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The calendar says that this is the last weekend of the winter of 2014. Keep your eyes to the skies and look out for bull dust ! For those of us in the northeastern United States, this winter has been rough. Even if you snapped enough Snowy Owl photos to make a bird-a-day calendar, you’ve got to be sick of the excessively frigid temperatures and relentless precipitation. I’m writing this still aching from shoveling the 18+ inches that blanketed Rochester yesterday. MORE
The calendar year 2014 has just about run its course. What a way to end 2014’s birding. And that’s a wrap. It’s all over but the year bird counting, so take stock of any species you’ve added this weekend. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was New York State’s first Couch’s Kingbird in the incongruous location of the West Village in Manhattan. MORE
From the inbox: Thank you again for attending the Recreational Fisheries Constituents Workshop this past January. A website with materials from the workshop is now available at [link]. You MORE
Keep your eyes to the skies for vultures circling for fresh meat. Do you think vultures find zombies confusing? This Friday brings a macabre parade of little monsters to those parts of the world that celebrate Halloween. The following day comes El Dia de los Muertos. Both holidays can be fun, but neither are particularly birdy unless you count sexy Halloween birds. Since I’ve been working weekends, I haven’t had much luck hustling up interesting bird sightings. MORE
In 2014, the winery released Besieged, a blend of petite Syrah, Carignane, Zinfandel, Syrah, Alicante Bouschet, Barbera, and Mourvedre grapes. Ravenswood Winery: Besieged (2014). The post Ravenswood Winery: Besieged (2014) appeared first on 10,000 Birds. MORE
2014 has been a good year for us at 10,000 Birds. Larry starts us off right with an owl that makes birders drool: I was able to see and photograph many great birds in 2014 but my Best Bird of the Year would have to be the Great Gray Owl , the largest Strix in North America. Patrick had many birds to choose from for his Best Bird of the Year but he chose a new species for him in Costa Rica, a real regional rarity: My BBOTY for 2014 goes to Hudsonian Godwit. MORE
I wonder how many of you enjoyed this weekend as much as I did. Was the joy a natural result of a delicious Easter brunch or the welcome warmth of a dilatory spring? Perhaps the weekend’s pleasure proceeded from the arrival of birds not seen here for months. All this surely contributed to my great satisfaction, but I suspect the smile on my face results, in no small part, from the fact that my kids are going back to school after a long spring break! Who else is feeling good today? MORE
I finally saw my first migratory Eastern Phoebe of 2014 today at Rockaway Community Park in Queens! As I have for the last several years, I will now ask the same question of midwesterners and northeasterners that I ask every year: When did you see your first Eastern Phoebe of 2014? Here are my arrival dates for my first Eastern Phoebes of the year for the last nine years: 2014 – 29 March. MORE
Alexandra Palace Edible Garden Show 2014 Paul Smith Associates (Media Consultants) Ltd MORE
4, December 2014. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics Vol. 29, No. MORE
This year Redgannet has agreed to include birds on his year list only if they are logged from a site that he has either not birded before, or has not visited for more than 5 years. Whilst his nomadic lifestyle allows him to bird all around the world, he tends to favour certain spots and sticks to where he knows. If he is to become a better birder, he must try harder! So this year he will have to stretch his wings a little and explore further afield if he is to amass a decent roll call. MORE
For those readers with an interest in the enzyme industry, David Rozzell has just published his Enzyme Industry: 2014 year in Review. biocatalysis Enzyme industry news enzymes Enzyme Companies that Made News in 2014 Enzyme Industry 2014 Year in Review MORE
Birding 2014 listing year list Once again it is a new year and once again I will commit to listing the birds I see during the year! We have no plans beyond Broome whatsoever at the moment, so we did put a fair bit of an effort in on New Year’s Day together to get a good start. There was one big problem that really restricted what we would see and that Cyclone Christine had just travelled down the coast from north of us and had brought flooding rain. MORE
James Russell Lowell famously wondered , “And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days…” Of course, he was on the mark concerning the quality of June days, but don’t you think he might have overlooked September? Corey and I were most pleased to see that shorebirds haven’t entirely abandoned the Esat Pond at Jamaica Bay. My BBOTW was a weird Dunlin while Corey was most partial to the Pectoral Sandpiper pictured above. How about you? MORE
