Take a break with us…
We miss being out in the field with you. But we’re posting here on a regular basis items we hope you’ll enjoy as a break, including videos from our own staff. Be well—we look forward to seeing you again soon!
RECENT ITEMS BELOW (among 40 videos & 1 audio clip):
• Ned takes us on a pelagic adventure off North Carolina. (8/17)
• Kite (Bret Whitney) explores the nesting birds of his Austin yard. (7/24)
• Doug‘s Birds-of-paradise flashback (7/17)
• Great Horned Owls at the TX State Capitol – with Bret (Kite) (7/6)
• Western Panama with Jesse (Motmot) and Tom (Albatross) (6/29)
• Dan (Barbet) seeks Tropical Storm birds in Louisiana (6/23)
8/17—Ned’s pelagic adventure off North Carolina
Ned Brinkley takes us along for some great pelagic birding in the Gulf Stream off of North Carolina and Virginia. Come for the petrels, stay for the manta rays and dolphins!
7/24—Kite’s Texas yard birds
Our Kite (Bret Whitney) takes us around his yard in Austin, Texas, to explore his various nesting species…some cool video and interesting bird behavior included!
7/17—Doug‘s Birds-of-paradise flashback
We’re all missing the splendor of travel.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, a song-and-dance that has gone on for millennia, continues unabated (and unseen by birding tourists) this summer. Come take a break with us as we re-visit some of the spectacular Birds-of-Paradise (complete with some bizarre dance moves!) we encountered during our 2017 Papua New Guinea tour.
7/6—Great Horned Owls at the TX State Capitol – with Bret (Kite)
Guide Bret Whitney shares a family of Great Horned Owls from the Texas State Capitol in Austin.
6/23—Dan (Barbet) seeks Tropical Storm birds in Louisiana
Guide Dan Lane (Barbet) and friends set out to find storm-blown seabirds around Baton Rouge, Louisiana as the remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal spun northward off the Gulf of Mexico.
6/18—35 years of birding the world with Field Guides
Guide Jesse Fagan (the Motmot) compiled this pulse-quickening retrospective on our 35 years of Field Guides birding all over the world.
6/8—Rose Ann (Grebe) shares the life of a retired guide from home in Portal, Arizona
Rose Ann Rowlett has been retired from guiding for a few years now but still enjoys nature as much as ever. She lives on the edge of wilderness in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona and has had many exciting visitors to her yard – including Mountain Lion!
6/5—Kite celebrates Flycatcher Weekend in Austin, TX
Guide Bret Whitney (Kite) visits a park in Austin, Texas and shows us a handful of tricky flycatchers and some beautiful views of the landscape.
6/1—Kingfisher and Roadrunner search for Montezuma Quail in Coconino County, Arizona
Guides John Coons (Kingfisher) and Dave Stejskal (Roadrunner) hunt for locally rare Montezuma Quail – and also stop in Winslow, Arizona.
5/28—Jay (Vanga) takes us birding by bike in Montreal, Québec
Guide Jay VanderGaast (the Vanga) explores his neighborhood in Montreal, Québec, Canada by bike.
5/26—Eric (Eagle) Snowshoes for Ptarmigan near his Colorado home
Guide Eric Hynes follows up on a tip to find the elusive White-tailed Ptarmigan in the alpine zone above Telluride, Colorado.
5/25—Flashback with the Motmot to Australia 2011 – Great Bowerbird bower
Guide Jesse Fagan (the Motmot) dug into the vault for this fun look at the architectural wonder that is a Great Bowerbird alleyway bower – from 2011. Has it really been nine years?
5/22—Cory (Curlew) birds near the bank of the Mississippi River in Missouri
Guide Cory Gregory (Curlew) takes us birding around his local patch in Northeastern Missouri – Steyermark Woods. Make sure you stay tuned in for the special visit from a very bold Yellow-throated Warbler near the end of the video.
5/20—Dave (Roadrunner) and Julie take a hike in SE Arizona
Dave Stejskal (the Roadrunner) and Julie Hecimovich take us along on a beautiful hike at Kartchner Caverns State Park in the Whetstone Mountains of SE Arizona, with treats like wildflowers, cactus, agaves, and some great birds along the way.
5/18—Field Guides Collaborative Global Big Day
On May 9, 2020, the whole Field Guides crew, scattered to the winds across the globe, went out to bird as much as was safe and prudent as part of the Global Big Day. These are their stories.
5/15—Ned (Screamer) takes us birding around Cape Charles, Virginia
Ned Brinkley (Screamer) — guide and creator of the Field Guides catalogs, newsletters, and emailings — lives near the southern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula at Cape Charles, Virginia. In this video, he introduces us to some of the beautiful open space that Cape Charles has to offer.
5/13—Kite birds the Texas Hill Country for Global Big Day
Guide Bret Whitney (Kite) set out on Saturday, May 9th to find Golden-cheeked Warbler, Painted Bunting, and other Hill Country gems at Emma Long Metropolitan Park in Austin, Texas during the Global Big Day. Stay tuned for the great Nine-banded Armadillo footage, too!
5/12—RP Watson jams out with Chuck-will’s-widow and friends
Among myriad interests, RP Watson (husband to the incomparable Peggy Watson) is a musician. Recently, he rose early and jammed out with the morning bird chorus in their backyard in Austin, Texas, playing handpan along with the songs of Chuck-will’s-widow and Northern Cardinal. Listen over your speakers or, for an immersive experience, pop on some headphones to take advantage of this stereo recording.
5/11—Marcelo (Manakin) has a wild backyard – the Pantanal of Brazil!
Guide Marcelo Padua (the Manakin) takes us on an excursion in his home turf, Brazil’s Pantanal – and shows us some great birds and a mammal along the way.
5/8—Chris takes us on a Tucson scorpion safari.
Expanding on his considerable love for birds and beasts, guide Chris Benesh has developed a particular passion for scorpions. As a resident of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, Chris has ready access to these fascinating beasts — and today, he shares a few with us.
5/6—Owling in Arizona with Micah (Bare-eye)
Guide Micah Riegner shares a successful evening looking for Flammulated and Northern Saw-whet owls outside of Prescott, Arizona.
5/4—Tom (Albatross) greets a returning friend – a Swainson’s Warbler
On the cusp of major spring migration across North America, Tom (Albatross) shows us how to recognize the songs of an individual Swainson’s Warbler that has returned to Cape May for multiple spring seasons. In this time when we aren’t doing as much traveling to see birds, it’s a good reminder to slow down and pay attention to the little things.
5/1—Willy shows us the birds of his garden in England
Guide Willy Perez is spending time at home with his family in Dorset, England. Today he shares some of his backyard birds and shows off his skills with the fútbol, too!