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 »
I have always enjoyed roaming old cemeteries, pondering over the names and dates and symbols on the gravestones, and since taking up birding, I doubly enjoy visiting them. I’m fortunate to live in a city that has a 360-acre historic graveyard that is also designated an Important Bird Area. Greenlawn Cemetery, founded in 1848, is… Read more »
It was a Sunday afternoon, and I was interested in doing some “birdtography.” My aim was to find some LBJs (little brown jobs, aka sparrows). Determined not to let a little rain stop me, I grabbed my camera and headed to the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, where LBJs have been reliable and abundant… Read more »
You may have seen my photos on the pages of Bird Watcher’s Digest and Watching Backyard Birds. For the past three-plus years, I have been the production director and a contributing photographer to BWD. But my interest in bird photography, aka birdtography, began long ago. Since high school I have been interested in photography, and… 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 »
Sometimes you find a hidden “travel gem,” a destination that’s unique and relatively unknown, and you want everyone you know to experience it, too. That’s how I feel about the Hocking Hills region of Ohio. Nestled in south-central Ohio, just an hour southeast of Columbus, the lush Hocking Hills region takes the stage in full… Read more »
We here at BWD have been racking up some serious miles attending birding festivals lately: In August we went to Southeast Arizona, last weekend we visited Cape May, New Jersey, and next weekend we’re headed to Hawai’i… and you can come, too—for FREE! All of this travel is, of course, being done virtually, but it… Read more »
Autumn is here, and for many birders, a trip to the world-renowned migration destination of Cape May to attend New Jersey Audubon’s 75th annual Fall Festival would normally be a part of their fall plans. While that is not feasible this year, Cape May is offering the next best thing—a virtual festival featuring all the… Read more »
Last week, several members of the Bird Watcher’s Digest staff headed to the shores of Lake Erie to spend a few days birding at the famed Magee Marsh and Maumee Bay State Park, in search of fall warblers and other migrants. Our advertising partner Neff Brothers graciously provided us with an RV to use, which… Read more »
