Date: 10/12/26 7:08 am From: Michael Welch (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: The best field guide ever for North America is coming in early 2027
"The best field guide ever for North America"
Wow. That is quite a superlative, and an amazingly resounding endorsement for a book that has not been released yet. I think I'll wait until I can get hold of a copy before forming an opinion. Thanks though.
Michael Welch
Buncombe County line
________________________________
From: <carolinabirds-request...> on behalf of Harry LeGrand
Sent: Thursday, October 8, 2026 4:00 AM
To: carolinabirds listserve; Harry LeGrand
Subject: Re: The best field guide ever for North America is coming in early 2027
Folks,
When I have been scrolling through Facebook recently, I have seen a number of ads for a new Princeton Field Guide titled -- "The Bird Guide: North America".
I didn't think much about this upcoming book, as we have plenty of North American bird field guides already, as we know. But, I decided to take a closer look, called up that title on both the Amazon and Princeton books website; lo and behold, both websites DO have the much needed "Look inside" feature that allows a potential buyer much valuable intel about what the species accounts, illustrations, and range maps look like. Wow! if you scroll toward the bottom, you get to some selected species accounts, including several pages just for immature jaegers, gulls, etc. In comparison, the best current guide, in my opinion -- the National Geographic guide -- still has a bunch of less-than-stellar illustrations and (though complete including accidentals) is 574 pages. This book is also supposedly complete and has 624 pages. The NatGeo guide says it has about 3,000 bird illustrations; the Princeton guide says it has about 7,000 illustrations. Some folks prefer the Sibley field guide, which is also fine -- I have both Nat Geo and Sibley; it is a much larger size with larger paintings, but the text is rather sparse as compared with NatGeo and the Princeton guides.
Also, the four authors of the Princeton guide are well-known authors in their own right, and the two illustrators are clearly exceptional. The retail price is $35 for the 6" x 9" book. (The NatGeo that I just measured is 5.5 x 8"), and Sibley is about 6.25 x 9.5"). Folks who have the also excellent Princeton Field Guide to the Birds of Europe (like I do) will note the similarity in format and thoroughness of that book with the upcoming North America book. In fact, bird book reviewers have said the most recent Europe guide by Princeton is the best single bird field guide ever produced, with the combination of many excellent paintings, thorough text, and precise-enough range maps. I would think that this North America field guide will get the same amount of praise.
The only drawback I see is the small print/font (to be able to fit so much text into small places!), which may require me and others to use a magnifying glass, which I do have and use often. I never take bird field guides in the field; they stay in the car or at home, and thus for my taste, I'd rather the book be Sibley-sized and thus have a bit larger font size that we older folks can read without bifocals or magnifying glasses!!
As the flier says, it can be pre-ordered now. And, as expected, Amazon and other websites have a lower price. The expected publication date is March 9, 2027.
Harry LeGrand
Raleigh
PS -- I suppose we'd all prefer a less abundant bird on the cover than the American Robin!
Date: 10/12/26 3:48 am From: Nate Dias (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: CBBT Peregrines
Mike,
I have seen Peregrines using hurricane winds to hunt / capture less strong
flying birds. For example, when they fly down the beach and jump
shorebirds and gulls, the other birds cannot make headway into the winds,
or do so very slowly. Peregrines can use this to catch prey fairly easily.
Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC (currently in Ecuador the next 5 weeks)
On Sunday, October 11, 2026, mtove <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> Today (Oct 11) returning from the Kiptopeke, VA Hawk Watch – while
> crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, I had 6! Peregrine Falcons
> flying along (over & beside) the bridge part (plus a 7th along the hwy
> maybe a mile before the CBBT. Two of them even landed (momentarily) on the
> roadway in front of my car. In over 5 decades of birding (including
> hawk-watching), I’ve never seen anything like this. The birds seemed to be
> hugging the bridge to minimize the impact of the wind and rain from the
> remnants of Hurricane Isaisis. However, I’ve long wondered if migratory
> hawks use the bridge to cross the Chesapeake Bay. While this is but a
> single data point, some observations can be made: On the one hand, the
> storm was unusual compared with usual weather conditions. On the other
> hand, Peregrine is the one raptor probably least “concerned” about flying
> across open water. None-the-less, I think demonstrates that even a bird as
> tough as a Peregrine Falcon will seek to follow a less risky path (near a
> solid structure such as a bridge) as opposed to striking out across open
> water with no possible landing point until reaching the opposite side. All
> seven of the birds I saw today were in juvenile plumage. By point of
> reference, yesterday, at the hawk-watch, there were roughly 70 peregrines;
> the vast majority young birds (usually the majority of birds I see there
> are adults), and the previous day, some 160 birds.
>
>
>
> Yes I understand I’m talking about Virginia, not the Carolinas, but in
> fall migration, most if not all the Virginia migrant birds wind up in, or
> transiting North Carolina. Moreover, I suspect that vast majority, perhaps
> all of the Peregrines on the Outer Banks come from these Virginia migrants.
> However, the numbers seen at Kiptopeke every fall, dwarfs the numbers seen
> anywhere in NC (much less the OBX). Where the birds go after Kiptopeke is
> unknown – including they theory that they “cycle” back around without
> crossing the water. After today, the evidence is they do cross and are
> simply missed. Accordingly, after crossing (reaching the urban sprawl of
> Norfolk and Virginia Beach), where do they go?
>
>
>
> Mike Tove
>
> Cary, NC
>
"These days I prefer to hunt with a camera. A good photograph demands more
skill from the hunter, better nerves and more patience than the rifle
shot." -- Bror Blixen
Dwayne
*************
Dwayne Martin
Hickory, NC
<redxbill...>
On Sun, Oct 11, 2026 at 3:58 PM Steve Shultz <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> Folks who cruise the Caribbean might recall that at this time of year
> Peregrines use the ships as “perches” to hunt birds migrating over the
> ocean.
>
> They seem not at all concerned about crossing long stretches of open
> water.
>
> We’ve seen up to six using the ship at once in October.
>
> Steve Shultz
> Apex NC
>
> On Oct 11, 2026, at 3:51 PM, Wayne Hoffman <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>
> Nice observations -
>
> A few comments:
> 1. I have seen Peregrines and other raptors elsewhere "use" bridges while
> crossing bodies of water. If there is a crosswind - even a fairly light
> breeze, the bridge structure interrupts the air flow and causes small
> up-currents and eddies, and raptors are vary good at using these to reduce
> the energy needed to travel. This is much smaller scale but comparable to
> the way mountain ridges provide migration paths for raptors. I remember 20
> years or so ago watching Red-tailed Hawks using updrafts off McNary Dam to
> cross the Columbia River from Washington into Oregon.
