Welcome to what began in 2005 as a quest to photograph 700 or more ABA countable North American bird species. This site now features 794 species of birds photographed in North America (now including Hawaii), of which the number of ABA “countable” species presently stands at:
762
Upcoming trips
No trips currently planned
Black Swift in Ouray, Colorado
July 28 – August 4, 2021: For many years I wondered where one could possibly go to try to find a Black Swift, an elusive species that is hardly ever seen because it nests inaccessibly at high elevations near waterfalls and spends its days entirely on the wing. My Florida friend Carl Edwards alerted me that indeed there is a nesting site that actually is accessible, namely Box Canyon Falls in the mountain town of Ouray, Colorado, so I became determined to make a pilgrimage to Ouray. COVID made such a trip impossible in 2020, but Nancy and I finally made it there last week as part of a week-long Denver-Denver driving itinerary that took us to Great Sand Dunes NP, Durango and a day trip on the Durango-Silverton narrow gauge railway, Ouray, and finally beautiful Aspen.
After traversing the infamous “Million Dollar Highway,” a stretch of US 550 with a not undaunting section literally carved out of a cliff, we arrived safely in Ouray at 1:30 PM on July 31 and went immediately to Box Canyon Falls which is a left turn just as one enters the south end of town. Late July is a good time to visit because it is nesting season and there will be a good chance of seeing at least a nest or two with an adult swift incubating an egg. We did find two such occupied nests but the canyon walls are steep and the nesting sites in the crevices are in deep shade necessitating a high ISO camera setting (6400) in order to get satisfactory photos. We were lucky that we hadn’t wasted any time getting to the Falls, because the rain started forty-five minutes later just as we were leaving and there would have been no viewing opportunity later in the day.
July 28 – August 4, 2021: For many years I wondered where one could possibly go to try to find a Black Swift, an elusive species that is hardly ever seen because it nests inaccessibly at high elevations near waterfalls and spends its days entirely on the wing. My Florida friend Carl Edwards alerted me that indeed there is a nesting site that actually is accessible, namely Box Canyon Falls in the mountain town of Ouray, Colorado, so I became determined to make a pilgrimage to Ouray. COVID made such a trip impossible in 2020, but Nancy and I finally made it there last week as part of a week-long Denver-Denver driving itinerary that took us to Great Sand Dunes NP, Durango and a day trip on the Durango-Silverton narrow gauge railway, Ouray, and finally beautiful Aspen.
After traversing the infamous “Million Dollar Highway,” a stretch of US 550 with a not undaunting section literally carved out of a cliff, we arrived safely in Ouray at 1:30 PM on July 31 and went immediately to Box Canyon Falls which is a left turn just as one enters the south end of town. Late July is a good time to visit because it is nesting season and there will be a good chance of seeing at least a nest or two with an adult swift incubating an egg. We did find two such occupied nests but the canyon walls are steep and the nesting sites in the crevices are in deep shade necessitating a high ISO camera setting (6400) in order to get satisfactory photos. We were lucky that we hadn’t wasted any time getting to the Falls, because the rain started forty-five minutes later just as we were leaving and there would have been no viewing opportunity later in the day.
November 2, 2020: First U.S. life bird since this past February in Hawaii, a Common Cuckoo is currently being seen in Johnston, Rhode Island, just a little over an hour’s drive from new home base in Niantic, CT. The bird was in plain view for the entire 45 minutes I spent there along with a host of other observers.
The following is a list of all new (or updated*) pages from the Hawaii trip of February 23 – March 4, 2020:
African Silverbill, Akiapolaau, Apapane, Chestnut Munia, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Common Waxbill, Erckel’s Francolin, Eurasian Skylark, Gray Francolin, Great Frigatebird, Hawaii Akepa, Hawaii Amikihi, Hawaii Creeper, Hawaii Elepaio, Hawaiian Coot, Hawaiian Duck, Hawaiian Hawk, I’iwi, Indian Peafowl, Japanese Bush-Warbler, Java Sparrow, Kauai Elepaio, Laysan Albatross,* Oahu Elepaio, Pacific Golden-Plover*, Red Junglefowl, Red-footed Booby*, Red-crested Cardinal*, Red-masked Parakeet*, Palila, Red-tailed Tropicbird, Red-vented Bulbul, Saffron Finch, Wandering Tattler*, Warbling White-eye, White Tern, White-rumped Shama, White-tailed Tropicbird, Yellow-billed Cardinal, Yellow-fronted Canary, Zebra Dove.
