Natural History Journal

Last year, Eric and I spent the month of June traveling through England and Scotland, visiting amazing historic sites, touring places connected with our favorite classic literature, rambling across the stunningly beautiful British countryside, and of course, birding.  The last week of our trip was spent in Scotland, and I had the opportunity to see quite a few birds right in the heart of Edinburgh, in and around Holyrood Park. Eurasian Bullfinch I was incredibly excited to see this male Eurasian Bullfinch, sitting atop a fence one fine, mizzly morning on our way into Edinburgh.  Though he looked a bit damp and bedraggled, he was singing nonetheless and didn't seem to mind the quintessentially Scottish weather.  Eurasian Bullfinch Eurasian Bullfinches range across much of Europe and parts of Asia, preferring deciduous woodland edges, farmland, hedgerows, parks and gardens.  Though not terribly uncommon, these striking little birds can be difficult to see, as they tend...

This past summer, Eric and I spent the month of June traveling in England and Scotland.  And while the primary focus of the trip wasn't necessarily birds, I did manage to fit quite a bit of birding into the trip, seeing a grand total of 111 species, 71 of which were lifers!  Check out the other places we visited after our initial stop in London! Rainham Marshes Wetland Birds Cotswolds Villages & British Countryside Yorkshire Dales & Moorlands European Robin While England and Scotland boast a wealth of beautiful natural habitats to explore, all of which are simply brimming with wonderful wildlife, its towns and cities are probably the best places to start when birding in the UK for the first time.  Here, lush landscapes dotted with expansive parks and idyllic gardens are home to a long list of European bird species that are exciting for any visiting American birder!  And so it was that my first European Robin hopped down right in front of me on a picnic bench ...

In a state known for its incredible biodiversity , one county stands above the rest in terms of sheer number of species: San Diego County.  Tucked in the southwestern corner of California and bordered by two extremes - the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Colorado Desert to the east - San Diego county encompasses a wide range of habitats.  And within those diverse habitats live more species of wildlife than any other single county in the country.   On an early spring visit to San Diego county, we tallied up nearly 150 species of birds over the course of a couple of days as we made our way from quintessentially Californian chaparral-covered hills and sandy beaches, to arid desert scrubland and even out onto the open ocean. Yellow-crowned Night Heron As we wandered through salt marsh habitat at the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge, we were surprised by the abundance and prominence of Yellow-crowned Night Herons at this location.  These close relatives of o...