The Holbrook Explorer
Birding
Field Update: Birding in Costa Rica with Rick Greenspun
Rick Greenspun recently returned from leading a birding group into the beauty of Costa Rica's natural wonders. Here are photos of just a few of the species they spotted, shared by traveler Sandy Sorkin from the field. Enjoy! Amazon Kingfisher (Chloroceryle amazona) Bat Falcon (Falco...
Trip report: Birding in Patagonia with San Diego Audubon Society
The San Diego Audubon Society is wrapping up their birding in Patagonia program. Trip leader Karen Straus shared these highlights from the field. Enjoy! "San Diego Audubon's Patagonia trip begins!" "San Diego Audubon had a wonderful but sleep-deprived day of birding and touring Santiago, Chile...
Photo of the Month: November 2015
Driving between the seaside village of Húsavik and the farm country of Gauksmýri, our birding guide unexpectedly pulled the van off the road and our group was able to witness a magical moment as mechanical horsepower gave right-of-way to live horsepower crossing the bridge. The highlight of our...
Join the "Big Sit" this Weekend
This weekend, October 10-11, is the annual Big Sit! birding event. This international event is hosted by Bird Watcher’s Digest and it was founded by the New Haven (Connecticut) Bird Club. The event, which is non-competitive and purely for fun, is free and open to any person in any country. To...
Birders unite for Global Big Day on May 9
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s competitive birding team, Team Sapsucker, is going big this year with their Global Big Day event. On May 9, Team Sapsucker will partake in a 24-hour birding marathon in Panama. The team is inviting birders around the world to join them in Global Big Day by raising...
Tufted, Horned, and Atlantic Puffins: What's the Difference?
There are three species of puffin in the genus Fratercula, family Alcidae, and they all share certain characteristics — small and stocky bodies, black and white plumage, large bills, and orange-red feet. It’s easy to confuse these adorable birds at first glance, but if you look carefully for a few...
The Plight of the Yellow-eyed Penguins in New Zealand
When most people think of penguins, they think of the cute, little birds in tuxedos that frolic in the lands of Antarctica. While this is an accurate description for a large majority of penguins, there is a group that sometimes get overlooked. The Yellow-eyed Penguin is one of the rarest penguins...
Operation RubyThroat Celebrates 25th Citizen Science Hummingbird Expedition
A note from Dr. Bill Hilton Jr.: We will be celebrating the March 2015 Operation RubyThroat trip to Belize as my 25th citizen science hummingbird expedition to the Neotropics, where after ten years I’m still the only scientist conducting systematic research and banding on Ruby-throated Hummingbirds...
Paulo Valerio Reveals Costa Rica's Birding Hot Spots
Join birding and natural history specialist Paulo Valerio as he reveals the birding hot spots of Costa Rica at Lotusland in Santa Barbara, California. Paulo’s presentation, which will take place at 4 p.m. on March 10, will cover popular spots for birders to view some of Costa Rica’s 878 avian...
Protecting the Macaws
Macaws are a species of bird that many people around the world obtain as pets. You may know them for repeating their owners’ lines like, “Polly want a cracker?” But, what you may not realize is that many of these birds are held captive and sometimes even abused by their owners. While leading a trip...
The Great Backyard Bird Count
Join birders all over the world for the 18th annual Great Backyard Bird Count from February 13-16, 2015! The Great Backyard Bird Count is a free, fun event open to birders of all ages and experience levels. The purpose of the event is to engage bird watchers in counting birds in order to create a...
Threatened Birds in Costa Rica
One in eight of the world’s bird species is deemed globally threatened, and the fortunes of 213 critically endangered species are now so perilous that they are at risk of imminent extinction, according to BirdLife International. Professionals think that some of these species that have not been...