I addition, we had a number of Hawaiian subspecies, including Black-crowned Night-Heron, Black-necked Stilt, Common Gallinule, and Short-eared Owl.
New species briefly seen but not photographable included Kalij Pheasant and one female Red Avadavat.
read more »
February 23 – March 4, 2020: Completed a long-planned trip to Hawaii with Wings, where our group, including my good buddy Bob Mustell from the “show me” state, spent three nights in Oahu, four on Kauai, and four on the Big Island. I managed to photograph 36 new species for this web site. Special thanks to guide Lance Tanino for his very kind assistance on several challenging trails and getting me my best views of I’iwi, one of my most sought-after target species for the trip. Luckily we were all able to return home without difficulty prior to the spread of the coronavirus.
The source for the following is:
David P. L. Toews, Henry M. Streby, Lowell Burket, Scott A. Taylor (2018). A wood-warbler produced through both interspecific and intergeneric hybridization, Biology Letters, published online on 7 November 2018 before print | doi:10.1098/rsbl.2018.0557
Recently an exceedingly astute Pennsylvania birder came upon a bird that appeared so unusual to his keen eye that he brought it to the prompt attention of the Cornell Department of Ornithology. This led to the temporary capture of the bird in a mist net and subsequent DNA testing that revealed an astonishing result. This bird was in fact the offspring of a Chestnut-sided Warbler and a Brewster’s Warbler – which is itself a hybrid between a Golden-winged Warbler and a Blue-winged Warbler. This “tri-hybrid” is a first. It has never been documented before. The amazing new hybrid has been dubbed “Burket’s” Warbler after the deserving gentleman who discovered it. The thumbnail is from the cited article; it is not my own and I take no credit for it.
September 27: When the American Ornithological Union carved out a new species from the ten subgroups of Red Crossbill, it gave birders a new quest. The Cassia Crossbill, numbering only about 6,000 individuals, is found only in the upper elevations of the 
Southern Hills and the Albion Mountains of southern Idaho, a destination one might never otherwise visit. So when Nancy and I planned our recent visit to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone NP, and the Tetons, we added an overnight stay in Twin Falls, ID to allow some time to look for the new Crossbill. A total of five hours of searching all the campgrounds at the crest of the G3 road (which heads due south into the hills and the crossbill area some 26 miles south of Hanson) was finally successful in the Porcupine Spring Campground, but I was able to find only the single individual that happened to fly into the top of the very lodgepole pine under which I happened to be standing at that particular moment. Just plain lucky.
Later that afternoon, before flying home from Salt Lake City the next morning, we stopped at Antelope Island State Park where Dickson Smith, whom I had aided in finding some sought-after species in Florida in March of 2014, was kind enough to meet us near his own home turf to look for Chukars. After a very scenic drive around the island in his 4×4, and some nice views of the nearly empty section of the Great Salt Lake, we located a cooperative group of Chukars among the rocks just behind the visitors center building.
Nice going John; I bookmarked the site so I’ll be checking your
progress from time to time.
Best,
Barb
Congratulations John on this excellent new presentation of your
fine photography and travel details! I’ll be a regular visitor to your site,
with pleasure!!!
warmly,
Penny
Nice job with the web site!
I added our 141st yard bird the other night when I heard Trumpeter Swans flying over headed north.
Enjoy your south Texas trip!
John and Anne
Hi John;
Beautiful site. You really found your call.
Hope You’re all well.
John
John,
It’s amazing what you’ve done in a few short years. The new site looks great! Thanks for sharing!
Gina
Congratulations.
Wonderful bird photos.
Wonderful web site.
With SLRs, both Thelma and I enjoy photography locally.
