrating! As I previously mentioned, most warblers can be identified by just their head… but what if you never get to see the head? They flit behind a leaf just as you get your binoculars or camera lens focused on them. They never sit still and they prefer to remain high in…

I have lived in King of Prussia, PA for over 40 years. I have birded every inch of the area and have found many great things in pockets of woods along the creek, Walker Run, which runs through my neighborhood and flows into the Schuylkill River about a mile away. Baltimore Orioles, Cedar Waxwings, Gray…

My friend and fellow club member Sue Killeen sent me these photos along with the heading “Mystery Hawk at my Birdbath” in the hopes that I could identifying it. Sue lives in a very wooded area near French Creek State Park in PA (corner of Berks, Montgomery and Chester Counties). She wrote…… “It is about…

On Thursday, May 28, I joined the Seasons class from the Souderton Charter School Collaborative (SCSC) for a Cape May Whale Watch. Sixth grade science teacher (and long-time friend), Paula Mandracchia, co-authored the Seasons science curriculum for the school which is based on the cycles of nature. Last autumn I had joined the Seasons class…

Ten kids and eight adults met today at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, near the Philadelphia International Airport for the third official meeting of the PA Young Birders Club. After our brief “business meeting” we ventured onto the paved trail through the refuge. Almost immediately Justin, one of our youngest participants, found…

Here on the East Coast we only have one summer resident hummingbird and that is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Males typically begin to arrive in the Delaware Valley around mid April having wintered in Central America. They set up a territory based upon the most favorable food sources. Once the females have arrived and are accepted…

I was invited to the preview reception for the unveiling of the McNeil Avian Center at Philadelphia Zoo. Now Philadelphia’s most exotic avian species have a new home in this attractive environmentally friendly building. The facility implements geo-thermal climate control as well as natural ventilation and lighting that adjusts accordingly to the outside conditions. Within…

Austin proudly calls itself The Live Music Capital of the World, and there is little doubt once you have set foot here. On any given night thousands of people can find themselves entertained by rock and roll, the blues, country, hillbilly, jazz and tejano, at any of the cities two hundred plus bars and venues,…

Passing by the beautifully lit up State Capitol building (above in Austin) last night I could see and hear 5 Common Nighthawks hawking insects around the very top of the dome. Today I returned to wander around the well manicured grounds with its assortment of stately trees to see what was about. A Northern Mockingbird…

Stu, George, Scott and I met Mark at Bastrop State Park, about 30 miles east of Austin, to look for a Swainson’s Warbler. This is probably the furthest west one could find this southern breeder. The large park consists of extensive tracts of pinewoods, dominated by Loblolly Pine and Water Oaks with an understory of…