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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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Read This Issue Online »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

In the Backyard
Mystery of the Bird Poop by Neil Case
Heroes by Bob Sanders
Pete's Tips: Working Flocks by Pete Dunne

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
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