The New Birder Experience is all about observing and learning about birds. As fun as it is to build up a large list of birds on a hike, I’ve found that it is much more fun for both Stacia and I when we just plain watch birds being birds. Over the last couple of weeks
Category: The New Birder Experience
Birding at Montrose – Lincoln Park in Chicago
I finally had an opportunity to bird the popular migrant trap in Chicago known as Montrose. Operated by the Chicago Park District and part of Lincoln Park, Montrose is a mixture of habitats adjacent to the Lake Michigan. The park has grown from the famous “Magic Hedge” to a rather large area of trees, shrubs,
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Turkeys Gone Wild
One of the best things about birding is that you never know where or when you’ll find certain birds. Sure, common birds often come to feeders. And there is nothing too shocking about seeing Mallards or Canada Geese along the Rock River. But a rafter of Wild Turkeys meandering down the sidewalk in a city
Where is My Snowy Owl?
Last year around this time, Stacia spotted a Snowy Owl relaxing in one of the fields at her farm. She was super excited, even though this was prior to her meeting her Birdfreak. (Of course, who wouldn’t be excited about a SNOWY OWL?!) Recently, Stacia asked “Where’s my Snowy Owl?”, hoping he or she would
Birding . . . At the Library?
As any birder can attest to, birding can be done nearly anywhere at any time. This past Friday I was visiting the Todd Library at Waubonsee Community College where Stacia works. The weather was finally starting to feel like Spring, so after visiting some co-workers we walked around the nature-friendly campus. We had just gotten
Review of Swarovski EL Traveler Binoculars
The following is a review of the Swarovski EL Traveler Binoculars. Birdfreak.com has an ongoing partnership with Swarovski Optik. A few years ago I purchased a pair of Swarovski EL bins and would never want to use another brand. Since then, Swarovski has been super generous to us in getting awesome equipment in our hands.
New Birder Experience – International Crane Foundation
The International Crane Foundation is located in Baraboo, Wisconsin and showcases all fifteen (15) species of cranes found throughout the world. Stacia and Eddie (Birdfreak) went there as part of an NCIOS (Rockford Bird Club) field trip. While we didn’t get to see all 15 species, we saw and learned a lot. The International Crane
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New Birder Experience – Bird Club Field Trip
There’s nothing quite like a local bird club field trip. It is a great way to talk birds with fellow birders and help find birds as a group. This past Saturday we participated in the first of the season’s NCIOS bird club field trip. Oh, and I happened to be the leader. We headed out
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