2022 BIG DAY results - May 16 - 191 species
Well, we are nothing if not consistent!Our previous five years had totaled 191>193>189>187>192...for an average of 190.4 species. We did not deviate from that range this year. While we...
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CURLEW SANDPIPER - Stratford, CT
Frank Mantlik struck again yesterday by finding a bright adult CURLEW SANDPIPER in a small golf course pond along the Stratford, CT coast. This was the first chaseable Curlew Sand in the state in over...
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Madeira...finally! Early June 2022
After three years of trying, Dave Provencher and I finally made it to Madeira in search of Zino's Petrel. The pandemic had postponed our 2020 and 2021 bookings, but we were not denied this time around....
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CAPE VERDE SHEARWATER off Cape Cod, MA - August 12, 2022
For the past couple months, Ian Davies and I had been eyeing this week for a little summer Cape Cod birding adventure. The feasibility of this plan would depend largely on the weather, as I wanted to...
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"Ivory" Common Tern
Last weekend was busy with family matters as my brother was married in Old Saybrook, CT on Friday night. The day after the wedding a few of us hopped on his best friend Rob's boat for a ride across the...
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400th Connecticut bird - Smith's Longspur
Birders are, by nature, collectors. When we observe a species new to us, we add it to our collection AKA list. Some birders are obsessive listers and need to know how many species they have seen on...
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Greenland Canada Geese
Danish researcher Tony Fox has been studying geese in Greenland for many years. Canada Geese have been increasing in west Greenland since his research began in 1979, and further study has revealed that...
View Article2022 Big Sit! The Great Islanders' second year - 104+ species
Following our hugely successful inaugural "Big Sit" effort at Great Island in 2021, our team was champing at the bit for the 2022 edition. Check out last year's post for the full story on our...
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Argentina: Pampas to Patagonia (Part 1: Intro)
Over the years I have made it no secret that my favorite natural habitats are wide open spaces. We're talking grasslands, tundra, fields, coastlines and oceans, etc. The farther I can see, the better....
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Argentina: Pampas to Patagonia (Part 2: San Clemente)
Oct 25Our direct redeye from JFK to Buenos Aires landed mid-morning. We passed through immigration, collected our bags and picked up our one-way rental car, a Fiat Cronos, without much trouble. Dave...
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Argentina: Pampas to Patagonia (Part 3: Bahia Blanca to Las Grutas to Puerto...
Oct 28We completed the entire drive to Bahia Blanca the day before, so all we had was a short ride northwest of town to the pastures that PAMPAS MEADOWLARKS call home. Just a bit past the turnoff for...
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Argentina: Pampas to Patagonia (Part 4: Puerto Madryn to Trelew, flight to...
Oct 30Today's weather was forecast to be dreadful from a birder's perspective and somehow managed to be even worse than predicted. Sustained 30-35mph winds meant that whale watch boats would be...
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Argentina: Pampas to Patagonia (Part 5: Ushuaia)
Nov 2We were itching to begin our Tierra del Fuego birding and had no trouble getting out quickly this morning. We began with the mouth of the Rio Pipo and three lifer Chloephaga geese straight away:...
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Argentina: Pampas to Patagonia (Part 6: Rio Grande)
Nov 4Road trip! Though we had an Airbnb in Ushuaia for five nights, we wanted to take an overnight to the Patagonian Steppe around the town of Rio Grande. As you can probably infer from the topo map...
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Argentina: Pampas to Patagonia (Part 7: Ushuaia cleanup, Ceibas)
Nov 6Our final day in Ushuaia left us with only longshot species in play. Aerolineas Argentinas had moved our departing flight up a couple hours, so we had only a half-day to work with. We knew that we...
View ArticleArgentina: Pampas to Patagonia (Part 8: Final Thoughts)
Before officially signing off re: Argentina, I thought I might comment more on the logistics for anyone out there considering a similar trip.I mentioned this in the Intro, but right now Argentina is...
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Colombia - Western Andes (Cordillera Central & Tatama) - February 4-12, 2023
Colombia, the most bird diverse country on earth, is in the midst of a major ecotourism growth phase. This northern South American country was on my short list of new places to visit, so I was thrilled...
View Article"Naturally Adventurous" podcast interview
Hi folks, I was recently interviewed by Charley Hesse of the "Naturally Adventurous" podcast on which we discussed shenanigans from a hectic 2013 trip to the Dominican Republic.The show & episode...
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May 16, 2023 Big Day - Last one for a while??
When this team of Connecticut birders first assembled back in May 2009, our lofty goal was to someday beat the long-standing state Big Day record of 186 species. That first year we tallied 177...a...
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Iceland in April
April is an exciting time for the nature enthusiast to visit Iceland. While the weather can still be quite cold and snowy, winter's grip is loosening and signs of spring abound. Several minutes of...
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