In a nutshell, the rules of nomenclature (naming species) states that the name given to a new species stands in its initial form even if there are mistakes. While it is a rare occasion when the scientific name does get altered, common names on the other hand often do get changed.Sometimes two birds (usually from…

At 1:25AM I picked up Frank. Edie was next at 1:40AM and the three of us were off, headed to Massachusetts. Five States later at 7:15AM we arrived just north of Plymouth Rock to find a half dozen frozen birders scanning all over the bay. At 7:55AM someone shouts ‘white-winged’ gull and sure enough one…

One of the biggest challenges about leading birding trips around the world is the increasingly-restrictive air travel regulations. By contrast, one of the newfound joys of travelling certainly has to be Nikon’s ED (extra low dispersion) 50mm fieldscope. It comes with either a straight or angled body and is the easiest, smallest, lightest and best…

Seventeen of us participated in a DVOC field trip that Tony led to the marshes in Cumberland County. Our target was the Sandhill Crane flock that has been overwintering here for many years. Though much of the marsh was covered in ice we did manage to see Hooded Mergansers, Boat-tailed Grackles, Swamp Sparrows, Sharp-shinned Hawks,…

I spent a little time today at Roosevelt Park, a wonderful small park in South Philadelphia that is part of Fairmount Park. The park is an excellent location to find wintering Rusty Blackbirds and see waterfowl relatively close. I soon found the rusties amongst Red-winged Blackbirds resting in a tree beside the large lake. Periodically…

It has certainly been darn right freezing of late. So cold that I have seen several birds with ice build up on them. I can only find very limited information about this and most of it relates to an anecdotal account or two, like a layer of ice on the wings of geese which render…

Today while looking for the crossbills at Valley Forge National Park I got to watch two insectivores with completely different foraging techniques, the Golden-crowned Kinglet and Brown Creeper. Both of whom were identified by call before I could sight either of them. To me their calls are similar; both being very high pitched thin calls,…

Irruptive invasions are sudden large movements of one or more species into an area where they are uncommon or not expected. We see this mostly with northern passerines, winter finches and owls. Most irruptions occur during the winter months and are normally due to food shortages on their normal wintering grounds. It does not happen…

We have a new President. A shaking of hands, a few words spoken, and our former Commander-in-Chief peacefully relinquished his place as the “Leader of the Free World.” The world is watching as history begins a new chapter for our country. The first minority, a man of color… of immediate African lineage is in charge…

It is a beautiful day –crisp and sunny, yet windless– here in my town, King of Prussia, in southeast PA. King of Prussia is an odd name for a town, I know, and it has a great history dating back to the Revolutionary War (we are right next to Valley Forge National Park, famous for…

During our exploration of Guyana we came across two very different species, each with Capuchin in their name. The word capuchin derives from a group of friars named the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, an offshoot from the Franciscans, who wore brown robes with large hoods covering their heads. When explorers reached the Americas in…

The names of birds feature prominently in major American sports. Did anyone notice that 3 of the last 4 football teams vying for the Superbowl have bird names? I am not sure how the Eagles could not beat the Cardinals – it should not even be a close matchup, but that is another story. A…