Manny (also retired MD)
Enjoyed this site very much. Have added it to my favorites. Looking forward to the Alaska pix. I have friends, Robert and Carolyn Buchanan that travel with Kennan and Karen Ward taking pix of Polar Bears and Eagles. They spend most of their time in Alaska. Told me about the eagle lady and her live feed of “the feed”. Sad to learn she had passed. If you ever trip acros the Buchanan’s on your journeys, sy ‘Hi’ for me please. They are huge supporters of Polar Bears International.
We would like to thank you for your help and this wonderful site. Your site is a valuable source of information for us as we expand our Birding hobby. Good luck in May, we know what you are going for, as we will be there for the whole month and hope to get a shot of the little guys also.
Hi I am a third grader at North Trail Elemantary school and I am Working on a bird project with one of your pictures on it. My teacher said it turned out better than she thought it would so more people will be looking at it than usual and your picture was the best I could find. So can I please use your picture? We will not be selling anything.
Please let us know your name, a little bit about your project, and exactly which picture it is that you wish to use.
may 1, 2005 photo of laughing gull on i-bird has red legs & incomplete hood-did you hear it laugh? tail could have more white spots in it for a franklin’s?
I believe the photo to which you refer is that of the full breeding plumage Laughing Gull taken at Chincoteague, VA. It was seven years ago, so I honestly couldn’t tell you if I had heard it “laughing” or not, but Laughing Gulls are very common there and there were many dozen present. Franklin’s Gull in that location would be exceptional. The gull in question has a heavy bill, downward pointed at the tip, and almost no white on the wing tips. If you look at the Franklin’s Gull photos on birdspix.com, note that the bill is much more delicate, and the white on the wing tips is unmistakably pronounced. Also breeding plumage Franklin’s shows a delicate pink blush on the belly, that Laughing Gull lacks. The apparent shape of the black hood in a given photo has more to do with the posture of the bird when that particular picture was taken.
Greetings, John.
My name is Paige Rothfus and I was wondering if the photos on your website are ok for use in an app for iPhone and Android?
I am making an educational app that lists birdsongs and I was hoping to provide photos of the birds with the clips to make for easier identification.
I can credit the photos to you if would like. If you have any questions about my project, do let me know!Looking forward to hearing from you,
Paige
Many of my photos already appear on the popular app IBird Pro. I would need to know a lot more details about what you are planning.
I have created a free online ‘Birds of Vancouver Island’ that requires a photo of a juvenile Tree Swallow of which you have an excellent example. The ‘book’ is found on my website and I was hoping that you might contribute said photo.
Pat
Pat, please see your personal e-mail.
Great site, really impressed with what you have seen and photographed. Great goal! I’m definitely going to have to build a blog and share. Thanks again for the trip out to S.T.A.-5 today, great day of birding and photographing. Definitely get in touch with me when you want to come out my way, also hope we can get out again while here in your area for some more birding.
John: A pleasure to have spoken with you as you were photographing gnatcatchers on the Florida Canyon trail in southern Arizona on January 23rd. Thank you for sharing your blog and excellent photos. Best wishes, Carol H.
Thanks for the greeting, Carol. Very nice meeting you as well.
Hi John,
I just stumbled onto your website and its wonderful! Beautiful photos- and I especially like the “Test yourself” page. Great idea!
I’m teaching a couple classes to non-profit organizations: introduction to local birds. I’m wondering i can get your permission to use photos in a class presentation? I’ll be sure to recommend your educational website to the students!
Thanks!
Mel
It was nice to meet you at the Slate-throated Redstart last week. Was cool getting the bird to pose for us so nicely. Your photos are beautiful. Good luck in your quest of photographing 700 ABA birds I am sure you will get there if not already!
Thanks, Melissa, very nice meeting you as well. (Actually the count presently is up to 722…)
I would like to share a photo with you that I took near my home last week. It is a nearly white Red Shoulder Hawk…. I live in Florida and am familiar with the paler “Florida race” red shoulder hawk but the bird I captured has no coloring other the white-cream-yellow coloring . No grey, “red” or even brown. Just shades of white to yellow. Are you interested?
Sorry, never saw this message until now. Sure, your photo would be of interest.