>
> 2. I also agree that Peregrines may be "least concerned" about open water
> crossings, but I would add Osprey as a second species very comfortable
> crossing open water.
>
> 3. Most of the Peregrines seen on Atlantic coastal hawkwatches are the
> Arctic subspecies, and the great majority of them winter well south of
> Virginia and the Carolinas, so I would vote for yes they come on south and
> are just missed. How do they cross the urban sprawl - likely at altitude.
> Once they pass that, I suspect a lot of them are missed because they are
> traveling 1,000 - 10,000 feet above the ground. I also suspect a lot of
> them take off from the Cape Hatteras area and fly directly over water to
> the Florida coast and/or to the Bahamas. And I would not be surprised if
> quite a few transit OBX offshore, as well.
>
> Wayne Hoffman
> Wilmington
>
> ------------------------------
> *From: *"mtove" <carolinabirds...>
> *To: *"carolinabirds" <carolinabirds...>
> *Sent: *Sunday, October 11, 2026 2:19:22 PM
> *Subject: *CBBT Peregrines
>
> Today (Oct 11) returning from the Kiptopeke, VA Hawk Watch – while
> crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, I had 6! Peregrine Falcons
> flying along (over & beside) the bridge part (plus a 7th along the hwy
> maybe a mile before the CBBT. Two of them even landed (momentarily) on the
> roadway in front of my car. In over 5 decades of birding (including
> hawk-watching), I’ve never seen anything like this. The birds seemed to be
> hugging the bridge to minimize the impact of the wind and rain from the
> remnants of Hurricane Isaisis. However, I’ve long wondered if migratory
> hawks use the bridge to cross the Chesapeake Bay. While this is but a
> single data point, some observations can be made: On the one hand, the
> storm was unusual compared with usual weather conditions. On the other
> hand, Peregrine is the one raptor probably least “concerned” about flying
> across open water. None-the-less, I think demonstrates that even a bird as
> tough as a Peregrine Falcon will seek to follow a less risky path (near a
> solid structure such as a bridge) as opposed to striking out across open
> water with no possible landing point until reaching the opposite side. All
> seven of the birds I saw today were in juvenile plumage. By point of
> reference, yesterday, at the hawk-watch, there were roughly 70 peregrines;
> the vast majority young birds (usually the majority of birds I see there
> are adults), and the previous day, some 160 birds.
>
>
>
> Yes I understand I’m talking about Virginia, not the Carolinas, but in
> fall migration, most if not all the Virginia migrant birds wind up in, or
> transiting North Carolina. Moreover, I suspect that vast majority, perhaps
> all of the Peregrines on the Outer Banks come from these Virginia migrants.
> However, the numbers seen at Kiptopeke every fall, dwarfs the numbers seen
> anywhere in NC (much less the OBX). Where the birds go after Kiptopeke is
> unknown – including they theory that they “cycle” back around without
> crossing the water. After today, the evidence is they do cross and are
> simply missed. Accordingly, after crossing (reaching the urban sprawl of
> Norfolk and Virginia Beach), where do they go?
>
>
>
> Mike Tove
>
> Cary, NC
>
>
Folks who cruise the Caribbean might recall that at this time of year Peregrines use the ships as “perches” to hunt birds migrating over the ocean.
They seem not at all concerned about crossing long stretches of open water.
We’ve seen up to six using the ship at once in October.
Steve Shultz
Apex NC
> On Oct 11, 2026, at 3:51 PM, Wayne Hoffman <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>
> Nice observations -
>
> A few comments:
> 1. I have seen Peregrines and other raptors elsewhere "use" bridges while crossing bodies of water. If there is a crosswind - even a fairly light breeze, the bridge structure interrupts the air flow and causes small up-currents and eddies, and raptors are vary good at using these to reduce the energy needed to travel. This is much smaller scale but comparable to the way mountain ridges provide migration paths for raptors. I remember 20 years or so ago watching Red-tailed Hawks using updrafts off McNary Dam to cross the Columbia River from Washington into Oregon.
>
> 2. I also agree that Peregrines may be "least concerned" about open water crossings, but I would add Osprey as a second species very comfortable crossing open water.
>
> 3. Most of the Peregrines seen on Atlantic coastal hawkwatches are the Arctic subspecies, and the great majority of them winter well south of Virginia and the Carolinas, so I would vote for yes they come on south and are just missed. How do they cross the urban sprawl - likely at altitude. Once they pass that, I suspect a lot of them are missed because they are traveling 1,000 - 10,000 feet above the ground. I also suspect a lot of them take off from the Cape Hatteras area and fly directly over water to the Florida coast and/or to the Bahamas. And I would not be surprised if quite a few transit OBX offshore, as well.
>
> Wayne Hoffman
> Wilmington
>
> From: "mtove" <carolinabirds...>
> To: "carolinabirds" <carolinabirds...>
> Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2026 2:19:22 PM
> Subject: CBBT Peregrines
>
> Today (Oct 11) returning from the Kiptopeke, VA Hawk Watch – while crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, I had 6! Peregrine Falcons flying along (over & beside) the bridge part (plus a 7th along the hwy maybe a mile before the CBBT. Two of them even landed (momentarily) on the roadway in front of my car. In over 5 decades of birding (including hawk-watching), I’ve never seen anything like this. The birds seemed to be hugging the bridge to minimize the impact of the wind and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Isaisis. However, I’ve long wondered if migratory hawks use the bridge to cross the Chesapeake Bay. While this is but a single data point, some observations can be made: On the one hand, the storm was unusual compared with usual weather conditions. On the other hand, Peregrine is the one raptor probably least “concerned” about flying across open water. None-the-less, I think demonstrates that even a bird as tough as a Peregrine Falcon will seek to follow a less risky path (near a solid structure such as a bridge) as opposed to striking out across open water with no possible landing point until reaching the opposite side. All seven of the birds I saw today were in juvenile plumage. By point of reference, yesterday, at the hawk-watch, there were roughly 70 peregrines; the vast majority young birds (usually the majority of birds I see there are adults), and the previous day, some 160 birds.
>
>
>
> Yes I understand I’m talking about Virginia, not the Carolinas, but in fall migration, most if not all the Virginia migrant birds wind up in, or transiting North Carolina. Moreover, I suspect that vast majority, perhaps all of the Peregrines on the Outer Banks come from these Virginia migrants. However, the numbers seen at Kiptopeke every fall, dwarfs the numbers seen anywhere in NC (much less the OBX). Where the birds go after Kiptopeke is unknown – including they theory that they “cycle” back around without crossing the water. After today, the evidence is they do cross and are simply missed. Accordingly, after crossing (reaching the urban sprawl of Norfolk and Virginia Beach), where do they go?
