November/December 2017

Publications
Bird Watcher's Digest

November/December 2017

The November/December 2017 issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest is hawk-heavy this time, with a golden eagle painting by Julie Zickefoose on the cover, and a profile of the species by Kyle Carlsen. Bird behavior specialist David Bird recalls the remarkable nest he watched last spring, as a pair of bald eagles raised a baby red-tailed hawk. In her column True Nature, Zickefoose describes how she goes into “chumpmunk mode” as temperatures fall and daylight hours shorten. Brian Wargo details a day in the life of a hawk watcher, and Al Batt recalls his childhood longing for binoculars—so he could see a cerulean warbler. Bird ID guru Alvaro Jaramillo takes a look at recent “splits and lumps”—species regroupings as determined by the American Ornithological Society.

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Issue Features

Our Cover Species: Golden Eagle: North America's True Eagle by Kyle Carlsen

A Golden Day by Kevin Starner

Silence of the Sandhills by Maple Taylor

My Day as a Hawk Watcher by Brian Wargo

My Way: Why We Need the Dip by Nate Swick

Optics Review: Zeiss Gavia Spotting Scope by Ben Lizdas

Stormy Petrels by Arun Bhatia

What is more awe-inspring than an eagle? Kyle Carlsen presents North America’s “other” eagle: the golden eagle, so powerful it can take down deer and antelope. Golden eagle photo by M. Mecnarowski / Wikimedia

In the Backyard

Mystery of the Bird Poop by Neil Case

Heroes by Bob Sanders

Pete's Tips: Working Flocks by Pete Dunne

A year ago, Florida resident Bob Sanders recalls tracking Hurricane Matthew as forecasters predicted it would slam his neighborhood. He evacuated. But what would his yardbirds do? Gull in storm photo by Adobe stock.

Columns & Departments

Letters from Readers

Quick Takes by Paul J. Baicich

Migrations: Winter Hummers by Scott Weidensaul

ID Yourself: Splits and Lumps: Gull ID Just Got Easier by Alvaro Jaramillo

Spotlight on Quebec

Birders Question Mark by Mark S. Garland

True Nature: Chipmunk Tendencies by Julie Zickefoose

Far Afield: Birding in Belize at Black Rock Lodge by Mollee Brown

I Couldn’t See Myself Without New Binoculars by Al Batt

Watching Bird Behavior: Hawks in an Eagle Nest by David M. Bird

Book Notes

The Well-Equipped Birder: Muck Boots by Dawn Hewitt

Where Do You Read BWD?

Once upon a time, there was a gull called Thayer’s. But no more. The species hasn’t gone extinct, though. Rather, it was recognized as the same species as Iceland gull. Alvaro Jaramillo takes a look at the American Ornithological Society’s recent species regroupings. Iceland gull photo by Onioram / Wikimedia