10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2012

In my experience, I’ve noted how birders, particularly newer birders, can have a tendency to jump to conclusions when they see any sort of bird that doesn’t match up perfectly with the picture in the field guide. New Jersey mystery sparrow.

New Jersey 214

New Jersey North Carolina Sparrows Connecticut 214

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

Erika is a first year graduate student studying Ecosystem Science and Conservation at Duke. There were ten students in total that had signed up for the spring break “Seabirds” course in Dry Tortugas National Park, and after long drives down from North Carolina we had all made it right on time. Lots and lots of birds.

Birds 174

Birds Florida Groups Breeding 174

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

What I didn’t know was how this relationship actually works: the mechanics of Red Knot migration, the reduced digestive systems necessary for their long flighta, the need to fatten up quickly so they can fly to the Arctic and breed, how they compete with other shorebirds and gulls and, it turns out, humans, for horseshoe crab eggs.

Delaware 176

Delaware New Jersey Research Eggs 176