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Behind the Bins
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Join me behind the bins to watch birds around the country and sometimes in other places around the globe.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'travel'
Bird Photography Weekly
I am on my way for yet another business trip. Alas, this one will not allow for any squeezed-in birding. I know I have been absent from my much-loved bird blog for a long while, but hang in there with me, this is my last trip of the year. Let me o...
Bird Photography Weekly
Since I am going to be in Phoenix for business, I decided to take a few vacation days to visit with some friends and go birding. I have some target birds I hope to see, not the least among them are those pesky quails. I will be going out with...
A Fast Escape
I jerked my head around and froze. DANGER! Alarm bells were going off in my head. Thrashing sounds among the trees are never a good thing, regardless of where you might be on the planet. I was standing in the middle of the road, searching for what...
Bird Photography Weekly
The rain was falling in buckets, yet a tiny Snowy-bellied Hummingbird sat tenaciously on the top of a Heliconia. He would make a foray out occasionally, but then return to his perch, point his bill to the sky and sit for long periods. I stood o...
Moonwalking Manakins
“Is this the one that does the moonwalk?” I looked over at an older woman standing next to me and shrugged with a little head-shake. I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. The only moonwalk I knew of was Michael Jackson...
Wordless Wednesday
Bird Photography Weekly
I had had enough. I was tired from the morning hike and riding in a van on the twisty, turny road was making me nauseous. Besides, I was leaving the next day and wanted to make arrangements and start packing. So, I stayed behind on the last af...
Trogon Love
Will ya look at that bad boy. Total fave. There is something about the Violaceous Trogon that I just love. Maybe it’s all that yellow. I didn’t go to Panama with any target birds in mind. But once I got an eye-full of this guy, I ...
Butterflies of Panama
One of the first things (well aside from the birds) that you will notice in Panama is the incredible array of Butterflies. In the heat of the day (and I am talking serious heat and humidity at the Tower) during the siesta break, I wandered around s...
Panama Bound
I am off to the land of Motmots, Flowerpiercers, Tinamous and Howler Monkeys. I will be at the Canopy Tower in Panama for 4 nights and the Lodge for 3. Can I hear a W00T? I’m super excited. I am dragging my creaky old laptop with me, so ...
Hawaiian Shirt Shorebird Safari
You are not really here to see shorebirds are you? C’mon, fess up. You want to see birders in Hawaiian shirts. Well, I’ll get to that. I first heard about the Hawaiian Shirt Shorebird Safari back in June when I attended the Bloggers w...
Bird Photography Weekly
Look at those screaming yellow legs! Can’t mistake this for anything else. ...
Wordless Wednesday
Check our other terrific photos at Wordless Wednesday. ...
Look out Below!
Wordless Wednesday
Skywatch Friday
I heard them first. When I looked up, following the sound, I saw dozens of Cedar Waxwings on the overhead wires, kibitzing among themselves. Like all travellers, I’m sure they were complaining about the weather, the lack of appropriate fo...
Skywatch Friday at the Beach
I was standing at the water’s edge watching the sun’s first rays color the sand when I heard a screaming flock of gulls further down the beach. I watched as they swirled and swooped low to the sand. Curious, I ambled down the beach i...
Brekkie with a Willet
Hmmmm, What’s this? Looks Snacky. You’ll ‘cuse me if I don’t talk with my mouf full. (editorial note — cute willet tongue — can you see it?) I will not puke this back up. Gulp * swallow* gulp* Work it, wo...
Mystery Crustacean - mystery no more
Walking the beach at daybreak, I found this guy washed up, on his back, feet waving frantically in the air. I almost stepped on him. He was about 3 inches long and the color of the sand. I flipped him over and he just sat there, so I scooped hi...
Bird Photography Weekly
I stood on the narrow catwalk hanging below the bridge over Oregon inlet. The platform vibrated as the cars passed behind me; their tires whizzing by just over my head. Although the catwalk was intended for fishing, it made a good spot for bird...
Beach Birds
I am off to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to spend a few days with my cousin. She and her husband are not birdwatchers, but appreciate that I am, so I will be able make myself scarce a few hours of the day to see what is around. I hope there ...
New-fangled Approach to Eating Duckweed
Common Moorhens eat aquatic vegetation, as well as snails, worms, berries and fruit. Normally I see them picking along at the edge of the reeds. When I came across several paddling around in a pond covered in duckweed, it was sort of cool looking...
Bird Photography Weekly
Common or Wilson’s or Eurasian, whatever. This is a Snipe. When I first started birdwatching, this was a Common Snipe. Then they changed its name to Wilson’s Snipe. Now I have no idea what it is called. The Shorebird Guide says on...
Birding with Alligators
I live in the northeast where there are, thankfully, no alligators (NYC sewer gators, notwithstanding) so when I come across them in my travels they always freak me out a little; it’s all that nature programming that shows them running with bur...
Bird Photography Weekly - Sora
It always feels so special to see a rail. But unlike many of them, this Sora was totally brazen; walking across open water in full view to get from grassy clump to grassy clump. When it disappeared into the reeds and did not emerge, I drove on, o...
Skywatch-Great Horned Owl
Screeeeeeech! Crunch, crunch, crunch. (The sound of squealing brakes and gravel under the tires as we pulled off the road.) I don’t often see owls and only twice in my life have I seen them just hanging around on the side of the road. The...
Not all Red Birds are Cardinals
Cardinals were everywhere at Brazos Bend State Park . I was seeing 10-15 at a time. They were in the shrubs, trees, bushes and on the ground. I’m tellin’ you there must have been a flock of 70 birds there. Often I would see moveme...
Bird Photography Weekly - Least Grebe
Meet Life Bird #612. This is one of the Least Grebes that was hanging around the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge. I saw it on the auto loop around Moccasin Pond. Look at that orange eye. ...
Bittern Mantra
Ohmmmm. I am one with the reed. Ohmmmm. I am one with the reed. Ohmmmm, I am one with the reed. Seriously. What are you looking at? I know you can’t see me. You got some sort of reed envy thing going on? You too can be one with the reed...
Birding San Bernard NWR
Do you read Birding on the Net regional lists before you travel? I do. A few weeks before the trip I started to see reports on TexBirds of a Least Grebe at San Bernard NWR. Although I had seen this bird in Costa Rica, I did not have it on my...
