If you have been on birding social media this week, no doubt you’ve been reading tributes about Bill Thompson of Bird Watcher’s Digest. Bill was a huge force of enthusiasm and fun in the birding world. He was incredibly generous with his time, advice, music and laughter. He recently lost his battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and the birding … Read More
PhoneSkope Can Capture More Than Just Birds
This may sound scandalous to birders but sometimes you can pay attention to other things besides birds when out on the trail. And I’m going out on a limb here, sometimes it’s even ok to digiscope things besides birds. Case in point, earlier this summer I was scouting for a birding by ear class and came across a female snapping … Read More
Remote Shutter For SmartPhones
I live in Minnesota which means I both enjoy winter and I feel entitled to complain about it. I enjoy giant piles of snow, though I prefer that it falls on day off or in increments that are small and do not have a huge impact on rush hour traffic, but lead to great snow shoe and ski trails. I … Read More
Always Take Your Scope
I recently returned from a trip to Uganda. Our first full day of birding with Bird Uganda Safaris involved heading out in large canoes with a motor attached so we could look for the elusive shoebill in Mbamba Swamp. Someone said, “I don’t think you need to bring your scope.” I replied, “I never regret bringing my scope, however there … Read More
Bino Chest Pack
Birding Field Essentials What are the essentials that one takes out in the field? Most birders would like to believe it’s just their binoculars and that’s it. Unfortunately, there’s a whole host of things that want to interfere with our enjoyment of the outdoors including mosquitos, poison ivy, and basic needs like hydration. Then there are books, cameras, journals, and … Read More
How To Get Shots of Shorebirds
Shorebirds seem to be a dividing factor for many in the birding community. Some people see the above birds as a meaningful pursuits, while others see them as birds they will never understand and would rather pretend they didn’t exist. I fell into the latter category for years. And then I met a guy named Doug Buri from South Dakota … Read More
Fun With Bird Videos
Some Birds are Hard to Photograph Let’s face it; some birds are hard to photograph. Either they move around too much, or they are in low light, and you can’t get the exposure settings to cooperate on your phone that’s when it’s time to switch to video. I’m a big fan of using video on your smartphone. You can use … Read More
Blizzard Birding
It’s April. It’s Year of the Bird. I made so many plans to really enjoy the birds in my home state this spring. Normally in spring, I’m gone almost the whole season enjoying migratory birds in other states or countries. This was my year to bird the crap out of Minnesota! And April in Minnesota did what April does sometimes. … Read More
Frogs That Sound Like Birds
When I was a kid, frogs and toads would trip me up all the time–especially spring peepers. Heck, even as a young adult I was fooled into thinking some frog calls were birds. My first time birding in Minneapolis, I headed to a city park known as T.S. Roberts Bird Sanctuary. I heard several creatures making the strangest sound I’d … Read More
Cape Coral Burrowing Owls
Oh Florida, how I love you so with your super chill birds, especially your burrowing owls in Cape Coral. One of the cool things about visiting Florida is how relaxed all the birds appear to be. If you love taking pictures of birds, it’s great. A person can get very close to your subjects and they are not alarmed. Since … Read More
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