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 of…

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…

Today in southeast Pennsylvania the high temperature was 22° Fahrenheit. Definitely not butterfly weather! However, as I worked on the WildsideNatureTours.com web site, specifically the Mexico Monarch Butterfly Tour photo gallery, I pondered the life-cycles of other butterflies, like the Eastern Tiger Swallowtails pictured here, too. The Monarchs’ migration, and its trials, are well documented…

Winter has arrived! It was our coldest day in many years and what a difference a few hours can make. Driving through the Pine Barrens shortly after sunrise it was an astonishing minus 14F! We are talking only a few meters above sea level and less than 20 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. But, at…

With Guyana’s wide variety of pristine habitat, a wide variety of raptors would also be expected. I was not disappointed. From the more common Roadside Hawk to the  “holy grail” of raptors, the Harpy Eagle, I was able to photograph a plethora! Roadside Hawks can be found from just south of the Texas border (which…

The polarizing filter is one of the least discussed tools every photographer should learn to use properly. Many of the new photographers I have in my workshops have never heard of this wonderful gadget. They often know polarized sunglasses can be used to see fish in a stream, but never thought about having that option…

This morning I went looking for a flock of White-winged Crossbills that was reported yesterday along the Crum Creek in Delaware County. I did not manage to find them, but did come across a large group of American Robins feeding on Multi-flora Rose hips. This is a species that was introduced to this country from…

For most of us Northern Mockingbirds are a species that we associate with suburbia as well as rural hedgerows. Mockingbirds have two territories. One they fiercely defend during the springtime around their nest site and another in fall and winter around favorite fruiting shrubs. We even encounter them in the backyard especially if it is…

Binos. Tripod. Scope. Camera. Backpack. Water. Snack bar. All birding essentials. Gloves. Hat. Bike. Bike? Yes bike! It is 30 degrees out and sunny – a gorgeous day for a bike ride. But in the middle of winter? I pumped up the tires, put on the backpack and made the six mile journey to the…

As I allude to in an earlier blog, Philadelphia was the center of North American ornithology in the late 18th and 19th century and indeed it is still relevant today. A number of people played an important role and have been acknowledged with species named after them. Though most of these people are recognized in…