Whenever I hear there’s a rarity or a vagrant bird nearby, my knee-jerk response is to be anything but intrigued. First and foremost, the likelihood of that bird surviving its having been veered off course from, say, western Europe to Columbus, Ohio, is fairly dismal; the prospect of rushing to look at a bird in peril… Read more »
The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequent shelter-in-place orders, work-at-home directives, and social distancing rules have inarguably complicated many people’s lives worldwide. But something we here at Bird Watcher’s Digest observed, amidst all the strife and heartache, was an influx of people becoming interested in birding. Folks restricted to the confines of their apartments and houses have become more aware of what goes… Read more »
Audubon’s long-standing tradition of Christmas Bird Counts are conducted each year between December 14 and January 5, and this season marked the 121st annual CBC! BWD editors Dawn Hewitt and Jessica Melfi participated in different counts on January 2, and here they share their very different—but equally memorable—experiences. The Thrills of Christmas Bird Counts by Dawn Hewitt Oh,… Read more »
Working from home, I am grateful that my desk faces a window. I can see the sweet gum tree across the street that, now bare, hosts five leafy squirrel nests. Laden with spiky, COVID-shaped balls, the tree is a magnet for finches, who peck on the fruit and seem to explore the squirrel nests. Morning… Read more »
We have a lot to be thankful for here at Bird Watcher’s Digest and Redstart Birding. There are our readers and our customers and the birding community that keep us in business. And our friends and family, of course. And our own crew that feels more like family than colleagues. This Thanksgiving—this year especially—we wish… Read more »
Because of its great success in getting people outside and enjoying nature the day after Thanksgiving, we’ve decided to bring Green Friday back in 2020! In a time when social distancing is of utmost importance, this calmer alternative to fighting the crowds for Black Friday shopping just feels like the right thing to do this… Read more »
We birders have long appreciated and understood the benefits of communing with nature for our bodies and our minds—not to mention our life lists. During this past year, in search of socially distant opportunities for fresh air and recreation, others increasingly are finding their Zen at local parks. Birding’s concurrent rise in popularity—an inherently socially… Read more »
I’ll never forget the first conversation Bill Thompson, III, and I had about Reader Rendezvous. We had spent a week at the British Birdfair followed by some holiday time in England with good friends. As we were nestling down in our seats for the seven-hour return flight ahead, he said, “Hey, Wen, what do you… Read more »
In case you missed it, last weekend, October 17–18, was the first Global Bird Weekend, “a new venture that aims to inspire birdwatchers to come together as a global community and celebrate birds, by participating in birdwatching, birdwatching events, citizen science and conservation.” The agenda for the weekend obviously included birding on Saturday, known as… Read more »
I was explaining how I’m a terrible birder, in that it takes me forever to get on a bird when a fellow participant in the hobby points one out to me. And how those kind souls trying to help me probably get frustrated when I so often give up after a few minutes of trying…. Read more »
