Beach Boys and the Birds of Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire
Sometimes I dream about escaping the lingering flurries and barely tolerable temperatures of February in Montana. I want to feel sand filtering its way through my toes as the tropical sun ever so gently radiates upon my shoulders (maybe even a little sunburn). I start thinking of Jack Johnson and the Beach Boys tunes – oh yeah, […]
Birds of Melanesia: Tropical warmth for the chilly birder
The temperature has climbed to nearly 25 degrees F this afternoon as the sun finally broke throw the dense inversion layer. Over the Bitterroot, a lone Belted Kingfisher rattled its call as it hovered above the ice-free center of the river. With a quick dive, it captures a hapless minnow. Bursting from the river with […]
Review: Birds of Central Asia
The Stans (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan)…those mysterious enclaves in the heart of the Asian continent have been somewhat of a natural history mystery for ages. Communism, radical jihad, conflicts, and just plain tribal shenanigans have all conspired to hindered the unfettered access of those wishing to chronicle the region’s unique wildlife and […]
Review: The Atlas of Birds
I rushed into the Lolo post office to receive a parcel from Princeton University Press. It was my review copy of The Atlas of Birds: Diversity, Behavior, and Conservation. I raced home and tore open the box, and fished the text from a sea of packing peanuts. The first thing that leapt out at me […]