Why window reflections confuse a bird
A window can reflect trees, show a route through to the other side, or change appearance as light and viewing angle shift. Field and flight studies show how to make that barrier visible to birds.
A place for slower thoughts
Birds on the Block
Birdwatching from ordinary streets, borrowed benches and the kitchen window.
Words by Maeve Lin
The archive
4 storiesFrom the notebook
What a complete bird checklist adds to an observation
A complete bird checklist records the search around a sighting: what the observer could identify, where and how long they looked, and which species went undetected. That context is valuable without turning non-detection into proof of absence.
Rare-bird bragging made me miss the good stuff
The notebook looked impressive if you read only the names. A few unusual sightings, several entries copied neatly and a surprising amount of blank space around the birds I actually encountered every week.
The best birdwatching upgrade cost nothing
I took a folding idea into the park: perhaps I should acquire more equipment before taking this hobby seriously. Then I sat on a bench and watched the area around it for half an hour.
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