Now that we are officially in the holiday season, weekends tend to get pretty hectic with parties, shopping, and end-of-year activities. But busy days don’t have to foster busy minds; if you’re looking for a little “serenity now” give yourself the early gift of an hour connecting with your winter (or summer) birds. See how relaxing that is. I’ll be traveling the wilds of the Southern Tier this weekend wondering if any winter finches have arrived yet. MORE
Ready to close the books on the summer of 2014, northerners? Keep your eyes to the skies for chickadees and t**s. We in the United States like to usher out the season in style with a three-day weekend. While we used to honor the American Labor movement during this time, we’ve turned our collective focus from work to play and plenty of it. Hope you’re on board! MORE
On a larger scale, I have no particular plans to get outside the ABA area in 2014, but I would like to time a trip back east with the spring migration this time around, and it’s been far, far too long since the west coast has seen hide or hair of me. One more thing – I don’t know whether 2014 will bring any new bird tattoos, but if it does, you guys will be the first to know. MORE
Out of 18 books reviewed, four still make the “Not Recommended” list, with the biggest loser being Gwartney, Stroup, Sobel, and Macpherson’s Economics: Private and Public Choice (15th ed.) , hereby dubbed the recipient of the undesired 2014 Ruffin and Gregory Award for the Worst Treatment of Climate Change in an Economics Textbook (so named for a comically bad treatment of climate change in a textbook now thankfully out of print). MORE
Less than two weeks into the new year and I’m already used to writing 2014 instead of 2013. That must be a new record! This weekend, I took time to appreciate the sight of ten American Robins congregating in a leafless tree. The use of the robin as a symbol for spring seems inapt considering how beautiful those rust red breasts appear in the gray of winter. MORE
2013 was a strange year for me, staring in the UK, ending in Borneo and spending large tracks of the year not really seeing many birds in New Zealand. In many ways that seems to be the pattern, as the major holiday breaks for New Zealand are over December and January; the year before I started in tropical Queensland and ended in Thailand and the UK. MORE
Quick show of hands… how many of you in the U.S. kept a special eye out for Bald Eagles ? My favorite sighting this weekend was not of the regal representative of my nation’s pride but rather a single brilliant Indigo Bunting at Lake Skaneatles. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a bird that has frustrated him for quite some time now. MORE
Why is camping so interesting? I ask because, despite my deep affection for warmth, indoor plumbing, and uninterrupted Internet access, I found myself and my family enjoying an overnight out of doors. Camping and birding both fall under the category of “nature” activities, yet the two seem only tangentially related. How many of you birders enjoy camping and how many of you would rather skip the whole thing? MORE
Another year slipping away with but one more weekend to imbue 2014 with magical memories? You’ve got one more weekend to pad your year list and make your Best Bird of the Year 2014 one for the ages. Is this all there is? With hope, you’ve carpe’d every diem over the past twelve months, but don’t ease up on the throttle just yet. Corey and I will both be in NYC this weekend, one for holiday fun and the other to track down a rare vagrant. MORE
What a weekend for those of us experiencing the exhilaration of spring migration! Assuming that your over-worked eyes are as blurry as mine at the moment, we should get right down to business and talk birds… The best of the many warblers I uncovered at Cobbs Hill this weekend was an entirely improbable Kentucky Warbler. MORE
Keep your eyes to the skies… you never know what you’ll see! Autumn in October means many things to many people more eloquent by half than I. Rabindranath Tagore observed, “The music of the far-away summer flutters around the Autumn seeking its former nest.” ” According to Percy Bysshe Shelley, “There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky…” What are your favorite fall quotes? MORE
But the prospects of our trip grew even more exciting once we learned that our stay would coincide with the Conteo de Aves Arenal 2014 or 2014 Arenal Bird Count. When the proprietors of Costa Rica’s Finca Luna Nueva Lodge graciously invited Corey and me to visit, we were both thrilled at the prospect of awesome Costa Rican birds at an amazing ecolodge. MORE
American fashion dictates that we retire our white shoes and frocks once the sun sets on Labor Day. Most blame snooty millionaires and sloppy September weather for the changes, but we birders know better. Fall migrants are on the wing, which brings the teeming multitudes of avian observers out in force. What’s the connection? Easy… good birders don’t wear white ! MORE