>
>
>
> Mike Tove
>
> Cary, NC
>
>
A few comments:
1. I have seen Peregrines and other raptors elsewhere "use" bridges while crossing bodies of water. If there is a crosswind - even a fairly light breeze, the bridge structure interrupts the air flow and causes small up-currents and eddies, and raptors are vary good at using these to reduce the energy needed to travel. This is much smaller scale but comparable to the way mountain ridges provide migration paths for raptors. I remember 20 years or so ago watching Red-tailed Hawks using updrafts off McNary Dam to cross the Columbia River from Washington into Oregon.
2. I also agree that Peregrines may be "least concerned" about open water crossings, but I would add Osprey as a second species very comfortable crossing open water.
3. Most of the Peregrines seen on Atlantic coastal hawkwatches are the Arctic subspecies, and the great majority of them winter well south of Virginia and the Carolinas, so I would vote for yes they come on south and are just missed. How do they cross the urban sprawl - likely at altitude. Once they pass that, I suspect a lot of them are missed because they are traveling 1,000 - 10,000 feet above the ground. I also suspect a lot of them take off from the Cape Hatteras area and fly directly over water to the Florida coast and/or to the Bahamas. And I would not be surprised if quite a few transit OBX offshore, as well.
Wayne Hoffman
Wilmington
From: "mtove" <carolinabirds...>
To: "carolinabirds" <carolinabirds...>
Sent: Sunday, October 11, 2026 2:19:22 PM
Subject: CBBT Peregrines
Today (Oct 11) returning from the Kiptopeke, VA Hawk Watch – while crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, I had 6! Peregrine Falcons flying along (over & beside) the bridge part (plus a 7 th along the hwy maybe a mile before the CBBT. Two of them even landed (momentarily) on the roadway in front of my car. In over 5 decades of birding (including hawk-watching), I’ve never seen anything like this. The birds seemed to be hugging the bridge to minimize the impact of the wind and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Isaisis. However, I’ve long wondered if migratory hawks use the bridge to cross the Chesapeake Bay. While this is but a single data point, some observations can be made: On the one hand, the storm was unusual compared with usual weather conditions. On the other hand, Peregrine is the one raptor probably least “concerned” about flying across open water. None-the-less, I think demonstrates that even a bird as tough as a Peregrine Falcon will seek to follow a less risky path (near a solid structure such as a bridge) as opposed to striking out across open water with no possible landing point until reaching the opposite side. All seven of the birds I saw today were in juvenile plumage. By point of reference, yesterday, at the hawk-watch, there were roughly 70 peregrines; the vast majority young birds (usually the majority of birds I see there are adults), and the previous day, some 160 birds.
Yes I understand I’m talking about Virginia, not the Carolinas, but in fall migration, most if not all the Virginia migrant birds wind up in, or transiting North Carolina. Moreover, I suspect that vast majority, perhaps all of the Peregrines on the Outer Banks come from these Virginia migrants. However, the numbers seen at Kiptopeke every fall, dwarfs the numbers seen anywhere in NC (much less the OBX). Where the birds go after Kiptopeke is unknown – including they theory that they “cycle” back around without crossing the water. After today, the evidence is they do cross and are simply missed. Accordingly, after crossing (reaching the urban sprawl of Norfolk and Virginia Beach), where do they go?
Today (Oct 11) returning from the Kiptopeke, VA Hawk Watch - while crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, I had 6! Peregrine Falcons flying along (over & beside) the bridge part (plus a 7th along the hwy maybe a mile before the CBBT. Two of them even landed (momentarily) on the roadway in front of my car. In over 5 decades of birding (including hawk-watching), I've never seen anything like this. The birds seemed to be hugging the bridge to minimize the impact of the wind and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Isaisis. However, I've long wondered if migratory hawks use the bridge to cross the Chesapeake Bay. While this is but a single data point, some observations can be made: On the one hand, the storm was unusual compared with usual weather conditions. On the other hand, Peregrine is the one raptor probably least "concerned" about flying across open water. None-the-less, I think demonstrates that even a bird as tough as a Peregrine Falcon will seek to follow a less risky path (near a solid structure such as a bridge) as opposed to striking out across open water with no possible landing point until reaching the opposite side. All seven of the birds I saw today were in juvenile plumage. By point of reference, yesterday, at the hawk-watch, there were roughly 70 peregrines; the vast majority young birds (usually the majority of birds I see there are adults), and the previous day, some 160 birds.
Yes I understand I'm talking about Virginia, not the Carolinas, but in fall migration, most if not all the Virginia migrant birds wind up in, or transiting North Carolina. Moreover, I suspect that vast majority, perhaps all of the Peregrines on the Outer Banks come from these Virginia migrants. However, the numbers seen at Kiptopeke every fall, dwarfs the numbers seen anywhere in NC (much less the OBX). Where the birds go after Kiptopeke is unknown - including they theory that they "cycle" back around without crossing the water. After today, the evidence is they do cross and are simply missed. Accordingly, after crossing (reaching the urban sprawl of Norfolk and Virginia Beach), where do they go?
Date: 10/9/26 1:22 pm From: \<hilton...>\ (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Hilton Pond North (16 Sep 2026) Fall Birds Keep Co,ing As We Band #5,000
An immature female Rose-breasted Grosbeak brought a milestone to Hilton Pond North: Our 5,000th bird banded since March 2024! In Installment #47 of "This Week at Hilton Pond North," close-up photos reveal her golden underwings, a Chestnut-sided Warbler's unusual plumage, and a Magnolia Warbler's distinctive tail. We also examine how migrating birds fuel their journeys—and why native Dogwood and Spicebush fruits are so valuable along the way. We include our latest banding and recapture tallies while a slow-moving Dusky Slug makes an appearance. Check it all out at https://www.hiltonpondnorth.org/twahpn-20260916.html After reading, give a listen to our “This Week” deep dive podcast via Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Dr. BILL HILTON JR.
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project”
℅ Hilton Pond North: Blue Ridge Birds & Nature
2918 Silas Creek Road
Lansing NC 28643
(803)684-5852
The mission of Hilton Pond North is "to conserve plants, animals, habitats, and other natural components of the Blue Ridge Region of the eastern United States through observation, scientific study, and education for students of all ages.
"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to watch the sunset." BHjr.
