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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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Featured Posts General Birding

How Nature Reuses Its Resources

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Bird Species Featured Posts

Species Spotlight: Swallow-tailed Kites

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  • Florida scrub jay
    Florida Birding Hotspots

    Cruickshank Sanctuary, Brevard County

    The Helen and Allan Cruickshank Sanctuary is located on Barnes Boulevard in Rockledge, Florida. It consists of 140 acres of pine flatwoods and scrub habitat. The biggest attraction at this location…

    May 13, 2020
  • King Rail, Viera Wetlands
    Florida Birding Hotspots

    Viera Wetlands, Brevard County, Florida

    Note: Viera Wetlands is currently COMPLETELY closed. It is expected to reopen in December of 2023 to walkers and bikers, but it’s not expected that cars will be allowed to drive…

    April 2, 2020
  • Florida Birding Hotspots

    Black Point Wildlife Drive, Brevard County

    If you want to bird in Florida, one of the best places you can choose is the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The land is owned by NASA, but operated by…

    April 2, 2020
  • Swallow-tailed kite in flight over Wildwood, Florida
    Bird Species Featured Posts

    Species Spotlight: Swallow-tailed Kites

    Every spring around March/April, Florida birders get really excited to see the first Swallow-tailed Kites come through. Because they migrate to South America, they aren’t here year-round. But when they are,…

    March 19, 2020
  • Northern Gannets at Bempton Cliffs, England
    Birding Travels

    My Whirlwind Tour of London, Birdfair, Norwich, and More

    My first trip to Europe last August was an absolute dream. My friend Rochelle asked if I would like to accompany her to Birdfair, the largest birding festival in the UK.…

    March 19, 2020
  • General Birding

    Why are Juvenile Birds So Difficult to ID?!?!

    Many species of birds have babies that look an awful lot like their parents. A young male cardinal is less red than an adult, but clearly a cardinal. Baby egrets are…

    March 19, 2020
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thehelpfulbirder

It’s baby season! The parents of these Northern Mo It’s baby season! The parents of these Northern Mockingbirds are running the ragged. They’re so cute though! (iPhone photo)
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!
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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

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