Raptor ID

It’s a crisp October morning at the Commissary Ridge HawkWatch. It’s your second day visiting the migration site, and the count has been slow but steady, with mostly Swainson’s Hawks rising along the ridge lift then gliding south. You’re scanning the sky when a large silhouette appears over Wyoming Peak. A massive Golden Eagle flies […]

Birdwatching used to mean lugging a field guide, notebook, and pair of binoculars into the woods. Now, a single phone can put decades of ornithological expertise in your pocket. From real‑time checklists to quick quizzes, the following digital birding tools help beginners and seasoned birders alike spot more species, record cleaner data, and build stronger

Accipitrines (formerly grouped as accipiters before the taxonomic divisions in 2024) are famously tough to tell apart—even giving raptor experts pause. Before we dive in, we want to drive home that sometimes it will be impossible to make a firm ID call. Leaving an ID at “accipitrine” is perfectly okay, especially when you don’t have

How many owls have you seen in the wild? Unless you are an owl researcher, chances are the answer is relatively few. With excellent low-light vision, high-precision hearing, silent flight, and plumage that lets them virtually disappear into the environment, owls aren’t easy to find. How many owls have you heard in the wild? I’m