Date: 10/8/26 1:11 pm From: Rob Rogers (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: The best field guide ever for North America is coming in early 2027
I am guessing the eagle juvenile plumages would be on those pages
Rob Rogers
On Thu, Oct 8, 2026 at 15:39 Kent Fiala <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> The Table of Contents lists > > Eagles and Osprey 254 > Hawks 258 > > The pages shown seem to be 254 and 255. So I guess that leaves pages 256 > and 257 to be two more pages of eagles and osprey. > > I'm really looking forward to this book. I've always been mystified why we > had to settle for Sibley. > > Kent Fiala > > On 10/8/2026 2:16 PM, <badgerboy...> wrote: > > I took a quick look at the preview on the princeton site, and one thing > jumped out at me--on the page with eagles and osprey, there doesn't seem to > be a juvenile or immature eagle of either species shown. Perhaps its on the > next page (have to TURN the page to find out), or not, since that is not > shown in the preview, but I certainly wouldn't think it very convenient to > have to flip pages back and forth to see the adults and immatures. In > Sibley the pages for Golden and Bald Eagles are facing each other so you > can see all the developmental stages of both eagles without fumbling with > pages. When you have a memory as porous as mine that's important. > > Of course, this might be an isolated instance of something that is less > than ideal, but without more access for examination, I would have to assume > there is more like that. > > Guy (McGrane, Boone, NC) > On 10/7/2026 12:49 PM, Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) > wrote: > > Folks, > > When I have been scrolling through Facebook recently, I have seen a number > of ads for a new Princeton Field Guide titled -- "*The Bird Guide: North > America*". > > > https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691137278/the-bird-guide-north-america > > I didn't think much about this upcoming book, as we have plenty of North > American bird field guides already, as we know. But, I decided to take > a closer look, called up that title on both the Amazon and Princeton books > website; lo and behold, both websites DO have the much needed "Look inside" > feature that allows a potential buyer much valuable intel about what the > species accounts, illustrations, and range maps look like. Wow! if you > scroll toward the bottom, you get to some selected species accounts, > including several pages just for immature jaegers, gulls, etc. In > comparison, the best current guide, in my opinion -- the National > Geographic guide -- still has a bunch of less-than-stellar illustrations > and (though complete including accidentals) is 574 pages. This book is also > supposedly complete and has 624 pages. The NatGeo guide says it has about > 3,000 bird illustrations; the Princeton guide says it has about 7,000 > illustrations. Some folks prefer the Sibley field guide, which is also > fine -- I have both Nat Geo and Sibley; it is a much larger size with > larger paintings, but the text is rather sparse as compared with NatGeo and > the Princeton guides. > > Also, the four authors of the Princeton guide are well-known authors in > their own right, and the two illustrators are clearly exceptional. The > retail price is $35 for the 6" x 9" book. (The NatGeo that I just measured > is 5.5 x 8"), and Sibley is about 6.25 x 9.5"). Folks who have the also > excellent Princeton Field Guide to the *Birds of Europe* (like I do) will > note the similarity in format and thoroughness of that book with the > upcoming North America book. In fact, bird book reviewers have said the > most recent Europe guide by Princeton is the best single bird field guide > ever produced, with the combination of many excellent paintings, thorough > text, and precise-enough range maps. I would think that this North America > field guide will get the same amount of praise. > > The only drawback I see is the small print/font (to be able to fit so much > text into small places!), which may require me and others to use a > magnifying glass, which I do have and use often. I never take bird field > guides in the field; they stay in the car or at home, and thus for my > taste, I'd rather the book be Sibley-sized and thus have a bit larger font > size that we older folks can read without bifocals or magnifying glasses!! > > As the flier says, it can be pre-ordered now. And, as expected, Amazon and > other websites have a lower price. The expected publication date is March > 9, 2027. > > Harry LeGrand > Raleigh > > PS -- I suppose we'd all prefer a less abundant bird on the cover than the > American Robin! > > > > -- > >
Date: 10/8/26 12:39 pm From: Kent Fiala (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: The best field guide ever for North America is coming in early 2027
The Table of Contents lists
Eagles and Osprey 254 Hawks 258
The pages shown seem to be 254 and 255. So I guess that leaves pages 256 and 257 to be two more pages of eagles and osprey.
I'm really looking forward to this book. I've always been mystified why we had to settle for Sibley.
Kent Fiala
On 10/8/2026 2:16 PM, <badgerboy...> wrote: > > I took a quick look at the preview on the princeton site, and one > thing jumped out at me--on the page with eagles and osprey, there > doesn't seem to be a juvenile or immature eagle of either species > shown. Perhaps its on the next page (have to TURN the page to find > out), or not, since that is not shown in the preview, but I certainly > wouldn't think it very convenient to have to flip pages back and forth > to see the adults and immatures. In Sibley the pages for Golden and > Bald Eagles are facing each other so you can see all the developmental > stages of both eagles without fumbling with pages. When you have a > memory as porous as mine that's important. > > Of course, this might be an isolated instance of something that is > less than ideal, but without more access for examination, I would have > to assume there is more like that. > > Guy (McGrane, Boone, NC) > > On 10/7/2026 12:49 PM, Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) > wrote: >> Folks, >> >> When I have been scrolling through Facebook recently, I have seen a >> number of ads for a new Princeton Field Guide titled -- "_The Bird >> Guide: North America_". >> >> https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691137278/the-bird-guide-north-america >> >> I didn't think much about this upcoming book, as we have plenty of >> North American bird field guides already, as we know. But, I decided >> to take a closer look, called up that title on both the Amazon and >> Princeton books website; lo and behold, both websites DO have the >> much needed "Look inside" feature that allows a potential buyer much >> valuable intel about what the species accounts, illustrations, and >> range maps look like. Wow! if you scroll toward the bottom, you get >> to some selected species accounts, including several pages just for >> immature jaegers, gulls, etc. In comparison, the best current guide, >> in my opinion -- the National Geographic guide -- still has a bunch >> of less-than-stellar illustrations and (though complete including >> accidentals) is 574 pages. This book is also supposedly complete and >> has 624 pages. The NatGeo guide says it has about 3,000 bird >> illustrations; the Princeton guide says it has about 7,000 >> illustrations. Some folks prefer the Sibley field guide, which is >> also fine -- I have both Nat Geo and Sibley; it is a much larger size >> with larger paintings, but the text is rather sparse as compared with >> NatGeo and the Princeton guides. >> >> Also, the four authors of the Princeton guide are well-known authors >> in their own right, and the two illustrators are clearly exceptional. >> The retail price is $35 for the 6" x 9" book. (The NatGeo that I just >> measured is 5.5 x 8"), and Sibley is about 6.25 x 9.5"). Folks who >> have the also excellent Princeton Field Guide to the _Birds of >> Europe_ (like I do) will note the similarity in format and >> thoroughness of that book with the upcoming North America book. In >> fact, bird book reviewers have said the most recent Europe guide by >> Princeton is the best single bird field guide ever produced, with the >> combination of many excellent paintings, thorough text, and >> precise-enough range maps. I would think that this North America >> field guide will get the same amount of praise. >> >> The only drawback I see is the small print/font (to be able to fit so >> much text into small places!), which may require me and others to use >> a magnifying glass, which I do have and use often. I never take bird >> field guides in the field; they stay in the car or at home, and thus >> for my taste, I'd rather the book be Sibley-sized and thus have a bit >> larger font size that we older folks can read without bifocals or >> magnifying glasses!! >> >> As the flier says, it can be pre-ordered now. And, as expected, >> Amazon and other websites have a lower price. The expected >> publication date is March 9, 2027. >> >> Harry LeGrand >> Raleigh >> >> PS -- I suppose we'd all prefer a less abundant bird on the cover >> than the American Robin! >> > --
Date: 10/8/26 11:16 am From: <badgerboy...> Subject: Re: The best field guide ever for North America is coming in early 2027
I took a quick look at the preview on the princeton site, and one thing jumped out at me--on the page with eagles and osprey, there doesn't seem to be a juvenile or immature eagle of either species shown. Perhaps its on the next page (have to TURN the page to find out), or not, since that is not shown in the preview, but I certainly wouldn't think it very convenient to have to flip pages back and forth to see the adults and immatures. In Sibley the pages for Golden and Bald Eagles are facing each other so you can see all the developmental stages of both eagles without fumbling with pages. When you have a memory as porous as mine that's important.