This is an interesting time of year when people are coming and going while birds mostly sit still. Except, of course, that some birds are also coming and going too. The trick is to make sure your path crosses those of the right birds at the right time. While it was neither the rarest or most interesting bird I saw this weekend, the Eastern Bluebird that flew over my car as I drove through Virginia has to take Best Bird of the Weekend honors just because it will be my third blue bird in a row. MORE
Now that autumn has fallen, my part of the world feels like summer. Hopefully, October offers more of the same! My best birds this weekend were American Goldfinches on purple coneflowers, which is where I like them best. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a surprise Marsh Wren which popped up out of the reeds while Corey was busy counting Chimney Swifts feeding low over Willow Lake in Queens on Saturday morning. MORE
We birders seem to keep our own arcane calendar, with weeks and months symbolized not by numbers but rather by avian avatars. Each phenological totem evokes the confluence of time, climate, and geography that tells a richer story of a place than simply its position relative to the sun. Most North American birders I know would definitely represent the month of May with a bright and sprightly wood-warbler, though the argument about which bird would best serve would be epic indeed. MORE
The final weekend of October positively burns with activity, from spectacular seasonal fare to sports extravaganzas to Halloween hullabaloo. How does a person even find time to look at birds? I was able to spare a few moments to appreciate the Northern Cardinals that, while always present at my home, seem so much more welcome once days turn gray. MORE
by Michael Smith (Veshengro) I visited SALTEX 2014 on Tuesday, September 2, 2014 and that was the only day that I went, this year. PARKS & OPEN SPACES SALTEX 2014 In other years I needed at least two, if not all three days, to cover the show this year, though, I was done and dusted, so to speak, by one o''clock in the afternoon, having arrived by about 9:15AM. MORE
I visited Hong Kong from February 20-27, 2014. The sprawling city-state of Hong Kong is, without a doubt, one of the great capitals of the world, a gleaming metropolis where centuries of Eastern and Westerns culture blend with commerce to produce a true 21st century society. Despite impressive, often rampant development, Hong Kong reserves 40% of its land as greenspace. The result is a nature lover’s paradise rich with mountains, beaches, and birds. Lots and lots of birds! MORE
One of the many ancillary benefits of becoming a birder, apart from an elevated social status and encyclopedic knowledge of taxonomy, is a subtle grasp of phenology. But you don’t have to be wise to nature’s ways to realize that spring is mighty slow to fully bloom in some parts of the world. The birds seem to be dragging their proverbial heels this year, but migration still rewards those who would brave the bitter May chill! MORE
Watching African Skimmers and a gorgeous sunset makes a person most thankful. As we hurtle ever closer to the American day of thanks, I’m struck by the realization that we don’t begin celebrating this holiday early like we do Christmas or Halloween. That’s a shame, since gratitude is far more becoming, not to mention spiritually enriching, that the greed or gluttony attached to most observances (not that I’m against those either.) MORE
So many people devoted serious time this weekend to acquiring gifts for family, friends, and strategic acquaintances. Hopefully, each of you found time to give yourselves the gift of a decent bird sighting or two. I tried to rustle up some Short-eared Owls down at Nations Road, a notorious haunt for these magnificent beasts. Curse my rotten owl luck, I didn’t see a single one, but did manage a pale Rough-legged Hawk. MORE
Keep your eyes to the skies for uncommon birds like this leucistic Bald Eagle ! Daylight Savings Time falls this weekend in those areas that observe this tradition. Remember, springing forward means one less hour of sleep this weekend, not one less hour of sleep! I’ll be out and about in the Rochester area enjoying this sudden influx of sun. Corey will be birding the heck out of some random part of New York. How about you? Where will you be this weekend and will you be birding? MORE
The year 2014 is approaching its imminent end, which means different things for different people. For those of us interested in observing avifauna, the last six or so weeks of a year offer enough time and opportunity to finish up with the year list we’d love to look back on. Have you been working on yours? I was both surprised and pleased to spy a Bald Eagle flying over my house, which is quite uncommon so far from the lake. MORE
If you’re someone who lives in the moment and cares little for what lies ahead, you might be forgiven for enjoying your weekend for what it was. But those of us who schedule forward know the crush of holiday commitments lurking just over the chronological horizon. Live in the moment while you can, grasshoppers… winter holidays are coming. My coolest birding encounter this weekend involved watching a Sharp-shinned Hawk lurking under a highway overpass. MORE
