July/August 2016

Publications
Bird Watcher's Digest

The Calliope hummingbird, North America’s smallest breeding bird, flies more than 5,000 miles per year. Look for the unique starburst plumage on the male’s gorget. Want to see the most hummingbird species while putting the fewest miles on your odometer? Visit southeastern Arizona. Bird photographer Charles Melton, who lives there, shares his insider knowledge. Optics experts Michael and Diane Porter conducted side-by-side tests of 13 models of binoculars priced at $330 or less, and were particularly impressed by several. Within seconds of finishing an onerous task, Julie Zickefoose sees a flash, a blur, outside her window: a Cooper’s hawk. Surely it was a message of congratulations from her dear old dad. Also: birding by RV, and birding in Colombia.

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Issue Features

Our Cover Species: Calliope Hummingbird by Lynn Hassler

ID Yourself: Take Note of Taking Notes by Alvaro Jaramillo

Birding Colombia by Dawn Hewitt

Birding by RV by Jan Allen

A Golden Opportunity by Eli Knapp

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act by Rebecca Stephenson

The Calliope is North America's smallest breeding hummingbird. Photo by Kati Fleming / Wikimedia commons.

In the Backyard

Why I Wear a Safety Helmet While Birding by Al Batt

Second Shift in My Backyard by Daniel O'Shields

My Way: Cleaning Hummingbird Feeders by Dawn Hewitt

Having trouble cleaning those hard-to-reach places in your hummingbird feeder? BWD managing editor Dawn Hewitt describes a few tools that may get the job done. Photo by Claire Mullen.

Columns & Departments

Letters from Readers

Quick Takes by Paul J. Baicich

Migrations: Amazonian Peru by Scott Weidensaul

Birders Question Mark by Mark Garland

Pete's Tips by Pete Dunne

True Nature: A Gift, Hurled from the Other Side by Julie Zickefoose

Birding Optics: Affordable 8x42 Binoculars by Michael & Diane Porter

Far Afield: Arizona Hummingbirds by Charles W. Melton

Watching Bird Behavior: Avian Cognition by David M. Bird

Book Notes

Well-Equipped Birder: My Bird Journal by Jackie Berkebile

There are countless binoculars among which to choose, with varying quality and enormously varying prices. Where to start? Michael and Diane Porter look at some economical binoculars that are suitable for bird watchers.