http://birdcapemay.org/times Cape May Bird Observatory News Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:03:55 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en This is a column about why I like Cape May. It is a very easy column to write because there is a lot to like in Cape May. One of the things I like most is birds. Another thing I like is liking birds. Yet another thing I like is writing about the ...       STOP!  Hold everything.  Did you know that this very minute if you are fortunate enough to be reading this excellent diatribe anywhere within the confines of Cape May, you are within easy walking distance of a Snowy Egret, a Bald Eagle, a Least Bittern, four species of terns, four species ...      If you live in Cape May and you are one of the two or three or four people who do not watch birds then you must be pretty darn SICK of all the ink and hype and attention directed toward the addled miscreants that flock here.      I mean birds, ... Twas just before Christmas, when all through Cape May Some shoppers were puzzled, some filled with dismay. What to get their birder friends was getting them down They couldn’t find the right gift anywhere in town. A new field guide, a new novel by Dunne, A birder would be happy with either one. Perhaps a new ... [caption id="attachment_1019" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ivory Gull by Dan Haas"][/caption] I guess you know all about the Ivory Gull, right? It’s the biggest thing to hit Cape May since.... Well since the last new bird for the county showed up. If you didn’t know that a juvenile Ivory Gull has been haunting Cape May ... This article is directed to non-birder types (should there be any) who are trying to figure out what to get their birding friends, children, parents, spouses for the holiday’s (whatever ones you celebrate). You’ve been screwing this endeavor up for years.  Always buying your birding acquaintances stuff that they can hardly ...      I received an email from a woman asking me about dead flickers she was finding on the beach.      I’m not a dead flicker expert but few enough people are.      What’s a flicker?  [caption id="attachment_1002" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Northern Flicker (in its normal habitat) by Stephan Hoeck"][/caption]      Oh.  Right.  Sorry.  A flicker ... With cold fronts growing increasingly colder and windier, it is perhaps worthwhile to review some of the basic principles behind keeping warm. There’s a saying among devout outdoor recreationists:  there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear. Within limits, this is true.  Many pages could be written about how ...      This is where the gap between birder and the non-birder is at its widest.      “They’re swans,” the birder said to the non-birder, losing what scant interest they had in the non-birders inquiry.      “They’re beautiful,” the non-birder sighed, assuming that this display of admiration would endear her to all the ...      You are wondering why people watch birds.      Okay, maybe you didn’t wonder before you read that line.  But you are now.      Power of suggestion.      So repeat after me:      “I wonder why it is that people watch birds?”       Off to a good start.  Continue.      “I mean...what’s the fascination?  You can’t ...