My birding life list. One bird at a time.
Hey guys, welcome back. Shortly before I left NYC for St. Louis, I took a weekend trip to the Hamptons, which for those unfamiliar is all the way out on the eastern end of Long Island. It was an amazing trip, and I managed to get some birding in too. While walking along the beach... Continue Reading →
Hey guys, welcome back! Today we have another shorebird. This one, however is a bit unique from the other shorebirds we've taken a look at thus far. The sanderling is a tundra-breeding sandpiper and its US range differs from many others. They are found during migration in the middle of the country (in between the... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back! Hooray! More shorebirds! Hahaha! Yes, another shorebird, today the stilt sandpiper. Pretty much exclusively a visitor to the US during migration, the stilt sandpiper looks similar in plumage to its small peep relatives, but stands much taller. Size-wise think a pectoral sandpiper on stilts. Hence the name I suppose. Breeding plumage... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back. Today we have a large shorebird with a pretty limited range. The Hudsonian godwit is a large, tall shorebird with a long, slightly upturned bill. In breeding plumage, the Hudsonian godwit has a bright rusty orange with a dark mottled brown back. The bill is orange with a black tip. Non-breeding... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back. Today's little sandpiper is the dunlin. One of the more easy to ID shorebirds out there, well when they're in breeding plumage that is. That breeding plumage is a striking, and unique, array featuring a reddish brown back, gray face, and black belly patch. At one time they were actually known... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back. Today is the short-billed dowitcher. That name is a bit of a misnomer though. They do not have short bills. Rather, the name is meant to differentiate them from the long-billed dowitcher. In actuality, the difference in the bill length of the two species is very slight. Plumage is nearly identical... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back. Today a tall shorebird that has earned the nickname of "marshpiper" since it tends to wad in deeper water than other sandpipers. The greater yellowlegs is the second of two yellowlegs we've looked at. They look very similar - nearly identical - to their cousin the lesser yellowlegs. They tend to... Continue Reading →
Hey guys, welcome back. The western sandpiper. The third in the trifecta of sandpipers that all pretty much look the same. We've already talked a bit about the least and semipalmated sandpipers, so what makes the western sandpiper stand out? Well, you might think range would be one thing. They're called the western sandpiper after... Continue Reading →
Hey guys welcome back. Today the second of two semipalmated birds. Well, that's only partially accurate. There are more than two, but there's only two with the word semipalmated in their name. At least on my lifelist. Anyway, the semipalmated plover is today's bird! Semipalmated plover. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Jamaica, NY Like the semipalmated... Continue Reading →
Hey guys, welcome back. Today we have the first of two semipalmated shorebirds; the semipalmated sandpiper. Before I get into how confusing these guys can be, just what the heck does "semipalmated" mean? Well, essentially it means partially webbed. So rather than completely unwebbed feet like a songbird might have, or completely webbed feet like... Continue Reading →
Feathered Focus 