What was your first bird of 2014? And here’s hoping you see many great birds, including lots of lifers, in 2014! After all, 2013 was a pretty great year and there is no reason 2014 can’t be the same! Birding 2014 first bird of the year Hopefully it was better than a pigeon! Let us know in the comments…and, if you wrote a blog post or have a picture of your first bird of the year online somewhere, well, leave a link in the comments too. MORE
Based on revealed preference (no cheap talk treatment necessary) as submitted to the WNCW and No Depression top polls: Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else. Hard Working Americans - Hard Working Americans. Drive-by Truckers - English Oceans. Old 97s - Most Messed Up. Lucinda Williams - Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone. Rosanne Cash - The River and the Thread. Justin Townes Earle - Single Mothers. Sarah Borges - Radio Sweetheart. MORE
Outlook and goals for 2014. In a funny twist of fate, it seems that 2014 will be much the same as 2012 and 2013 have been, with family trips to somewhere in France and business trips to Indonesia and Kazakhstan. The year 2014 started out as 2013 did, with a family holiday in southern France, where I was able to spot a few species I am very unlikely to see anywhere else this year. What about the competitive element in my 2014 year list? A very good start into 2014. MORE
We’re a little slow to discuss this weekend’s birding because many of us in the U.S. are still enjoying a beautiful Memorial Day. But if you’re eager to share the spoils of your recent avian adventures, let the bird bragging commence! While I saw some pretty special species this weekend, the most special was the Gray Catbird because my sweet 7-year niece totally got into finding one; I think I’ve found the next generation birder in the family! MORE
199 
2014 Related Topics Living Green & Saving Energy
JANUARY 16, 2015
For those readers with an interest in the enzyme industry, David Rozzell has just published his Enzyme Industry: 2014 year in Review. biocatalysis Enzyme industry news enzymes Enzyme Companies that Made News in 2014 Enzyme Industry 2014 Year in Review
10,000 Birds
MARCH 29, 2014
I finally saw my first migratory Eastern Phoebe of 2014 today at Rockaway Community Park in Queens! As I have for the last several years, I will now ask the same question of midwesterners and northeasterners that I ask every year: When did you see your first Eastern Phoebe of 2014? Here are my arrival dates for my first Eastern Phoebes of the year for the last nine years: 2014 – 29 March.
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10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 31, 2013
What was your first bird of 2014? And here’s hoping you see many great birds, including lots of lifers, in 2014! After all, 2013 was a pretty great year and there is no reason 2014 can’t be the same! Birding 2014 first bird of the year Hopefully it was better than a pigeon! Let us know in the comments…and, if you wrote a blog post or have a picture of your first bird of the year online somewhere, well, leave a link in the comments too.
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 15, 2014
But the prospects of our trip grew even more exciting once we learned that our stay would coincide with the Conteo de Aves Arenal 2014 or 2014 Arenal Bird Count. When the proprietors of Costa Rica’s Finca Luna Nueva Lodge graciously invited Corey and me to visit, we were both thrilled at the prospect of awesome Costa Rican birds at an amazing ecolodge.
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 5, 2018
In 2014, the winery released Besieged, a blend of petite Syrah, Carignane, Zinfandel, Syrah, Alicante Bouschet, Barbera, and Mourvedre grapes. Ravenswood Winery: Besieged (2014). The post Ravenswood Winery: Besieged (2014) appeared first on 10,000 Birds.
10,000 Birds
JANUARY 19, 2014
Outlook and goals for 2014. In a funny twist of fate, it seems that 2014 will be much the same as 2012 and 2013 have been, with family trips to somewhere in France and business trips to Indonesia and Kazakhstan. The year 2014 started out as 2013 did, with a family holiday in southern France, where I was able to spot a few species I am very unlikely to see anywhere else this year. What about the competitive element in my 2014 year list? A very good start into 2014.
Environmental Economics
MARCH 16, 2014
The 2014 EnvEcon NCAA Basketball Tournament Challenge is ready to go. To join the challenge, click here , or go to espn.com and click on 'Tournament Challenge.' ' If you don't already have one, you will need to create an espn.com account to join.
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 23, 2014
2014 has been a good year for us at 10,000 Birds. Larry starts us off right with an owl that makes birders drool: I was able to see and photograph many great birds in 2014 but my Best Bird of the Year would have to be the Great Gray Owl , the largest Strix in North America. Patrick had many birds to choose from for his Best Bird of the Year but he chose a new species for him in Costa Rica, a real regional rarity: My BBOTY for 2014 goes to Hudsonian Godwit.
