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The Helpful Birder

Featured Posts General Birding

Where to Find Birds

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Featured Posts General Birding

Not All Blue Birds are Bluebirds

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How Nature Reuses Its Resources

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Bird Species Featured Posts

Species Spotlight: Swallow-tailed Kites

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  • Birding Travels

    Birding in Grand Cayman

    Post coming soon……

    April 1, 2025
  • Backyard Bird Feeding Station Ideas
    Backyard Birding

    Backyard Bird Feeding Station Ideas

    Watching birds visit your backyard can be a source of joy and wonder. If you’re a homeowner who loves the company of these feathered friends, creating a welcoming bird feeding station…

    September 28, 2023
  • green birds in Florida
    General Birding

    18 Beautiful Green Birds in Florida (With Photos!)

    Let’s delve into the enchanting world of green birds in Florida! As avid birders know, Florida is a paradise for bird enthusiasts, offering a diverse range of species. Among them, green…

    September 27, 2023
  • Bird Species

    Florida Birds of Prey

    Florida, a state renowned for its stunning landscapes and abundant biodiversity, plays host to a remarkable array of birds of prey. These majestic avian predators, often referred to as raptors, have…

    September 11, 2023
  • Florida Birding Hotspots

    Birding St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge in January

    Every year, my girlfriends and I take a trip to northwest Florida, near Tallahassee, to bird at St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge. It’s a great way to start out the new…

    November 29, 2022
  • Florida scrub-jay
    Bird Photography

    My Favorite Bird Photography Gear

    It’s funny, I got into birding AFTER I bought my first camera. I didn’t set up to be a bird photographer; I just wanted a DSLR camera to use. I bought…

    October 21, 2022
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thehelpfulbirder

Life bird 356 (US) / 527 (World) was the unique Ph Life bird 356 (US) / 527 (World) was the unique Phainopepla. The white feathers in their wings aren’t apparent at rest but they show up so distinctively in flight. Please swipe to see an additional closer crop of this same image.

Not that anyone is keeping count, but I skipped a bird because the photo looks too much like the moth photo I posted yesterday. I’ll work it back in later 🤣

I hope everyone had a wonderful Earth Day! 🌎🌱🌳
A little bird break, here’s a hungry White-lined S A little bird break, here’s a hungry White-lined Sphinx Moth at the Desert Museum. It was so active!!!
Did I ever tell you about the time I got to meet t Did I ever tell you about the time I got to meet the Ravenmaster? This is me with Chris Skaife, former Tower of London Ravenmaster and author of the book by the same name. If you enjoy history and birds, I think you’ll enjoy the read! 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛
More Arizona lifers! The first one is 352 / 523, More Arizona lifers!

The first one is 352 / 523, a Black-throated Sparrow. He was singing his little heart out!

353 / 524 was a White-crowned Sparrow. I saw them but the photos are useless, so I didn’t include one.

354 / 525 is a Canyon Towhee, the second photo. It’s bad so I’m hiding it in a carousel. Unfortunately I only saw this species once.

All three were in Saguaro NP near Tucson. The numbers are their spots on my US list and worldwide list, respectively.

#arizonabirds #arizonabirding #tucsonarizona
When do you put birds on your life list? I will ev When do you put birds on your life list? I will even if I only hear them, as long as I’m with someone knowledgeable who recognizes the call or song. 

So for me, the Verdin I saw in AZ weren’t lifers, but it was the first time I’d seen one, much less photographed it. I saw two actively nest building and both had a huge mouthful of material! This particular individual was taken in the Saguaro National Park, near Tucson.

#verdin #saguaronationalpark #tucson #arizonabirds
I had hoped to get a shot of a Cactus Wren (351/52 I had hoped to get a shot of a Cactus Wren (351/522) on a saguaro cactus, and I’m happy to say it worked out fairly well! I saw and heard this species at several locations in the Tucson and Phoenix, but this was my classic. If I had more time, I’d probably have spent it looking for an even better example!

Numbers in parentheses are their spots on my US list and world list, respectively.
I’m going to start posting my lifers from our rece I’m going to start posting my lifers from our recent trip to Arizona, plus a couple of non-lifers that I’d never photographed before. Starting here with the Gambel’s Quail (349/520) and the Gila Woodpecker (350/521) perched on a saguaro cactus. 

I didn’t get a shot I love of the Gila, so I’m burying it in a carousel 😉🙄😆 That photo is actually from the Saguaro National Park near Tucson.

Numbers in parentheses are their spots on my US list and world list, respectively.
A Harris’s Antelope Squirrel for #nofeathersfriday A Harris’s Antelope Squirrel for #nofeathersfriday - one minute it was there and then it was gone!
Does any species capture #emobirdweek better than Does any species capture #emobirdweek better than the Phainopepla? With its punk hairdo, glossy black feathers, and red eyes, it simply screams goth to me!

They seem to be fairly common in Arizona but TBH it was one of the species I was most excited to see on my recent trip there.
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Red-cockaded woodpecker foraging for food in the woods at St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge in Wakulla, Florida (not far from Tallahassee)
Red cockaded woodpecker
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Recent Posts

  • Birding in Grand Cayman
  • Backyard Bird Feeding Station Ideas
  • 18 Beautiful Green Birds in Florida (With Photos!)
  • Florida Birds of Prey
  • Birding St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge in January

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