Posts about: Birds

It all started with a simple question: How many species have I seen while running? I’m relatively list adverse compared to other birders; state, county and yard lists are common … Read more

I started birding when I was five years old, about (mumble) years ago. I’ve also been a serious runner for well over a decade, and will continue as long as … Read more

Chasing rare birds is rarely convenient. Unless you’re single, unemployed and avoid human interaction, jumping in a car at a moment’s notice to drive likely hours away will definitely impact … Read more

In the Davis Mountains of remote west Texas, I finally overcame a multi-year bout of “Montezuma’s Revenge.” Eight years, in fact. I first succumbed to the ailment in Southeastern Arizona. … Read more

It was a warm evening even though the sun had disappeared behind the marine horizon hours prior. Thickly vegetated trees—faintly illuminated by the incandescent porch lights—swayed gently in the sea … Read more

“Oh, you’re trying to find as many species as possible today?” I was a bit stupefied when these words came out of the mouth of our Trinidadian guide. It was … Read more

When I was a child, the California Condor made me cry. Not due to physical trauma, mind you. I wouldn’t have stood a chance against a bird that stood nearly … Read more

Cuba lies fewer than 100 miles off the Floridan coast and despite being just the size of Virginia – or half of Utah – the country holds twenty-seven species of … Read more

Nemesis bird. Some may think this refers to the antagonist in a Finnish smart phone game about “ill-tempered” avians. But it’s a term (painfully) familiar to most birders. A nemesis … Read more

It was our first backpacking trip of the year, and we knew there would be a few cobwebs: an obese backpack, forgotten necessities, atrophied quads, and sore heels. It was … Read more

Spotted Redshank. Terek Sandpiper. Dunlin. Lesser Sand-Plover. North Korean Border Guard. Red-necked St—wait, North Korean what? I was at the northern most point of the Yellow Sea, scanning an extensive, … Read more

It’s been a few years since I’d gone out to tally as many bird species as possible in twenty-four hours—not since I left my position at Seattle Audubon to move … Read more

Read all posts from this expedition to South Korea It is difficult to convey size with the written word. On the west coast of the Korean peninsula, the Saemangeum (say-MAHN-gum) … Read more

Read all posts from this expedition to South Korea Are you a birdwatcher who doesn’t like to get up early? This is roughly the equivalent of a baker who’s allergic … Read more

Read all posts from this expedition to South Korea “What’s your favorite bird?” It’s a frequent question posed to birdwatchers and I stumble for an example that people can relate … Read more

Read all posts from this expedition to South Korea “It’s just to the left of that red ramen container.” I found the piece of trash on the beach with my … Read more

Point A and Point B can both be exciting, but often times the best part of traveling between two points is the vehicle. And I’ve experienced a few: an elephant … Read more

There you are: jet-lagged and in a park near your hotel, before dawn, binoculars in hand. It’s the beginning of your European vacation and your family is still passed out … Read more

Yeah, it’s cliché, and I am certainly not the first birdwatcher to use, or perhaps abuse, this phrase. But when one travels to The Netherlands in winter to look for … Read more

When my eyes met binoculars in 2012, they were likely in pursuit of the feathered occupants of Paris, from tits to creepers. My wife and I moved to the capital … Read more