Join The Christmas Bird Count

Join the Christmas Bird Count     Make your holiday season extra-special this year and do something important for bird conservation by participating in the Christmas Bird Count. Every year from December 14 through January 5 people around the world get outside and count the birds in their area or even just their yard.  When […]

Great Views of Shorebirds Now

  Birds at the beach never cease to amaze. Not only are Marbled Godwit and American Oystercatchers Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel they capable of migrating extremely long distances non-stop (some manage several days at a time and thousands of miles over open water), there are different species on the move year round.  Fall is a […]

Who’s Migrating Now?

Who’s Migrating in Summer?  Piping Plovers, Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Spring and Fall migration get all the press.  After all, songbirds like warblers or goldfinches traveling in spring look spectacular and move in large numbers. And they can often be seen in our own backyards. But migration continues throughout the year, with different species of […]

A Day at the Beach

A Day at the Beach What could be more summer-like than a day at the beach? Who doesn’t love having fun in the water and on the sand? And the beach is a popular spot for wildlife as well. Terrapins cross busy streets to get from the marsh to Piping Plover chick the sandy shores […]

Making That First Migration

Making That First Migration Young birds are leaving the nest, and many of them are getting ready for their first trip south. Migration is a hard and risky business for any bird, but the first marathon voyage for many species of birds takes place shortly after they have fledged. How do they do it? Songbirds […]

Sharing the Beach With Nesting Shorebirds

Sharing the Beach With Nesting Shorebirds Who can resist the beach in the summer? It’s a fun place to enjoy the surf and sun and can also be a great Piping plover chick place to see birds. Many species of birds depend on beaches for survival, and lots of shorebirds have traveled many thousands of […]

The Timberdoodle Skydance

The Timberdoodle Skydance Have you ever heard of a Timberdoodle? These days the official name for the Timberdoodle is American Woodcock (but if you still want to call them Timberdoodles that’s fine with us!). April is a great time to see Woodcocks displaying.  They have a pretty amazing spring mating ritual — made all the […]

Gale Force Migration

Gale Force Migration Bird migration is heavily linked to weather patterns and systems as they move across the country.  In the fall, fast Cormorants migrating moving northwest winds, especially ahead of a front, help speed migrating birds ahead of tempestuous weather.  But fall migration coincides with another huge event in North America —  hurricane season […]

UPDATE On Piping Plovers and Moonbird

UPDATE On Piping Plovers and Moonbird It isn’t easy being a Piping plover. At a NJ beach where we follow the birds, there were 11 chicks hatched but just 2 that have fledged. Not a great success rate for an endangered species. A major factor is too much human disturbance, including dogs on the beach, […]