Beach Boys and the Birds of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire
Sometimes I dream about escaping the lingering flurries and barely tolerable temperatures of February in Montana. I want to feel sand filtering its way through my toes as the tropical sun ever so gently radiates upon my shoulders (maybe even a little sunburn). I start thinking of Jack Johnson and the Beach Boys tunes – oh yeah, “Aruba, Jamaica, Babe I wanna take ya.” Aruba, yeah that’s the ticket. A trip to Aruba cures the winter blahs for certain. But alas, the funds have not materialized in the old bank account. Guess, I will have to settle for reading about the...
Read MoreOwls of the World – Hey, It’s Owling Season
I have been on an absolute owl tear lately. I have found and photographed Northern Pygmy Owl and Great Gray Owl along the Bitterroot River. I accompanied owl researcher Denver Holt on one of his owl trapping/banding field days where I got up close and personal with a Long-eared Owl. All of these experiences have serviced to only ramp up my owl lust. When the sun fades I the evening, I am not thinking about crawling into a warm and cozy bed, I want to be out in the dark and cold listening to Boreal Owls at some high mountain pass. If you were to ask my partner, I am sure she will tell you I...
Read MoreReview: Birds of Central Asia
The Stans (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan)…those mysterious enclaves in the heart of the Asian continent have been somewhat of a natural history mystery for ages. Communism, radical jihad, conflicts, and just plain tribal shenanigans have all conspired to hindered the unfettered access of those wishing to chronicle the region’s unique wildlife and birds. There have been an intrepid few that dared enter into the heart of the continent. Grigory Grumm-Grzhimaylo was one of those hardy few. The Russian naturalist explored Central Asia...
Read MoreReview: Petrels, Albatrosses & Storm-Petrels of North America
Here in Montana, petrels and albatrosses are not usually on the birding radar. Their foreignness and distance have only served to intrigue me. I imagine a giant albatross dynamically soaring amongst of crowns and troughs of mid-ocean swells. I can almost feel the salt-laden mist needling at my face. Heck, I might even be a little bit sea-sick. All of this is nothing more than a daydream. I have never seen a tubenose (the catch-all name for all petrels, albatrosses, and storm-petrels) in the state…nobody has, except for a handful of observers on the VENT tour in May 2004. Denver Holt and...
Read MoreReview: Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding
More than 20 years ago, the birding world was buzzing with the release of the first edition of Kenn Kaufman’s Advanced Birding. Finally, there was a text dedicated to detailing the major identification issues of North American birding. At last, we had an accessible methodology for IDing those delightfully difficult Empidonax flycatchers. I devoured my first copy, and I have used that knowledge to this very day. But, time rolls on, and with it taxonomies change, technology refines, and identification pointers are revealed. Now, the Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding comes onto the...
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