Its not often that one sees snow buntings in a tree! Although they are a member of the super order Passeriformes (perching birds in English), they dont often perch, a consequence of living much of their lives in the largely treeless and thus perchless tundra. A large flock (about 175 today) continues to feed […]
Continue Reading →Great time to look for buntings, larks, and longspurs
I had a heck of a time finding the flock of approximately 1,000 snow buntings in Walpole on January 7th when there was relatively little snow on the ground (http://beyondbirding.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/a-good-day-in-the-valley/), so one would think that with reduced numbers of birds hiding their whiteness in ever more snow, finding them would be an order of magnitude […]
Continue Reading →Winter Tracks – published in the Monadnock Shopper Jan 12 2011
Winter Tracks My wife and I arrived in Manhattan at noon on December 26th, just a few hours before the arrival of the big blizzard. Reportedly the sixth biggest snowfall in recorded history, it dumped 20 inches on the city. Even in the current depressed property market, NYC real estate goes for upwards of $1,000 […]
Continue Reading →An Unusual Visitor – published in the Monadnock Shopper December 29 2010
Unusual Visitor I received the following email on December 16th: Hi Eric, This white-winged crossbill showed up at our feeder last week and is still returning daily. I had never seen one before and was struck by the interesting coloring. Also I never saw a wild bird that was so un-affected by my […]
Continue Reading →Census Time Again – published in the Monadock Shopper December 15
Census Time Again On December 18th and 19th, census workers will be out in force on the streets and roads of southwest New Hampshire, counting heads as part of a national effort to better understand population dynamics in the US. Sound familiar? After a summer of fussing about being counted, at least now we know […]
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