10,000 Birds
JANUARY 10, 2014
On a larger scale, I have no particular plans to get outside the ABA area in 2014, but I would like to time a trip back east with the spring migration this time around, and it’s been far, far too long since the west coast has seen hide or hair of me. One more thing – I don’t know whether 2014 will bring any new bird tattoos, but if it does, you guys will be the first to know.
10,000 Birds
MARCH 7, 2014
I visited Hong Kong from February 20-27, 2014. The sprawling city-state of Hong Kong is, without a doubt, one of the great capitals of the world, a gleaming metropolis where centuries of Eastern and Westerns culture blend with commerce to produce a true 21st century society. Despite impressive, often rampant development, Hong Kong reserves 40% of its land as greenspace. The result is a nature lover’s paradise rich with mountains, beaches, and birds. Lots and lots of birds!
10,000 Birds
JANUARY 18, 2014
This year Redgannet has agreed to include birds on his year list only if they are logged from a site that he has either not birded before, or has not visited for more than 5 years. Whilst his nomadic lifestyle allows him to bird all around the world, he tends to favour certain spots and sticks to where he knows. If he is to become a better birder, he must try harder! So this year he will have to stretch his wings a little and explore further afield if he is to amass a decent roll call.
10,000 Birds
JANUARY 15, 2014
2013 was a strange year for me, staring in the UK, ending in Borneo and spending large tracks of the year not really seeing many birds in New Zealand. In many ways that seems to be the pattern, as the major holiday breaks for New Zealand are over December and January; the year before I started in tropical Queensland and ended in Thailand and the UK.
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 26, 2014
Another year slipping away with but one more weekend to imbue 2014 with magical memories? You’ve got one more weekend to pad your year list and make your Best Bird of the Year 2014 one for the ages. Is this all there is? With hope, you’ve carpe’d every diem over the past twelve months, but don’t ease up on the throttle just yet. Corey and I will both be in NYC this weekend, one for holiday fun and the other to track down a rare vagrant.
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 28, 2014
The calendar year 2014 has just about run its course. What a way to end 2014’s birding. And that’s a wrap. It’s all over but the year bird counting, so take stock of any species you’ve added this weekend. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was New York State’s first Couch’s Kingbird in the incongruous location of the West Village in Manhattan.
Environmental Economics
AUGUST 25, 2014
Out of 18 books reviewed, four still make the “Not Recommended” list, with the biggest loser being Gwartney, Stroup, Sobel, and Macpherson’s Economics: Private and Public Choice (15th ed.) , hereby dubbed the recipient of the undesired 2014 Ruffin and Gregory Award for the Worst Treatment of Climate Change in an Economics Textbook (so named for a comically bad treatment of climate change in a textbook now thankfully out of print).
Environmental Economics
MARCH 26, 2014
From the inbox: Thank you again for attending the Recreational Fisheries Constituents Workshop this past January. A website with materials from the workshop is now available at [link]. You
Environmental Economics
NOVEMBER 25, 2014
4, December 2014. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics December 2014, Vol. Marine Resource Economics Vol. 29, No.
Green (Living) Review
SEPTEMBER 3, 2014
by Michael Smith (Veshengro) I visited SALTEX 2014 on Tuesday, September 2, 2014 and that was the only day that I went, this year. PARKS & OPEN SPACES SALTEX 2014 In other years I needed at least two, if not all three days, to cover the show this year, though, I was done and dusted, so to speak, by one o''clock in the afternoon, having arrived by about 9:15AM.
10,000 Birds
NOVEMBER 16, 2014
The year 2014 is approaching its imminent end, which means different things for different people. For those of us interested in observing avifauna, the last six or so weeks of a year offer enough time and opportunity to finish up with the year list we’d love to look back on. Have you been working on yours? I was both surprised and pleased to spy a Bald Eagle flying over my house, which is quite uncommon so far from the lake.
10,000 Birds
AUGUST 29, 2014
Ready to close the books on the summer of 2014, northerners? Keep your eyes to the skies for chickadees and t**s. We in the United States like to usher out the season in style with a three-day weekend. While we used to honor the American Labor movement during this time, we’ve turned our collective focus from work to play and plenty of it. Hope you’re on board!
