1,234 Nighthawks in southern NH! Nighthawk migration in full swing!

Common Nighthawks

View from our deck

Nighthawk migration is in full swing here in southern NH and last night we counted 1,234 from our deck! These dramatic birds can be seen in numbers during their fall migration time. Watch for them at dusk especially along river corridors. They feed on flying insects and last night there were large numbers of flying ants dispersing into the sky. Such exciting birds!

New! Stokes Essential Pocket Guide to the Birds of North America, Coming Oct. 14th!

Announcing our new book, The Stokes Essential Pocket Guide to the Birds of North America. Available Oct. 14th. Covers 250 North American bird species with beautiful large photos and lots of identification information and more. Even tells which birds come to feeders. Perfect for beginning and intermediate bird watchers. Fits in your pocket, just grab it and some binos and start birding!

Common Yellowthroats on the move!

Here's a young male Common Yellowthroat warbler in our garden. Look at his lower face and you can see a spot of black. He does not look like the adult male yet, but will when the rest of the black feathers of his bandit-like adult mask grow in. Look closely at Common Yellowthroats you see this fall and look for hints of black on their face, it will help you distinguish the young males from the females.

Young birds like this are newly independent and begin to wander. We are already seeing some warblers on the move here in NH and this morning we saw some Chestnut-sided and Black-throated Green warblers migrating through.