Field Notes

We tell stories that transport readers into nature with a range of timely topics and perspectives. From science and conservation to humor and awe, we share insights that encourage people to care about birds and the world they inhabit.

These observations and anecdotes are meant to inform, entertain and increase the choir for conservation. If there is a topic that you’d like us to explore, please contact us.

Citizens for Conservation Help Restore the Prairie

Have you heard the BirdNote story about Tom Vanderpoel and his volunteers, Restoring Prairies for Grassland Birds?Restoration on the Grigsby Prairie Restoration Site, in the Barrington Hills area northwest of Chicago, was begun in the 1980s. The site -- on land donated by Peggy Richards -- now... read more »

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Topics & Themes:  environmental champion

In the Field with Wildlife Biologist, Dan Varland

From 1949 to the 1970s, tons of DDT were discharged into ocean waters off the Southern California coast. Even now, decades later, California sea lions that have eaten pesticide-laden prey migrate north as far as British Columbia. Some die and wash up on the beaches of Washington State. There they... read more »

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Topics & Themes:  environmental champion, science
Related birds:  Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Plan Your Next Birding Trip!

Planning a trip? We’ve pulled together some online resources that can help you find that special place for birdwatching—or special bird—on that family vacation across the state or that business trip to the other side of the world. read more »

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Topics & Themes:  birding, birdwatching

Red-tailed Hawk Juvenile Stops to Preen

Seattle-area photographer Mike Hamilton spotted this young Red-tailed Hawk, taking a moment to preen. What a sight! Thanks, Mike! read more »

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Related birds:  Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Wild Goose Chase - Birding in the Netherlands

BirdNote team member Adam Sedgley and his wife had the opportunity to relocate to Paris for nine months. Here he tells of his birding adventures in the Netherlands in early March 2013.Yeah, it’s cliché, and I am certainly not the first birdwatcher to use, or perhaps abuse, this phrase. But when... read more »

Bad Pictures of Good Birds

I stared out the window, trying to quell my anxiety. Bald Eagles held sentry over every field, and rain was imminent. Sodden gray clouds made it impossible to tell that the North Cascades arched just to the east. Chasing vagrant birds makes me anxious. read more »

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Topics & Themes:  birding

Converting Pastures to Forest in Hawai'i

BirdNote producer John Kessler writes about spending a day in the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge with Jack Jeffrey. For more than 25 years, Jack was the senior field biologist there and has overseen the restoration of thousands of acres of natural forest vital to the endemic birds of the... read more »

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Topics & Themes:  ecology

The Skinny on Dippers

Brendan McGarry reflects on an aquatic songbird, the American Dipper. read more »

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Topics & Themes:  reflection
Related birds:  American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus)

California Clapper Rail Study by the USGS

Book researcher, freelance writer, and photographer Ingrid Taylar was on hand in January 2009, when a US Geological Survey team from the Western Ecological Research Center arrived to band and radio-tag the remaining thousand or so California Clapper Rails in the Bay Area. Here's her story. read more »

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Topics & Themes:  science
Related birds:  Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris)

Interaction between two Red-tailed Hawks

Mike Hamilton was birding at Sikes Lake near Carnation Farm, outside the town of Carnation in Washington State, when he spotted a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk flying low over some Cackling Geese in a field. read more »

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Related birds:  Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

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