Seeing a snowy owl is a rare privilege. Snowy owls are magnificent birds, and attract considerable attention when they visit the Lower 48 in winter. Enthusiastic observers and photographers should understand and remember that these birds may be stressed by hunger and long-distance travel. It is important to resist the temptation to get too close for a clearer look or better photograph.

BWD Contributor Julie Zickefoose contrives a solution for a vexing problem. This setup allows full natural light to enter the windows, but safely bounces incoming birds.

Bird watchers anticipate spring migration like kids anticipate Christmas. Looking forward to first-of-year species helps us make it through the bleak days of late winter. But when does spring migration actually start? For the past 35 years, I've lived and watched birds in the lower Midwest—southern Ohio and southern Indiana. If you live in New England, the Great Plains, the Rockies, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, or the South, your spring birding experience will probably be quite different in terms of the species and/or timing of their return.

Summertime and the birding is… well, it can be challenging between the heat, the thick foliage, and the more secretive avian behavior exhibited this time of year. However, one category of birds stands out as you scan a lakeshore, riverbank, or other wetland habitat: white waders. Conspicuous with their long legs, necks, and bills, the bright white members of the heron and egret family, along with a few other species, are always a joy to spot, although sometimes a challenge to distinguish from one another. How well do you know your white waders?