“The Owls of I.C.U.” It was the most exciting fall season I’d ever had birding Santa Barbara County! More new birds in the past months than I’d ever notched before. Jump into the car, zoom off, one new bird after another in remote areas, new identification challenges that I’d never really thought through before,… Read more »
Posts Categorized: My Nature Journal
A WORLD OF SEABIRDS: Exploring Atlantic Britain by Ship
I had signed up for a trip my husband and I had always wanted to do called “Wild and Ancient Britain.” We were to circumnavigate the west coast of England, parts of Ireland, and end up at the Scottish islands of Orkney, Shetland, and Fair Isle. At the time, I never gave seabirds a thought…. Read more »
MY TRIP TO CRETE: Adventures on a Mediterranean Island
When I first contemplated returning to visit this Greek island in the Mediterranean, it was to see the marvelous Minoan ruins at the palace of Knossos. Having visited briefly in the 1980s, I remembered the beauty of the landscape and the wondrous archaeological finds. Ancient history is one aspect, but when I recently started… Read more »
My Spanish Birding Trip: PART TWO
PART TWO: THE MONEGROS STEPPE March 9, 2016: Today’s plan involves driving south of the Pyrenees to an entirely different habitat. This is where Alberto lives, in a little town surrounded by agricultural lands. The whole area has been termed the Monegros Desert, a semi-arid zone nearer to Zaragoza than to Huesca, but… Read more »
MY SPANISH BIRDING TRIP: A STAY AT BOLETAS BIRDWATCHING CENTRE
PART ONE: THE PYRENEES March 7, 2016: We’ve arrived at a 15th Century farmhouse in the village of Loporzano, located in Aragon at the foot of the Pyrenees. This is Casa Boletas Birdwatching Centre, our home for the next three days. (“Boletas” means Egyptian Vulture in the local dialect). Egyptian Vulture? That would be… Read more »
ANATOMY OF A SANTA BARBARA CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
ANATOMY OF A SANTA BARBARA CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT: Part 1 I don’t know of any other Christmas Bird Count in the country that has quite the unique qualities of Santa Barbara’s. Why? Of course, we have the mild weather, which is shared by many of the states in the southern portion of the U.S.,… Read more »
BIRD CLASS RECAP: Adventures on Wednesday mornings
As the seasons change, and fall turns to winter, it’s fun to review some of the birding adventures I’ve had while teaching a class full of exceptional participants. My “students” are unusual. Each one has something to offer: they all find birds for me, one carries my spotting scope, one locates the correct page… Read more »
FUN FALL BIRDING DAY
Refugio State Beach: October 15, 2014 On a cloudy, cool morning, the Wednesday bird class ventured up the coast to Refugio State Beach, a well-known coastal vagrant trap for passerines in fall migration. As a teacher, I look at Refugio as somewhat of a challenge. It’s not all that aesthetically pleasing, lots of tree… Read more »
Birding from Camlica Hill in Istanbul
Birding from Camlica Hill in Istanbul! Sept. 24, 2014: It’s full name is Buyuk Camlica, the highest hill overlooking all of Istanbul and the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus, that marvelous channel that separates two continents — the European and Asian sides of the city—is a famous route for raptors in fall migration. I was determined… Read more »
BIRDING ISTANBUL?
Will I successfully get myself to the top of Camlica Hill in Istanbul, Turkey, to watch the migrant raptor show? My husband and I are going on a fantastic cultural tour, staying in Istanbul for a few days before boarding a sailing ship and traveling from there through the northern Aegean to Athens! BUT… Read more »
Joan’s most recent book: Birding Against All Odds
About the Author
Joan Easton Lentz is a teacher, naturalist and author of four books about natural history and birds. Read more about her on the About Joan page.