- Publications
- Bird Watcher's Digest
July/August 2016
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.
Read This Issue Online »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
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
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