Green (Living) Review
MARCH 31, 2014
Alexandra Palace Edible Garden Show 2014 Paul Smith Associates (Media Consultants) Ltd
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 30, 2014
Keep your eyes to the skies for vultures circling for fresh meat. Do you think vultures find zombies confusing? This Friday brings a macabre parade of little monsters to those parts of the world that celebrate Halloween. The following day comes El Dia de los Muertos. Both holidays can be fun, but neither are particularly birdy unless you count sexy Halloween birds. Since I’ve been working weekends, I haven’t had much luck hustling up interesting bird sightings.
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 12, 2014
Why is camping so interesting? I ask because, despite my deep affection for warmth, indoor plumbing, and uninterrupted Internet access, I found myself and my family enjoying an overnight out of doors. Camping and birding both fall under the category of “nature” activities, yet the two seem only tangentially related. How many of you birders enjoy camping and how many of you would rather skip the whole thing?
10,000 Birds
SEPTEMBER 28, 2014
Now that autumn has fallen, my part of the world feels like summer. Hopefully, October offers more of the same! My best birds this weekend were American Goldfinches on purple coneflowers, which is where I like them best. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a surprise Marsh Wren which popped up out of the reeds while Corey was busy counting Chimney Swifts feeding low over Willow Lake in Queens on Saturday morning.
10,000 Birds
SEPTEMBER 4, 2014
American fashion dictates that we retire our white shoes and frocks once the sun sets on Labor Day. Most blame snooty millionaires and sloppy September weather for the changes, but we birders know better. Fall migrants are on the wing, which brings the teeming multitudes of avian observers out in force. What’s the connection? Easy… good birders don’t wear white !
10,000 Birds
MARCH 13, 2014
The calendar says that this is the last weekend of the winter of 2014. Keep your eyes to the skies and look out for bull dust ! For those of us in the northeastern United States, this winter has been rough. Even if you snapped enough Snowy Owl photos to make a bird-a-day calendar, you’ve got to be sick of the excessively frigid temperatures and relentless precipitation. I’m writing this still aching from shoveling the 18+ inches that blanketed Rochester yesterday.
10,000 Birds
JANUARY 12, 2014
Less than two weeks into the new year and I’m already used to writing 2014 instead of 2013. That must be a new record! This weekend, I took time to appreciate the sight of ten American Robins congregating in a leafless tree. The use of the robin as a symbol for spring seems inapt considering how beautiful those rust red breasts appear in the gray of winter.
Environmental Economics
DECEMBER 19, 2014
Based on revealed preference (no cheap talk treatment necessary) as submitted to the WNCW and No Depression top polls: Lydia Loveless - Somewhere Else. Hard Working Americans - Hard Working Americans. Drive-by Truckers - English Oceans. Old 97s - Most Messed Up. Lucinda Williams - Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone. Rosanne Cash - The River and the Thread. Justin Townes Earle - Single Mothers. Sarah Borges - Radio Sweetheart.
10,000 Birds
MAY 18, 2014
We birders seem to keep our own arcane calendar, with weeks and months symbolized not by numbers but rather by avian avatars. Each phenological totem evokes the confluence of time, climate, and geography that tells a richer story of a place than simply its position relative to the sun. Most North American birders I know would definitely represent the month of May with a bright and sprightly wood-warbler, though the argument about which bird would best serve would be epic indeed.
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 26, 2014
The final weekend of October positively burns with activity, from spectacular seasonal fare to sports extravaganzas to Halloween hullabaloo. How does a person even find time to look at birds? I was able to spare a few moments to appreciate the Northern Cardinals that, while always present at my home, seem so much more welcome once days turn gray.
10,000 Birds
MAY 4, 2014
One of the many ancillary benefits of becoming a birder, apart from an elevated social status and encyclopedic knowledge of taxonomy, is a subtle grasp of phenology. But you don’t have to be wise to nature’s ways to realize that spring is mighty slow to fully bloom in some parts of the world. The birds seem to be dragging their proverbial heels this year, but migration still rewards those who would brave the bitter May chill!
10,000 Birds
SEPTEMBER 21, 2014
James Russell Lowell famously wondered , “And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days…” Of course, he was on the mark concerning the quality of June days, but don’t you think he might have overlooked September? Corey and I were most pleased to see that shorebirds haven’t entirely abandoned the Esat Pond at Jamaica Bay. My BBOTW was a weird Dunlin while Corey was most partial to the Pectoral Sandpiper pictured above. How about you?