Of course, this might be an isolated instance of something that is less than ideal, but without more access for examination, I would have to assume there is more like that.
Guy (McGrane, Boone, NC)
On 10/7/2026 12:49 PM, Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) wrote: > Folks, > > When I have been scrolling through Facebook recently, I have seen a > number of ads for a new Princeton Field Guide titled -- "_The Bird > Guide: North America_". > > https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691137278/the-bird-guide-north-america > > I didn't think much about this upcoming book, as we have plenty of > North American bird field guides already, as we know. But, I decided > to take a closer look, called up that title on both the Amazon and > Princeton books website; lo and behold, both websites DO have the much > needed "Look inside" feature that allows a potential buyer much > valuable intel about what the species accounts, illustrations, and > range maps look like. Wow! if you scroll toward the bottom, you get > to some selected species accounts, including several pages just for > immature jaegers, gulls, etc. In comparison, the best current guide, > in my opinion -- the National Geographic guide -- still has a bunch of > less-than-stellar illustrations and (though complete including > accidentals) is 574 pages. This book is also supposedly complete and > has 624 pages. The NatGeo guide says it has about 3,000 bird > illustrations; the Princeton guide says it has about 7,000 > illustrations. Some folks prefer the Sibley field guide, which is > also fine -- I have both Nat Geo and Sibley; it is a much larger size > with larger paintings, but the text is rather sparse as compared with > NatGeo and the Princeton guides. > > Also, the four authors of the Princeton guide are well-known authors > in their own right, and the two illustrators are clearly exceptional. > The retail price is $35 for the 6" x 9" book. (The NatGeo that I just > measured is 5.5 x 8"), and Sibley is about 6.25 x 9.5"). Folks who > have the also excellent Princeton Field Guide to the _Birds of Europe_ > (like I do) will note the similarity in format and thoroughness of > that book with the upcoming North America book. In fact, bird book > reviewers have said the most recent Europe guide by Princeton is the > best single bird field guide ever produced, with the combination of > many excellent paintings, thorough text, and precise-enough range > maps. I would think that this North America field guide will get the > same amount of praise. > > The only drawback I see is the small print/font (to be able to fit so > much text into small places!), which may require me and others to use > a magnifying glass, which I do have and use often. I never take bird > field guides in the field; they stay in the car or at home, and thus > for my taste, I'd rather the book be Sibley-sized and thus have a bit > larger font size that we older folks can read without bifocals or > magnifying glasses!! > > As the flier says, it can be pre-ordered now. And, as expected, Amazon > and other websites have a lower price. The expected publication date > is March 9, 2027. > > Harry LeGrand > Raleigh > > PS -- I suppose we'd all prefer a less abundant bird on the cover than > the American Robin! > --
Date: 10/7/26 9:49 am From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: The best field guide ever for North America is coming in early 2027
Folks,
When I have been scrolling through Facebook recently, I have seen a number of ads for a new Princeton Field Guide titled -- "*The Bird Guide: North America*".
I didn't think much about this upcoming book, as we have plenty of North American bird field guides already, as we know. But, I decided to take a closer look, called up that title on both the Amazon and Princeton books website; lo and behold, both websites DO have the much needed "Look inside" feature that allows a potential buyer much valuable intel about what the species accounts, illustrations, and range maps look like. Wow! if you scroll toward the bottom, you get to some selected species accounts, including several pages just for immature jaegers, gulls, etc. In comparison, the best current guide, in my opinion -- the National Geographic guide -- still has a bunch of less-than-stellar illustrations and (though complete including accidentals) is 574 pages. This book is also supposedly complete and has 624 pages. The NatGeo guide says it has about 3,000 bird illustrations; the Princeton guide says it has about 7,000 illustrations. Some folks prefer the Sibley field guide, which is also fine -- I have both Nat Geo and Sibley; it is a much larger size with larger paintings, but the text is rather sparse as compared with NatGeo and the Princeton guides.
Also, the four authors of the Princeton guide are well-known authors in their own right, and the two illustrators are clearly exceptional. The retail price is $35 for the 6" x 9" book. (The NatGeo that I just measured is 5.5 x 8"), and Sibley is about 6.25 x 9.5"). Folks who have the also excellent Princeton Field Guide to the *Birds of Europe* (like I do) will note the similarity in format and thoroughness of that book with the upcoming North America book. In fact, bird book reviewers have said the most recent Europe guide by Princeton is the best single bird field guide ever produced, with the combination of many excellent paintings, thorough text, and precise-enough range maps. I would think that this North America field guide will get the same amount of praise.
The only drawback I see is the small print/font (to be able to fit so much text into small places!), which may require me and others to use a magnifying glass, which I do have and use often. I never take bird field guides in the field; they stay in the car or at home, and thus for my taste, I'd rather the book be Sibley-sized and thus have a bit larger font size that we older folks can read without bifocals or magnifying glasses!!
