I made the 8.5 hour drive safely to OH!. It is 12:22 AM as begin to type… I am going to bed as I want to be up for the dawn chorus at Magee Marsh. However, I wanted to offer a hint of the next post. The past 5 hours I spent at Mango Momma’s…

A young Black Bear in my backyard in Promised Land State Park, PA. Spring migration is here! One of my favorite locations to go birding is in the park in which I spent most of my childhood, Promised Land State Park. I was two weeks old, according to my mom, the first time I went…

Just a quick note to let folks know that the PA Young Birders Club has a new web site up and running. There’s not much to it yet, but we will be adding more info and a blog in the near future. Check it out at: http://www.PaYoungBirders.org

The Spring Peepers are singing! The PEeEP of one is a really cool sound. When there are hundreds, the clamor is deafening! Last night I joined science teacher (and Wildside Nature Tours trip co-leader), Paula Mandracchia, and a group of students at the Game Farm Preserve on Game Farm Road (just west of the intersection…

In the previous post we discussed rare birds which may be common in other regions. So how about some “common” birds? The Common Loon above is the icon of the north woods. Common in many parts of northern USA and southern Canada, its eerie wale is recognized by nearly everyone. So distinctive, it is oft…

I was recently asked, “What is the rarest bird you’ve seen?” This question actually comes up a lot during tours, and the answer is never really quick and easy. Rarities can be found anywhere one looks. For example, rarities show up in Cape May, NJ quite often — I remember one event in particular. A…

We had our second meeting of the PA Young Birders Club and added a few new participants! Today’s group was 16 — 8 kids and 8 adults. A few from the last meeting could not join us today due to other commitments, but they let me know by email that they are still interested. We…

What is that sound? drdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdr… I had been sound asleep. drdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdr… it was emanating from the water heater closet. drdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdr… Oh no, now what!? drdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdr… I opened the closet door to listen more closely. drdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdr… but it was coming from a place higher up. drdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdr… I went up to the living room and heard it…

Now is the time to get out and look for the American Woodcock as it does its twilight courtship flight in our region. Once known as the Timberdoodle, a name with various guesses as to its origins, the woodcock’s courtship begins with a series of peeent calls in all directions. Then, without warning, he takes…

A while back I posted still images of the amazing Monarch Migration, but I enjoyed making the Alaska video so much I wanted to try something else! So here is a compilation of a few Monarch videos a took in Michoacan, Mexico last year. Next years trip will be February 14-20, 2010. Hope you can…

Alaska is an incredible place! There is so much to see and do, every day is full of unexpected adventure. As I was reviewing some of my images while creating brochures and web sites, I came across a couple of video clips from one of last summer’s Alaska adventures. I think the video speaks for…

Frigate comes from a 16th century French or Italian name for a light, fast boat. Later the term was used to describe a fast, armament laden ship… the preferred vessel of the feared pirates. With a wingspan of over 7 feet and weighing in at only a little over 3 pounds, Frigatebirds are light and…