Shorebirder

My late March solo visit to Norway is in the books and was about as much fun as I've had in a while. The middle few days of the trip were spent birding around Varanger, bookended by more touristy time in  Tromsø  and Oslo. At some point in the coming months there will be a full trip report here plus a very detailed Cloudbirders submission. In the meantime, here is some proof that I actually went.  - NB

I kid. New Haven gets a bad rap, and it really shouldn't. Or is it "bad rep??" I just don't know. New Haven: Come for the pizza, stay for the crime! Last week I was out messing with my brand new camera body, the Canon R5, which at the time I had paired with my trusty ol' 400mm f5.6. I was walking back to the car at Fort Hale Park when I heard a "THWACK!" right next to me followed by the most awful gull scream you've ever heard. I looked down to my left and a Ring-billed Gull was flailing a bloody, broken right wing. Looking up I eventually located the culprit, a hefty adult (presumed) female PEREGRINE FALCON. It seemed odd that the falcon didn't remain on its prey, so I am assuming that it was startled by my human presence mere feet from its attack. I retreated down to the water's edge to presumably watch the 'grin return for its meal. The falcon seemed noncommittal though. It made a couple passes near the gull but for whatever reason ref...

Yesterday afternoon (5 Feb 2022) was cold and blustery, but the sun was shining and I was itching to use my new Canon R5 for the first time. So I went down to the West Haven Boat Ramp to try shooting gulls from the car. This site is reliable for close views of gulls without having to brave the elements, and the afternoon sun would be at my back. A first cycle ICELAND GULL was on site for a bit. Otherwise I practiced with the new camera and experimented with different settings, particularly different autofocus modes. At one point a distant Brant flock took flight across the harbor and I took the opportunity to shoot a few artsy (and I use that word very loosely) photos of the flock with East Rock Park in the background. While sorting through the images that evening I picked out a "BLACK" BRANT that happened to be perfectly lit and positioned for an identifiable photo. It's better to be lucky than good! original photo crop with "Black" Brant the bottom bird first ...

Happy New Year! Back in 2019 (which seems like ages ago, doesn't it?!) I set out on a statewide "Self-Found Big Year" here in Connecticut. I will be presenting the concept of a SFBY and a summary of my endeavors at two upcoming meetings, at least the first of which will be VIRTUAL VIA ZOOM given the current local status of COVID-19. New Haven Bird Club - January 13 @ 7pm & Hartford Audubon Society - February 8 @ 7pm Click the above links for more information. At some point in the future I may finally post my SFBY results in written form in this space, if I ever get around to it!! - Nick

The Big Sit! is an annual event on a predetermined weekend in October during which teams attempt to see or hear as many bird species as possible from the confines of a 17-foot circle. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is! There really is only one major rule: someone must see or hear said bird from the circle itself. It does not even need to be identifiable from the circle. In other words, one can leave the circle to identify a distant bird, as long as said bird is visible from the circle itself.  Technically a "competition," this casual and fun event is more a "challenge" than anything else and might even double as a fundraiser for nature centers. Certain teams have been participating from the same circle for years now, and the goal is really just to have fun with it. Some teams do keep detailed records of their sightings, each year hoping to top their circle's previous record count. Others, such as the Milford Point "B.W. Surf Scopers," have also kept a ...

I’d be the first to admit that I am not the most spontaneous international traveler. Knowing that flight and rental car costs often increase dramatically within a month or so of departure (not a hard rule but certainly a trend), and that affordable lodging might fill well in advance, one generally can save a ton of money by booking months ahead. This also allows me to secure time from work and be far more likely to recruit travel companions. After working a solid 70 hours over five days I found myself with several days off during peak local birding and fishing season, which also happens to be a generally glorious time to be outside in New England. IMO it is the best time of year to live here. But when I looked ahead to the week’s forecast I saw an unusually long stretch of unsettled weather. Any breaks in the rain were forecast to be brief and windy. So boating would be out of the question. You could argue that inclement weather often brings good birds, and you would be correct, but ...

Recently back from about 10 days in Peru. Friend and still-young birder Jory Teltser had been itching to get away during his trimester break from school, and I was happy to oblige. Jory picked the location and general itinerary. I pretty much just showed up! I arrived in Cusco on the morning of September 14th, grabbed a rental SUV and collected Jory, who had been hanging around Cusco & vicinity with his uncle for about a week. We immediately hit the road for what would be our most ambitious leg of the trip: driving to Lake Titicaca for one night and returning to Cusco the following evening. Thanks to two road closures and a few roadside birding stops the drive took about 8 hours each way. That left us with one morning's birding on the lake near Puno. Our "floating island" Airbnb provided us with birds from the porch at first light, but a boat ride from our hosts provided us with our first major target of the trip, TITICACA GREBE. Titicaca Grebe Plumbeous Rail chick An...