Our February 2010 issue, the first of the new year, is now on newsstands.
I think you'll like it. Here are six solid reasons why:
David Allen Sibley tells how head patterns match up with five feather groups on common backyard birds -- Black-capped Chickadee, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, and Blue Jay.
Kenn Kaufman explains why voice is the most reliable way to separate Oak Titmouse and Juniper Titmouse, western birds that until the 1990s were considered to be one species (Plain Titmouse).
Pete Dunne describes returning to work as the official hawk counter at Cape May Point State Park three decades after conducting the inaugural count there.
Eldon Greij reveals how warming sea-surface temperatures are affecting the world's penguins.
Paul Kerlinger explains the nesting and migratory habits of the Gyrfalcon, the world's largest falcon.
And Julie Craves answers your questions about why some female cardinals' bills are coral-colored while others are gray or black, whether songbirds are active at night, and why Mourning Doves lose their toes. Fascinating!
Read more about our stellar team of contributing editors.
The issue also contains a collection of astonishing firsts:
The first Painted Bunting ever documented in Nunavut (Nunavut!). . . the first Marsh Wren ever in Alaska. . . the first Common Shelduck in North America. . . and the first Acorn Woodpecker ever recorded in Minnesota.
You can see photos in Birding Briefs, along with a nice shot of a pretty cool second -- the second White-chinned Petrel ever recorded in North America, the best bird seen during a pelagic off San Mateo, California, back in October.
Also in our February 2010 issue. . .
...We list the 25 locations in the United States and Canada that visitors to BirdersWorld.com voted their favorite places to watch majestic, spectacular eagles. (That's the reason for the Bald Eagle on our cover. The powerful, detailed portrait is the work of amazing Seattle photographer Jon Cornforth.)
Read how you can win Nikon binoculars in our current Readers' Favorites Survey -- about hummingbirds.
...Nature writer Chris Duke shares the field-tested insights of ornithologists to help you add Least Bittern and American Bittern to your life list. Duke explains where and when to look, what strategies to use, and what to look and listen for, and he lists 10 locations in the United States where the shy marsh-dwellers can be found.
...Associate Editor Matt Mendenhall summarizes how members of the Riveredge Bird Club ranked eight lightweight 8x binoculars from Alpen, Brunton, Bushnell, Eagle Optics, Minox, Nikon, Vixen, and Vortex.
...And David Shaw, a research biologist with the Alaska Bird Observatory, describes a birdwatching and photography trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in June. Shaw saw Yellow-billed and Red-throated Loons, Common Eiders, Long-tailed Ducks, American Golden-Plovers, Buff-breasted Sandpipers, and many other nesting birds as well as vast herds of caribou, and he writes beautifully. What's more, the photography -- taken by him and Sharon Cummings -- is spectacular.
Hotspots Near You
And last but not least, the February 2010 issue contains four excellent Hotspots Near You from four knowledgeable local birders:
...Doug Backlund, a biologist for the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks and the president of Missouri Breaks Audubon, describes Fort Pierre National Grassland, Fort Pierre, South Dakota.
...Adam Marcus profiles Richard W. Dekorte Park in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Adam wrote about Inwood Hill Park (Hotspot Near You No. 1) in our October 2006 issue.
...Bay Area birder and outdoors enthusiast Carolyn Longstreth describes the habitat, terrain, and birds of the Panoche Valley in San Benito County, California.
...And Anne Hughes, an avid St. John’s birder and a Birdingpal who enjoys helping visiting birders find target birds, tells about Quidi Vidi Lake, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
As you know, Hotspots Near You appears in every issue of Birder's World. In it, we ask experienced local birders to provide maps, directions, bird lists, links, contact information, and detailed descriptions of hotspots that are not only great for birding but also close to your home. Anne's profile of Quidi Vidi, our first in Newfoundland and Labrador but the fourth from Canada, brings the number of hotspots you can now find on BirdersWorld.com up to 84. Surely, there's one there for you.
Enjoy! -- Chuck Hagner, Editor
See the entire contents of the February 2010 issue of Birder's World.
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