As the flier says, it can be pre-ordered now. And, as expected, Amazon and other websites have a lower price. The expected publication date is March 9, 2027.
Harry LeGrand Raleigh
PS -- I suppose we'd all prefer a less abundant bird on the cover than the American Robin!
Date: 10/7/26 7:22 am From: Alan Meijer (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Juvenile dark-morph Swainson's at Kiptopeke VA
I know this isn't a bird in North Carolina at the time of its sighting but a juvenile dark m-morph Swainson's Hawk was observed at the Kiptopeke hawkwatch yesterday. Also, two Swainson's were seen at Cape May yesterday, including a juvenile dark morph, possibly the same bird. They are headed south so keep your eyes open. We've occasionally had one at Alligator River including last year.
There is a photo of the bird on Facebook. Just head to the page for the coastal Virginia wildlife observatory.
Date: 10/6/26 12:19 pm From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: County Maps on the Birds of North Carolina website -- update
Folks,
About 1-2 weeks ago, I posted that Michael Fogleman had generated almost all of the roughly 500 North Carolina species maps (of last year of occurrence in each county) from eBird, sent them to several of us, and Tom Howard (Birds of NC webmaster) already posted them. But, we discovered that 9 species had no maps. Nathan Tarr and I took up the ball from here; I created an Excel file of the records that I could find from The Chat database and one or two other sources, and Nathan was able to generate county maps of 8 of them, as one species had no known date records. I suggested a few changes, Nathan re-did those, and Tom Howard just this morning has posted them. These 8 are: Passenger Pigeon, Lesser Nighthawk, Cypseloides sp. swift, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Gyrfalcon, Pine Grosbeak, Long-eared Owl, and Black Rail. Carolina Parakeet has no state map.
On these eight, you will see different colors than from the dark blue to yellow counties on the eBird maps, and Nathan added the last known year in the counties. The other 490 maps DO show tiny red dots for each record, within the colored counties, but no last year showing.
We still hope to have identical format for the 500 species maps, but that may be difficult, unless the records in the Excel file that I have could be entered by some intrepid person into eBird, each as a separate eBird report -- very tricky, I expect. And lastly, please remember that these county maps of last-year-of-occurrence are currently NOT interactive and change whenever a species is reported in a county in a more recent year. They are static right now, and someone will need to re-generate these maps every X number of months.
Harry LeGrand author/editor, Birds of North Carolina website
PS -- I am currently adding some high count data for the species accounts. Michael Foglemen generated the top-10 all-time high counts for species in both NC and SC. Most of these 10 end up in just one of the three Provinces, meaning most waterfowl high counts are just for the Coastal Plain. But, at least that is a good start, and even though I am barely 40-50 species into this update, folks who want to know all time high counts can turn to the website. I will post to carolinabirds when I am done.
Date: 10/3/26 5:23 am From: Kent Fiala (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: eBird hotspot "About" pages
Last Spring, eBird introduced a wonderful and much-requested new feature, community-sourced hotspot descriptions. You can now find practical information about eBird hotspots online in eBird. Information includes How to plan your visit to the hotspot, how to bird the hotspot, and other general information about the hotspot. To find this information, open the hotspot's web page like always, and click on the new "About" link in the left-hand panel on a computer, or in the "Hotspot Navigation" pull-down on mobile.
But there's a catch: community-sourced means that the information is provided by the community, and that is you. If you look at the page for your favorite hotspot and find information lacking, then you need to write it. Share your local knowledge. Any logged-in eBirder can contribute content. On the About page, just click on the Suggest Content button, and begin editing. (If it's a hotspot with no information at all, you'll first need to set the Language to English before you can edit.) At the top of the edit page is a link labeled "Instructions" that takes you to a page talking about what to write here.
If you submitted more than 100 complete checklists in the previous calendar year, your edits are accepted immediately. Otherwise they are queued for review. A lot of Carolina hotspots have already been written up but I'd like to see a lot more. I'm posting this in hopes of encouraging more participation. It isn't necessary to produce a scholarly essay, even just a quick sketch of key information is helpful.
Here are two examples of hotspot write-ups. One illustrates a carefully researched, well-written report, and one is a quickly dashed-off sketch of just basic, but important, information. Both kinds of write-up have their place and are valuable.
Date: 10/2/26 5:32 pm From: Susan Campbell <susan...> Subject: Free birding weekend in Charleston with the ABA!
Carolinabirders-- a terrific opportunity next month!
ABA Community Weekend in Charleston, South Carolina
Join the American Birding Association for a full weekend of birding, community, and celebration in and around Charleston, South Carolina, Nov. 2122, 2026! All bird walks and talks are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Some locations may charge an access fee.
Date: 10/2/26 7:27 am From: Frank Enders (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Shrike @ 3115 Ridgecrest Road, Halifax
10 AM flew north to powerline serving a house off the road. Perhaps it had been there when I biked by at 9.
Have seen 3 Shrikes in last month, 1 of three was here; none, for example in usual spots north of Enfield, west side of Justice Branch Road, nor most reliable spot east of Darlington substation. We will see how (expected) low the population locally will be, next summer. Shame I could not rake in money using a betting apphow low will shrikes go(?!).
BTW, in winter, with snow on ground, a red fox sunned itself last winter on south side of 20' hill, east of the substation, almost exactly where shrikes have been evident for decades.
Frank Enders
Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
I do not have time for e-mail. Nor, I think, do you. Try calling 252-308-3443---good luck with that.
Date: 9/30/26 10:38 am From: Carolina Bird Club Web Editor (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Christmas Bird Counts in the Carolinas
Christmas Bird Count season is coming around. As always, you can find a list of counts in the Carolinas at:
Carolina Bird Club members who are registered as count compilers can log in and enter their count dates. Otherwise, please send count information to the CBC Web Editor at <webeditor...> <mailto:<webeditor...>.
Jeff Wallace Carolina Bird Club Web Editor Greenville, SC
Date: 9/28/26 3:26 am From: Steve Thomas (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Rose-breasted Grosbeak feeding behavior
Birders,
Here in northeastern SC, we had our first Rose-breasted Grosbeak of the season on September 16th. It was a female. This bird, of a species I associate with seed eating, was feeding enthusiastically on a mass of caterpillars that had been feeding on the leaves of a Sweet Gum tree. It left the site a couple of times to return at least 3 times to feast until all of the caterpillars were eaten. Upon finishing, it searched carefully to make sure it had missed none and then left for good.
