Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

The Ringed Gimpy ( Pisa towerii ) is a pigeon like bird whose only movement involves wandering aimlessly in circles on both sides of the continent.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the work of John Sill, he is the author of a trilogy of humorous bird books with the first being titled "Seldom Seen and Little Known Birds of North America". As the title suggests, I am experiencing the same annoyance as one of the fictionalized birds faces in the book. The Ringed Gimpy is a pigeon-like bird with a ring around its neck and one leg that's shorter than the other. As a result it very subtly lists to one direction or another depending on sex (males have a different short leg to the females). The reason I'm bringing this up is because of my own leg problems. For the past month, I've been limping with varying severity due to a stiff knee with an unknown cause. As a result, I've become crippled during the worst time possible. I've been hyped about the p...

At the end of this week, I will be traveling to New Jersey for my new internship. I won't tell you where for privacy reasons, but I'm definitely looking forward to it. I'm excited for two reasons. One is that this experience will sort of be like college in the sense that I have to rely on myself to cook, clean, and learn those life skills I need when I'm truly out on my own. The second reason is, of course, the birds. Over the next few weeks, I'll be reporting the ins and outs of Pennington and other prime birding locations. I'm especially looking forward to spring migration as my location puts me fairly close to the Chesapeake Bay area allowing me access to the legendary waterfowl and shorebird migrations seen there twice a year. I expect the woodlands to be equally impressive with neotropical migrants such as warblers, tanagers, thrushes, and grosbeaks to add to both my year and life lists. While some initial jitters are over and done with, I only hope that ...

So having looked through my bird lists and tabulating my chances for this year, I've concluded that unless a shit-ton (actual word, just ask any Mainer) of rarities show up on the Atlantic Coast this year, my chances of reaching 400 species on my life list are quite unlikely. So instead I'm shooting for 350 species instead. Still impressive and more achievable especially with the potential to see some more southerly warbler species in the warmer months of the year. I'm also excited for spring migration which means shorebirds, neotropical migrants, and the true harbinger of spring, the Eastern Phoebe ( Sayornis phoebe ). I'll be spending a good chunk of the year in New Jersey which gives me tactical advantage in visiting places like Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in NY, the Pine Barrens of NJ, and the Chesapeake Bay to the south. Below is a list of the top twenty Mid-Atlantic/Southern species I'd like to see while I'm down there. If you guys have tips for where to...