I didn’t expect to see any birds. It was over 90 degrees F on a Georgia afternoon, the humidity adding an extra dose of discomfort. In a rare afternoon to myself, I had driven across the Florida/Georgia border to pick up a few things in a nearby town (curbside + social distancing), and discovered a…
Tag: birding
Audubon – Dreams and Hard Work Bring New Blind to Pasco County
At the edge of Grassy Lake, within the 8,300 acres of Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park, sits a brand-new bird blind. Accessible at the end of a 100-yard long, crushed shell path, the blind is the culmination of years of effort and dreaming by leaders of the West Pasco Audubon Society. As a light at the…
10000 Birds – Birding with Baby
Over a month had gone by since the birth of my first child. When you don’t know anything about babies, the initial 30 days are a crash course in hormones and learning how to take care of a newborn – feeding, diapering, and so much more. I barely had time to shower, let alone take…
10000 Birds – New Birds, New Reasons to Be Late to Work
I recently moved to Tallahassee, a city known for its robust network of lakes and ponds. From natural formations to impoundments, reservoirs to golf-course carve-outs, there is a lot of water in Tallahassee. My new house sits adjacent to one such lake, which probably used to fill up naturally during rainy times but has been artificially impounded…
Audubon Florida – Jay Watch Celebrates 2019 Season of Monitoring and Restoration
At the end of November, Jay Watch volunteers from far and wide gathered at the Archbold Biological Station to celebrate another successful summer season of mapping Florida Scrub-Jay cooperative family groups at over 40 sites on the Florida peninsula. Florida Scrub-Jays are the Sunshine State’s only endemic species. A handsome bird, the jay is curious…
Audubon Florida – New Records of Banded Skimmers in Key West
As the sun set on Key West, Florida, Dr. Kristen Markovich spotted a mixed flock of Black Skimmers and gulls. Using the remaining light, she photographed the birds, zooming in to take a closer look. A green band attached to the bright orange leg of one of the skimmers caught her eye: “0B.” Through this simple…
Audubon – Winter Brings New Birds to Walton County
Winter brings a sense of calm to our Gulf of Mexico beaches. A delightful chill means crisp, refreshing walks on the sand, or turning faces to the sun on breezy afternoons. Many of our summer birds have long since migrated, but an entirely new avian community moves in for the winter months. Read the entire…
10,000 Birds – Wakulla Springs State Park
Moving means finding your new birding haunts. We all have them: our favorite places to take friends and family when they visit, the bird-friendly areas we pop in on when we have the chance, the landscapes that entrance us. Now that I live away from the beach, Wakulla Springs has become that place for me….
10000 Birds – The Amusing Case of the Gulf Breeze Canada Geese
Next door to my hometown, the Gulf Breeze Zoo occupies 50 acres near the Santa Rosa Sound. While I harbor mixed feelings about zoos in general, this facility seems to make the best effort possible to keep animals in interesting enclosures, move them to different areas of the zoo to maintain novel surroundings, and invest…
10000 Birds – The Skimmers have Returned to Navarre Bridge
A few miles from my home, a bridge rises gradually over the water of Santa Rosa Sound. Linking the mainland of the Florida Panhandle to the barrier island of Navarre Beach, half the bridge structure slopes to the water as sandy edges and sea wall. Between the grasses growing in tufts here and there, Black Skimmers and Least…
10000 Birds – Whistling Ducks of Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge
I couldn’t believe it. On a sandbar in the center of the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, hundreds of ducks swirled around each other or lay down to take cover against the punishing wind. February had brought zipping breezes and cloudy skies to this part of coastal Texas, but the birds didn’t seem to mind. What…
National Parks Traveler – Birding in Katahdin Woods and Waters Podcast
Utah State University wildlife researcher Dr. Dan MacNulty discusses wolves, bears, elk and other prey and predators in Yellowstone National Park in this week’s episode, while Erika Zambello (me!) talks birding in Katadhin Woods and Waters National Monument with Doug Hitchcox of Maine Audubon. Host Kurt Repanshek wraps up the episode with a look at…
