I love birds, and I also love the NBA. Even better, I love when the NBA and birding give me an excuse to write a blog post. What does the NBA have to do with birding? a person might wonder. (Well, besides the bird mascots—and I forgive any birder who, when they hear Toronto Raptors, envisions… Read more »

Since late May, in some areas of the East and Midwest, reports of dead and dying birds—either with crusty, diseased eyes, or with apparent neurological problems—skyrocketed. Blue jays, northern cardinals, common grackles, European starlings, American robins, and house sparrows were species hardest hit, especially fledglings. Reports came from Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky,… Read more »

by Julie Zickefoose, Guest Contributor and Bird Watcher’s Digest Columnist  A recent Washington Post article discusses fledgling blue jays and grackles being stricken with a “new disease” in Northern Virginia. Birds exhibit blindness, closed eyes, lethargy, and ataxia. I’m going to throw in my unresearched, common-sense opinion as a licensed bird rehabilitator for the past… Read more »

Just shy of six years ago, some of the staff of Bird Watchers Digest and a couple dozen of our friends enjoyed the Red Knot Reader Rendezvous along the Delaware Bay, perfectly timed to witness northbound red knot migration. Our hosts for the event were members of the leadership of the American Birding Association, including… Read more »

We’re in the midst of Global Bird Rescue Week (October 5–11), an annual event sponsored by FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program) Canada, whose mission is to inform and educate people around the world to take action to keep birds safe from building collisions. Hundreds of millions of birds fatally collide with windows and buildings in… Read more »

Bird Watcher’s Digest is joining friends around the world in The Global Bird Weekend, and we’re inviting you to join us, too!  WHO IS INVOLVED  Tim Appleton of Rutland, England, was the beloved face of the British Birdfair for more than 30 years, and his vision, spirit, and energy inspired its success for decades. Because our world has changed due to COVID-19… Read more »

The evening news seems to be too-regularly reporting another major new wildfire somewhere, each one more horrific than the previous one. Wildfires are devastating, destroying tens or hundreds of thousands of acres, burning countless homes, wiping out entire towns, uprooting and terrorizing families. And they seem to be getting worse and more frequent every year…. Read more »