One of the first things students in my avian ecology class learn are the orders and families of birds. I think it is important to understand the biological connections and interrelationships among different species and it helps to remember things that are similar. I'm always quick to note that some of my favorite birds fall … Continue reading No Hurry

Just a few feet from the trail where I was walking at a nature preserve near Orlando Florida, this needle-nosed water bird known as an anhinga (often called the snake bird) was basking in the sun. Frozen in complete stillness, this adult male had positioned himself at exactly the right angle to catch every bit of sunlight … Continue reading A Face in the Sun

Yellow Warbler (setophaga petechia) @ Guys Mills, PA This little guy is a yellow warbler caught at a banding station I run in northwestern Pennsylvania. Although just weighing about 9 grams, he was a feisty little bird, full of life and spunk. Even young yellow warblers display fierce tenacity. Still, the reality is that the future of … Continue reading Courage in Uncertainty

Geotagged Purple Martin (progne subis) @ Sumter, SC When I lived in the southeastern United States, the end of summer was always the beginning of big changes in bird communities. Some of the early migrants like this geo-tagged purple martin I photographed in South Carolina several years ago begin to leave their summer breeding grounds to head … Continue reading Flip Side of Love

Swamp Sparrow (melospiza georgiana) @ Columbia, SC Once a bird like this swamp sparrow has been banded, weighed, poked, and prodded, I'm eager to get it back in the trees so that it can return to its daily work of feeding and protecting itself. Unlike humans, birds don't have grocery stores where they can purchase food, nor … Continue reading Letting Go of Doubt

When I lived in South Carolina, I was fortunate enough to work at a bird banding station during the summer and fall each year. One of the things I enjoy about banding birds is the opportunity to see each bird up-close. There is always a level of excitement when banding, as you never know what … Continue reading Transitions

Although I believe strongly in the value of capture/recapture bird banding programs, there is no doubt that the time a bird spends in a mist net and being processed is anxiety producing. Unaware, a bird is moving along with daily activities and "boom" they are caught in a tangle of nylon netting, being handled by … Continue reading Fear and Contempt

Barn Swallows (hirundo rustica) @ Indian Lake, NY Meet the barn swallow, a fairy-like bird with cobalt blue wings and tawny white and brown below. A resident of open fields and water bodies, these birds are agile and fast, darting up and down and swiping left and right in search of flying insects. If you've ever … Continue reading Community

I was in the Adirondack mountains of New York on a kayak in the lake one late summer evening at dusk when I heard faint wing beats emerge behind me. That steady, constant, and fierce force of wind that results from the downbeat of a bird's wings was subtle at first, yet quickly intensified. I … Continue reading Shadows

Common Loon (gavia immer) @ Lake Abanakee (Indian Lake, NY) One summer several years ago I was lucky enough to spend some time at Lake Abanakee in the middle of the Adirondack mountains. While the lake was teeming with wildlife, I was especially enamored by the whimsical common loons (of the bird variety) that inhabited the lake. … Continue reading Let’s Dance