My friend Karl, whom some of you may know by his Twitter handle @TheIneptBirder, posted this humorous graphic the other day, and I had to giggle because it’s so true. One minute it’s OMG SO MANY BIRDS ALL THE TIME IT’S SO EXCITING PLEASE DON’T LET IT EVER END! And then it ends. I imagine… Read more »
A Banner Year for “Pretty Birds”… or a Banner Problem?
Like many of you, I’ve been marveling at the number of “pretty birds” coming through our backyards—grosbeaks, orioles, tanagers, and the like. My social media feeds are just full of amazingly colorful pictures! Many times in the past several weeks I have celebrated the timing of this seemingly banner year of bright and beautiful visitors… Read more »
Merlin 101: As Easy as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
I have several birding apps on my phone, but there is only one that I really use, and I use it almost daily during the spring: the Merlin Bird ID app, produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I sing its praises whenever I get the opportunity, especially to new birders, especially to young birders…. Read more »
Oriole Ingenuity
Lately my Facebook feed has been chock full of orioles—everyone seems to have them! And not just one, but several orioles… one person reported having a dozen at their feeders this week! Orioles eating oranges, orioles eating grape jelly, even one adorable oriole peering in someone’s window seemingly looking for someone to supply more oranges… Read more »
Playing Bird Detective
One of my favorite perks of my job is that I get a fairly steady stream of texts, emails, and DMs asking for help identifying a bird. Most of the time I even know the answer! What tickles me most about this is who is doing the asking—friends from all areas of my life, often… Read more »
Bird Bingo! A FREE Printable from BWD
Like many of you, the staff at Bird Watcher’s Digest has been spending a lot of time lately in our backyards and local patches keeping an eye on the birds. To keep things interesting, especially as avian activity continues to ramp up with spring migration, we offer a fun twist on your socially distant birding—Bird… Read more »
Virtual Birding Festivals: The Show Will Go On!
One of the many awesome things to witness in the birding world during our current isolated situation is the creativity various festivals and organizations are exhibiting as they find ways to carry on their important work. This upcoming weekend, birders can armchair travel to a number of events around the country and virtually commune with… Read more »
Earth Day: Small but Mindful Celebrations
Happy Earth Day! It somehow seems appropriate that this holiday would fall during a time when many of us are in a heightened state of awareness of the natural world around us, spending time outdoors and observing nature in ways and at times we normally wouldn’t be. And while we won’t be attending any large… Read more »
Meet the BWD Family: Angela Anderson-Beach, Redstart Manager
When you call Redstart Birding to order that shiny new scope you’ve been eyeing (nudge, nudge!), the phone will be answered by a real, live human—and there’s a good chance that human will be Angela. And boy is it your lucky day, because not only does she know her stuff about all the optics and other… Read more »
The Importance of Birding & Community: Support Festivals, Support Conservation
by Kelly Ball, Ad Sales Director & Jessica Melfi, Assistant Editor Migration’s kicking into gear, and it couldn’t come at a better time. Who couldn’t use a little positive bird distraction right now, as we wait out the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent effects on our daily lives? Like you, we check in daily with our loved ones; balance work, family, and other immediate… Read more »