Author Archives: Timothy Martinez Jr.

Can you hear it? That low buzz in the air can only mean one thing: The hummingbirds are coming. Yes, with spring finally here and the cold behind us (hopefully), migrating birds have slowly been making their way back to northern regions, including the beloved hummingbird. Even though late winter storms have delayed the arrival [...]

Have you ever wanted to see a real living and breathing Carolina Parakeet in person? How about a Passenger Pigeon or the infamous Dodo? Even though these species of birds have long been extinct, recent scientific breakthroughs are making it more likely that we will be able to bring extinct species back to life. In [...]

I’ve been lucky enough to see some of John James Audubon’s work in person and it’s truly mesmerizing. Now, the New-York Historical Society is giving you the opportunity to see its entire 474 piece collection of Audubon’s work for the first time ever. The historical society is doing this to celebrate the sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) [...]

Imagine living in a small building with several hundred other people all right next to you. This is the living situation of the most interesting nest-building bird species: the Sociable Weaver. When most think of bird nests, the image of a solitary nest perched in a tree or awning usually comes to mind, but the [...]

If there’s ever an instance when you deserve to pat yourself on the back, it’s this: the 2013 Great Backyard Bird Count became the largest worldwide bird count ever conducted. The results are still trickling in, but as of today at 11:41, a record 123,437 checklists submitted and more than 26 million individual birds were [...]

If you think it’s too late for you to work on an old-fashioned science project, think again. From Feb. 15 to Feb. 18, you can participate in the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, which relies on the average citizen to collect important data about birds. And for the first time in the project’s history, the [...]

I’ve seen some pretty creative birdhouses in my lifetimes, including one that was a replica of a Victorian style house and another that was an actual boot. But the Google-inspired birdhouse has to be my favorite in terms of creativity. If you’ve ever Googled a business or direction someplace, then you’re probably familiar with the [...]

It’s the start of February and we all know what that means: It’s National Bird-Feeding Month. This year has been brutally cold with a number of snow storms passing through parts of the country. Although some birds migrate to warmer temperatures and better climates, there are still a lot of birds that hang around in [...]

When I lived in New Orleans, I used to take long walks along the southern shores of Lake Pontchartrain, the massive brackish estuary north of the city. One of my lasting memories was always seeing two beautiful Brown Pelicans flying low above the waters and diving into the murkiness for a meal. I could watch [...]

The thing I love most about birders is that they’re always willing to help and share their knowledge. So, when I asked what the best suet recipes were on our Facebook page, you responded with a host of great ideas. For those who don’t know what it is, suet is a cake of fat and [...]