Big Half Year « Birdchick

Wondering on Whimbrels

Last week I was in Los Angeles, California and while there I had some whimbrels hanging out with me on the beach (incidentally, that is now bird 138 for my Digiscoping Big Year challenge to help build a Visitor Center for Sax Zim Bog).

These are always cool birds to see–gotta love that [...]

My Perfect Birding Day

Yesterday went kerflooey. Someone close to me was in the Boston Marathon and I knew she had finished… but didn’t know where she was. Her phone would go directly to voicemail. Was it off? Was it tucked away in a locker? Was she caught in pandemonium? Was she injured or worse? Was she at the [...]

Broken Toe Birding Part 2

In the previous blog post, chronicled how I broke my pinky toe and was birding Estero Llano Grande in the Rio Grande Valley with a bit of a handicap.

Ranger John was graciously giving me a tour of the park via tram and we picked up a few extra birders along the way. We [...]

A Little Connecticut Birding

I had a great time speaking Connecticut Ornithological Association last week. I was honored to be part of a Cornell/Birdchick sandwich. Marshall Iliff from eBird spoke before me and I was followed by Steve Kress of Project Puffin. I was kind of the cheesy filling that brings the sandwich together. I tested out some new material [...]

Birding In The Arena

Watching as much tv and movies as I do, I frequently find myself in places that are practically celebrities from being used so much as sets so much. My recent project was last minute and I didn’t realize where all we would be working and one morning as I was being driven to my daily [...]

West Coast Beach Birding

The beauty of bird watching is that you have something to do, no matter where you go, no matter how urban.

I had a project in Los Angeles to work on and time spent on a beach is never wasted and there always birds…though many of them were gulls (not my favorite). But I [...]

Winter Won’t Stop Coming

This time last year, I was kind of freaking out because it was crazy warm and I was tapped to help out with some eagle nest surveys. The leaves were fast approaching and there was concern that we wouldn’t be able to see into the nests from the plane, much less if there were eggs [...]

A Surprise Bird

I got a surprise bird for my Big Half Year fundraiser for the Friends of Sax Zim Bog…a Townsend’s Solitaire a mere three miles from my house. This bird is a bit out of range. And normally, I’m not much of a chaser in Minnesota, I’ve seen this bird before in its usual range and [...]

Digiscoping In Low Light

I mentioned in a previous post that I went up North to get a look at all the boreal owls that are showing up. The trip was originally intended for just Sax Zim Bog birding, but we spent some time in Duluth first to see some owls. Speaking of which, there is some major public [...]

Nemesis Birds

UPDATE: The Duluth News Tribune joined us for part of the day and you can see our birding posse and learn more about Minnesota’s boreal owl irruption here.

Nothing says winter in Minnesota like snow drifting into a port-a-potty.

I can’t really do my Big Half Year fundraiser for the Friends [...]

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