On a recent September day in my Alberta, Canada backyard, I witnessed a magpie repeatedly attempt to pluck the tail of a large jackrabbit. Eager for an explanation for this curious behaviour, I went down the proverbial rabbit hole myself.

The same leg adaptations that make loons better divers than other waterbirds make them very unusual landers.

How many birds have “snow” in their English common names? Definitely a lot more than I thought.

A super-scientific (not really) ranking of my favorite birbs, borbs, floofs, and derps that I’ve been lucky to hold as part of bird research.

Have you seen birds like American Redstarts and Northern Mockingbirds frightening their meals? They’re so good at it...it’s spooky.

Netting a hawk or falcon during songbird research is rare, but…it happens.

Songbirds have many distinctive markings, and their surprisingly colorful armpits can be just as amazingly varied. Let’s take a look at what lies beneath…

From blasting through nets to hurling themselves at the walls of my home, white-tailed deer made studying wild birds on Block Island a bit of a challenge.

In the last five years, a nest I know has fledged five baby hawks…and three owls. It’s a hot piece of raptor real estate, with different tenants every spring.