10,000 Birds
OCTOBER 16, 2014
Keep your eyes to the skies… you never know what you’ll see! Autumn in October means many things to many people more eloquent by half than I. Rabindranath Tagore observed, “The music of the far-away summer flutters around the Autumn seeking its former nest.” ” According to Percy Bysshe Shelley, “There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky…” What are your favorite fall quotes?
10,000 Birds
JULY 6, 2014
Quick show of hands… how many of you in the U.S. kept a special eye out for Bald Eagles ? My favorite sighting this weekend was not of the regal representative of my nation’s pride but rather a single brilliant Indigo Bunting at Lake Skaneatles. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a bird that has frustrated him for quite some time now.
10,000 Birds
MAY 26, 2014
We’re a little slow to discuss this weekend’s birding because many of us in the U.S. are still enjoying a beautiful Memorial Day. But if you’re eager to share the spoils of your recent avian adventures, let the bird bragging commence! While I saw some pretty special species this weekend, the most special was the Gray Catbird because my sweet 7-year niece totally got into finding one; I think I’ve found the next generation birder in the family!
10,000 Birds
MAY 11, 2014
What a weekend for those of us experiencing the exhilaration of spring migration! Assuming that your over-worked eyes are as blurry as mine at the moment, we should get right down to business and talk birds… The best of the many warblers I uncovered at Cobbs Hill this weekend was an entirely improbable Kentucky Warbler.
10,000 Birds
NOVEMBER 9, 2014
If you’re someone who lives in the moment and cares little for what lies ahead, you might be forgiven for enjoying your weekend for what it was. But those of us who schedule forward know the crush of holiday commitments lurking just over the chronological horizon. Live in the moment while you can, grasshoppers… winter holidays are coming. My coolest birding encounter this weekend involved watching a Sharp-shinned Hawk lurking under a highway overpass.
10,000 Birds
MARCH 7, 2014
Keep your eyes to the skies for uncommon birds like this leucistic Bald Eagle ! Daylight Savings Time falls this weekend in those areas that observe this tradition. Remember, springing forward means one less hour of sleep this weekend, not one less hour of sleep! I’ll be out and about in the Rochester area enjoying this sudden influx of sun. Corey will be birding the heck out of some random part of New York. How about you? Where will you be this weekend and will you be birding?
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 12, 2014
Now that we are officially in the holiday season, weekends tend to get pretty hectic with parties, shopping, and end-of-year activities. But busy days don’t have to foster busy minds; if you’re looking for a little “serenity now” give yourself the early gift of an hour connecting with your winter (or summer) birds. See how relaxing that is. I’ll be traveling the wilds of the Southern Tier this weekend wondering if any winter finches have arrived yet.
10,000 Birds
JULY 20, 2014
This is an interesting time of year when people are coming and going while birds mostly sit still. Except, of course, that some birds are also coming and going too. The trick is to make sure your path crosses those of the right birds at the right time. While it was neither the rarest or most interesting bird I saw this weekend, the Eastern Bluebird that flew over my car as I drove through Virginia has to take Best Bird of the Weekend honors just because it will be my third blue bird in a row.
10,000 Birds
NOVEMBER 14, 2014
Watching African Skimmers and a gorgeous sunset makes a person most thankful. As we hurtle ever closer to the American day of thanks, I’m struck by the realization that we don’t begin celebrating this holiday early like we do Christmas or Halloween. That’s a shame, since gratitude is far more becoming, not to mention spiritually enriching, that the greed or gluttony attached to most observances (not that I’m against those either.)
10,000 Birds
APRIL 20, 2014
I wonder how many of you enjoyed this weekend as much as I did. Was the joy a natural result of a delicious Easter brunch or the welcome warmth of a dilatory spring? Perhaps the weekend’s pleasure proceeded from the arrival of birds not seen here for months. All this surely contributed to my great satisfaction, but I suspect the smile on my face results, in no small part, from the fact that my kids are going back to school after a long spring break! Who else is feeling good today?
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 21, 2014
So many people devoted serious time this weekend to acquiring gifts for family, friends, and strategic acquaintances. Hopefully, each of you found time to give yourselves the gift of a decent bird sighting or two. I tried to rustle up some Short-eared Owls down at Nations Road, a notorious haunt for these magnificent beasts. Curse my rotten owl luck, I didn’t see a single one, but did manage a pale Rough-legged Hawk.
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