1 out of 5 people in the United States identifying themselves as birders — 51.3 million, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. One of the fastest growing hobbies in the U.S., who knows what you might see when you pick up your binoculars and scope and head out into the field? Photo Courtesy
Prior to the turn of the century, people engaged in a holiday tradition known as the Christmas “Side Hunt”: They would choose sides and go afield with their guns; whoever brought in the biggest pile of feathered (and furred) quarry won. Conservation was in its beginning stages around the turn of the 20th century, and
At Project FeederWatch, everyday sightings combine for rare insights. In the winter of 2008-2009, the United States was flooded with Pine Siskins, small, streaky finches with a lemon-yellow flash in the wings. The birds left boreal Canada and spread across the continent from the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf Coast. Siskins by the millions blanketed