I was happy to get some iPhone quality pictures of the event. We had another female Rose-breasted Grosbeak yesterday, and it fed on sunflower seeds as expected.
On Sun, Sep 27, 2026 at 7:54 PM Bill Rhodes <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> I had one too at Eno River SP. Great birds.
>
> On Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 18:50 Helen Kalevas <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>> I had a first year male at my feeder near Hillsborough, NC yesterday. FB
>> memories brought up a picture I took of one that same day last year.
>> Helen
>>
>> On Sun, Sep 27, 2026 at 9:12 AM <scaudell...> wrote:
>>
>>> She was on my feeder this morning. I feed a mix that is mostly black
>>> oil sunflower seeds.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sharyn Caudell
>>>
>>
On Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 18:50 Helen Kalevas <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> I had a first year male at my feeder near Hillsborough, NC yesterday. FB
> memories brought up a picture I took of one that same day last year.
> Helen
>
> On Sun, Sep 27, 2026 at 9:12 AM <scaudell...> wrote:
>
>> She was on my feeder this morning. I feed a mix that is mostly black oil
>> sunflower seeds.
>>
>>
>>
>> Sharyn Caudell
>>
>
Date: 9/24/26 1:15 am From: Frank Enders (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: 6 Wood Storks and 25 Common Egrets at Mill Swamp Road bridge 9/23/26
North of Ridgecrest Road in Halifax County, NC on 9/24 there were 2 egrets.
After a rainy period, on 9/23/26 from 3-4PM I was surprised to see Wood Storks on the west side of the bridge, where a beaverdam has created several pools/puddles. Birds on both up and downstream sides, a total of about 6 Wood Storks (Wood Ibis) and some 25 American (Common) Egrets. By 4:30 the birds moved upstream.
This beaverdam is about 80 feet from the bridge and off and on I have noticed a river otter in the stream/pools and on the banks.
About a week ago the otter caught 3-4 fish in about 10 minutes doing repeated arched-back dives in a muddy pool/puddle. One can see haul-out spots ("slides") and otter's trail over the dam.
For some years, with less drought, there is a marsh/pond on the west (southbound) side of I-95, between the weigh station and Fishing Creek where, in late summer Wood Storks are usual visitors, along with other waders and Wood Ducks at the south end of Halifax County, but there has been almost no water there this drought-stricken year. This site is perhaps a mile north of the turf farm on NC 33.
Frank Enders
________________________________
From: <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> on behalf of Loren Hintz <carolinabirds...>
Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2026 11:25 AM
To: <carolinabirds...> <carolinabirds...>; <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...>
Subject: Re: carolinabirds Digest Wed, 19 Aug 2026 (1/1
Date: 9/22/26 12:19 pm From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Filling in "high count" holes on the Birds of North Carolina website
will have noticed that for many species and provinces, such as Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Duck, and many other common species,I do not have anything after "Peak counts:". This is because I could not locate such notably high counts in Chat Briefs or other available sites. I suspect before eBird came along, most peak (daily) counts were made by multiple parties on Spring Bird Counts or Christmas Bird Counts, and there is not an easy way to glean 75 years of Chats to locate high counts.
But, this morning, I mentioned a need for me to fill in these blanks on the website, and Michael Fogleman came through again! A week or two ago, he generated eBird maps for all NC species (as did one or two others of you), and Tom Howard (the BNC webmaster) posted them a few days ago. A few species maps are missing (see below). Today, Michael sent me, Tom, and David Campbell two* csv files that contain the top 10 all-time daily counts for each of the 500+ species, as generated from eBird data!! And, he ALSO sent us a csv file for SC's species as well. * Now, this listserve does NOT allow attachments, and so we cannot attach these csv files, Excel files, Word files, jpg files, etc. *Thus, please reply to me and I can forward them on to you, already converted to Excel format. (Each is about 650 KB in size.)*
If you are curious, the all-time high count in NC for Wood Duck (on a single eBird list) is 1570, Orton Pond, Brunswick County, 12 January 2022. And the alltime high count for any species in NC (on an eBird list only) is 1,000,000 Red-winged Blackbirds. I do know for sure that in the last century, there were higher one-day counts for Common Grackles, maybe Red-winged Blackbird, and probably Starlings.
I have a few other computer tasks to do, but hopefully in a week or two I can start filling in the high counts for these species in the 3 provinces. Certainly, some will remain blank, as the generated file is just the top 10 for the state, and in some cases these might all be in in the Coastal Plain, for example.
Harry LeGrand Birds of North Carolina website
PS -- species with missing maps: Passenger Pigeon, Lesser Nighthawk, Cypseloides swift, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Gyrfalcon, Carolina Parakeet, Pine Grosbeak, Long-eared Owl, and Black Rail. The last was removed as the eBird data were very incomplete. The rail and owl are Sensitive Species and thus eBird data for mapping are not available. I HAVE gone through the Chat database on the Carolina Bird Club website to create an Excel file, plus the info on the species accounts, to provide Tom and Michael with the necessary county and last year date for nearly all of the others. But, the trick is to produce these 9 maps in a format that either matches or is similar enough to the existing eBird maps. That will likely be difficult, but any kind of county map would be helpful as soon as feasible.
Date: 9/21/26 12:55 pm From: \<hilton...>\ (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Hilton :and North (01 Sep 2026) Early September Birdiness, Near And Far
“This Week at Hilton Pond North” saw a flurry of birdiness highlighted by the 700-mile recovery of a migrant Purple Finch. There was also a late fledging of Carolina Wren chicks, the return of some feeder species, a special Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and a very large raptor added to our “Yard List.” We reveal a rarely seen structure on a Chinese Mantid, plus a moth that startles potential predators with bright colors. All this and our usual banding and recapture tallies are in photo essay #46 at https://www.hiltonpondnorth.org/twahpn-20260901.html
After reading, give a listen to our “This Week” deep dive podcast via Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Happy Nature Watching!
BILL
========
Dr. BILL HILTON JR.
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project”
℅ Hilton Pond North: Blue Ridge Birds & Nature
2918 Silas Creek Road
Lansing NC 28643
(803)684-5852
The mission of Hilton Pond North is "to conserve plants, animals, habitats, and other natural components of the Blue Ridge Region of the eastern United States through observation, scientific study, and education for students of all ages.
"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to watch the sunset." BHjr.
