I was awoken on the morning of February 18th by a “kip kip kip” call note coming from the direction of the bird feeders. I instantly recognized it as the call note of Red Crossbill, a rare visitor to my backyard with only a couple of previous records in about 10 years. They are a […]
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Birds and Windows – epic journey ends in tragedy
My wife found the ovenbird lying dead on the ground last week beneath a shiny double-glazed window; a sad end unbefitting an epic life. Of the countless number that will meet a similar fate this year, I mourn not their passing, but the manner of it. Such a life deserves more than an anonymous and […]
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Star Island Weekend Report, May 16-18, 2014
NB: space available on last trip of the spring – Sunday May 25th, 8am-4pm, $65pp. Contact me at eric.masterson@myfairpoint.net You know how a plain white wall is the perfect foil for a great work of art. Saturday May 17th was the white wall, with scarcely a migrant to be found. We (all 27 of us) […]
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Connecticut River Geese, Spring 2014
2014 was a good spring for goose diversity in the Connecticut River Valley. The following gallery includes shots of all five species seen to date (all through an iPhone/telescope combination). In addition, I found two more neck-banded Canada Geese. I sent the band numbers away to reportband.gov and got a response within two weeks. Both […]
Continue Reading →Terrific Year for Alcids on Jeffreys Ledge
Eleven birders visited Jeffreys Ledge yesterday with Eastmans of Hampton Harbor. We are incredibly lucky to have this facility in New Hampshire, because the nearest alternative option to go offshore in winter is out of Montauk, Rhode Island. This year is the first in a long time that Eastmans has pushed past mid-December, which is […]
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