Common, Beautiful & Unrecognized

Indigo buntings are sparrow-sized birds that breed across the Central and Eastern U.S. and in parts of the Desert Southwest.  While the fema...

Spring Bird Census

The annual spring bird count was conducted at South Platte Park this morning, a swath of ponds, meadows and riparian woodlands along the Sou...

Exotic Bird of the Southern Plains

Birders who travel across the Southern Plains will usually observe a wide variety of raptors and grassland songbirds; in spring and fall, th...

Railing at Eagle Bluffs

By late April, waterfowl migrations are beginning to wind down at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, in central Missouri.  Nevertheless, there ...

A Welcome Invasion

I have returned to central Missouri just in time for the annual invasion of summer and migrant songbirds, which should unfold over the next ...

Duck Count Doldrums

Despite the warm, sunny weather (or perhaps because of it) the March waterfowl count at South Platte Park was rather dull this morning.  The...

Speed Birding

Most of our National Wildlife Refuges, Conservation Areas and large nature preserves are accessed by a network of graveled roads which permi...

Bird Listening

Though I have been an avid birdwatcher for 40 years, I have always been deficient when it comes to identifying birds by their song.  Now and...

Just Enough Snow

The latest cold front moved across Colorado two days ago, producing a mild upslope flow and cooling our afternoon high by 20 degrees; howeve...

A Second Try at Red Rocks

Two months ago, a friend and I endured single digit temperatures at Red Rocks Park, hoping to observe rosy finches and this winter's res...

Counting in the Chinooks

It was mild and sunny along the Colorado Front Range this morning, but the monthly waterfowl count at South Platte Park was hampered by froz...

A Drab Beginning

On our journey to South Florida, we left Columbia this morning under a low, gray overcast; unfortunately, the weather conditions did not imp...

Birding the Wastewater Wetlands

Columbia, Missouri, has a state-of-the-art, eco-friendly wastewater treatment facility, consisting of a chain of wetlands in the lower Perch...

The Suet Platoon

As the dark, cold days of December envelop Missouri, I add suet to our backyard handouts.  While the chunks of high calorie food do not incr...

Raptors in the Cold Sunshine

Clear skies and cold air enticed me down to the wooded hills and open farmlands south and east of Columbia this morning.  Besides, a steady ...

Refuge Closed for Killing

On this cold, gray, November morning in central Missouri, I headed down to Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area on the Missouri River floodplain, ...

Harlan's Hawk

Harlan's hawk is a large, dark-plumaged buteo that breeds across Alaska and Northwest Canada.  Once considered a distinct species, this ...

A Wintry Waterfowl Count

For the first monthly waterfowl count of the winter season, wintry conditions enveloped South Platte Park in Littleton, Colorado.  Following...

A Frigid Morning at Red Rocks

Red Rocks Park, in the foothills west of Denver, is best known for its outdoor, rock-walled amphitheater, which, over the years, has hosted ...

October Birding at Chatfield

As I headed to Chatfield State Park this morning, rain clouds billowed above the Front Range foothills. Beneath the waning sunshine, the gol...