Date: 9/17/26 11:35 am From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: The eBird county maps have now been added to the species accounts on the Birds of NC website
Folks,
Chris Hill in South Carolina checked out some of the NC maps, and he DID
notice that the Long-eared Owl map is missing. As there have been no name
changes, that wasn't the issue. So, I called up Long-eared Owl in eBird
Explore -- Long-eared Owl, all years, and location = North Carolina. Yes,
there are quite a few purple rectangles for quad-type mapping accuracy, but
there are no pins and thus no data showing. The pins DO show in Canada, and
thus the species in the USA is considered as a Sensitive Species, and the
mapping and data information are listed here for a S.S -- I underlined the
one that matters for viewing the map:
-
Hidden from checklist views, except to observers on the checklist
-
Hidden from all site-level output (e.g., Hotspot Explorer, bar charts
for hotspots)
-
*Shown only at grid-cell level (400 km2 accuracy) on eBird species maps *
-
Shown at region-level output (e.g., Region Explorer, Illustrated
Checklists) with checklist details (date, location, observer, checklist
link) omitted
-
Included in listing totals (e.g., Top 100), but never shown as "most
recent addition"
-
Shown in Media Search with checklist details (date, location, observer,
checklist link) omitted and only for regions larger than a hotspot
-
Specifically marked as Sensitive wherever the species name is displayed
in output and location-level data has been removed, such as on the Region
Explorer or Illustrated Checklist pages
---------
I already know that Black Rail has been considered in the USA as a
Sensitive Species for eBird mapping of data, and though the eBird map does
show on the website, it is badly incorrect, showing a grand total of one
record, for Carteret County, in 2018!
I checked a few other potentially sensitive species -- thankfully, Snowy
Owl and Yellow Rail DO show I think all legit records on the map on the
species accounts.
I will work with Tom and Michael to see what we can do to show eBird maps
for Long-eared Owl and Black Rail. NOTE: Both species contain purple
rectangle/polygon maps on eBird, and I hope that somehow those maps could
be "copied" and pasted to the species accounts. Sadly, the Carolinabirds
listserve does not allow embedded copy-and-paste screenshots from websites
in the posts here. I will have to send them to Tom and Michael to see what
can be done.
Are there other species on the websites without maps, or maps clearly
incorrect? Chris has uncovered the Sensitive Species issue.
Harry LeGrand
On Thu, Sep 17, 2026 at 12:26 PM Harry LeGrand <hlegrandjr...> wrote:
> Folks,
>
> Great news! Tom Howard and Michael Fogleman have been working together to
> get the eBird county maps for each of the roughly 500 species onto the
> species account pages on the Birds of North Carolina website:
>
> https://ncbirds.carolinabirdclub.org/index.php >
> As you can see, each map shows red dots for accepted records on eBird,
> different colors for the counties depending on recency of the last
> observation (by year on some maps but by decade on others), and other
> information in the line just below the species name.
>
> Now, these maps were only posted about 30-45 minutes ago, so I/we can only
> hope that there is a map for each of the roughly 500 species, as Tom and
> Michael had to match up the names each was using so that the eBird
> scientific names matched the ones on the website. I still expect that
> there COULD be a mismatch. *If you DO see a map missing, or incorrect,
> let us know.*
>
> Most importantly, Tom and Michael are working to figure out the best way,
> and frequency, to update the maps so that they are not static/stagnant. It
> may be that the maps are updated quarterly in a year, or every 6 months,
> for example. So, you won't likely be seeing new counties showing up on the
> maps for a while; certainly, do not expect a new county to turn from white
> to dark blue once a species is accepted by an eBird reviewer.
>
> Lastly, remember tha*n** these maps contain ONLY records that have been
> posted on eBird lists*. They are not going to be complete, as many
> records for the 20th Century will likely be missing. Thus, refer to the
> text account, especially, to see all known records for a rare or very rare
> bird.
>
> Harry LeGrand
> Raleigh, author/editor of the Birds of North Carolina website
>
Date: 9/17/26 9:26 am From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: The eBird county maps have now been added to the species accounts on the Birds of NC website
Folks,
Great news! Tom Howard and Michael Fogleman have been working together to get the eBird county maps for each of the roughly 500 species onto the species account pages on the Birds of North Carolina website:
As you can see, each map shows red dots for accepted records on eBird, different colors for the counties depending on recency of the last observation (by year on some maps but by decade on others), and other information in the line just below the species name.
Now, these maps were only posted about 30-45 minutes ago, so I/we can only hope that there is a map for each of the roughly 500 species, as Tom and Michael had to match up the names each was using so that the eBird scientific names matched the ones on the website. I still expect that there COULD be a mismatch. *If you DO see a map missing, or incorrect, let us know.*
Most importantly, Tom and Michael are working to figure out the best way, and frequency, to update the maps so that they are not static/stagnant. It may be that the maps are updated quarterly in a year, or every 6 months, for example. So, you won't likely be seeing new counties showing up on the maps for a while; certainly, do not expect a new county to turn from white to dark blue once a species is accepted by an eBird reviewer.
Lastly, remember tha*n** these maps contain ONLY records that have been posted on eBird lists*. They are not going to be complete, as many records for the 20th Century will likely be missing. Thus, refer to the text account, especially, to see all known records for a rare or very rare bird.
Harry LeGrand Raleigh, author/editor of the Birds of North Carolina website
Date: 9/16/26 12:07 pm From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Raulston Arboretum butterflies in Raleigh under "bacon" conditions -- Sept. 16
Folks,
Raulston's butterfly population in west Raleigh, Wake County, continues fairly strong, but the species diversity keeps dwindling owing to lack of southerly winds and major rainfall and disturbance events. Raleigh did have close to 0.4-0.5" inches of rain Saturday and into early Sunday, but the continued clear skies, very low humidity, etc., on Mon, Tues, and today have pretty much negated that soil moisture, and the drought continues, with no end in sight.
Here are the wimpy totals, despite plenty of nectar plants:
Pipevine Swallowtail 9 Black Swallowtail 1 male Sleepy Orange 28 Cloudless Sulphur 10 Cabbage White 15 Variegated Fritillary 2 - the ONLY brushfoot species today! Silver-spotted Skipper 6 Horace's Duskywing 1 Common Checkered-Skipper 10 Fiery Skipper 75 Eufala Skipper * 3 *usually just one or two at most Clouded Skipper 4
That's all, folks! I really doubt the garden will see a Gulf Fritillary, Long-tailed Skipper, and a few other usual late summer and fall visitors this year. Ocolas are still essentially missing. Surprised not to see Monarch, Buckeye, and maybe a lady.
Harry LeGrand Raleigh
PS - Though the temp was only about 78-81 degrees, the humidity was VERY low, and the place today was unwalkable without a lot of sunscreen or long sleeves and long pants. Continued lack of clouds, this being likely the sunniest year (= lowest amount of cloud cover) in recent memory here.
