Small, round and bouncy, they never fail to draw attention. They’re family Paridae, the vocal and acrobatic passerines that across the pond are known as tits. In North America, of course, they’re our chickadees and titmice, once collectively referred to as tits or titmouses. “Tit” is from Old Norse meaning “small,” while “mose,” which eventually […]
Sarah Hobart
Posted inGet Out
Listers and Big Years
One of the best films of 2025 was a documentary you’ve probably never heard of (unless you’re a birder). It’s Listers, a low-budget gem that raced through the birding community like suet through a Downy Woodpecker, though you don’t have to be a birder to enjoy it. The film, which takes its name from the […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Birds of the Sea(sick)
A few weeks ago, I learned two very import things. First, the vast Pacific Ocean is home to numerous unusual and wonderful bird species. Second, they belong out there. I almost certainly do not. But when you’re on a quest to see at least 300 bird species in Humboldt County in a single year, at […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Birding Above the Fog in Kneeland
Have you ever wanted to just get away from it all? Like, recently? Maybe you made the mistake of catching a few minutes of national news and now your go-to birds — the raucous Whimbrels and wheeling Caspian Terns off the Hikshari’ Trail in Eureka and the cheery Common Yellowthroats at the Arcata Marsh — […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Blue-winged Warblers, 2025 and Personal Bests
There’s something uncanny about birding in 2025. The Humboldt birders have hit the ground running this year. Everyone in my feathered circle is out there with single-minded dedication, chasing rarities, putting in long hours day after day, birding like there’s no tomorrow because — well, let’s not go there. I’ll admit I’m not a huge […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Enviably Thick-skulled Woodpecker
This election has left many of us a bit shaken in our beliefs and buffeted by fear and doubt. The yammering and hammering are unrelenting. Never has a bird that smashes its head into wood up to 20 times a second been more relatable. We all could use thicker skulls these days. If only we […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Temporary Insanity
I’ve been a pretty casual birder all my life. I do a little birding every day and often take photos, but seldom range far afield. Sometimes I chase local rarities if they’re easy to get to; I’d rather listen to a Giants game from my cushy recliner than tromp through brambles and poison oak for […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Ask Miss Birding Manners
Whether you’re new to birding or have been around the mudflats a few times, navigating the unspoken nuances of birding etiquette is probably something you’ve had to learn on the wing. If only there were a resource to guide you toward more courteous interactions with the birds you seek — and the humans you meet […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Three Great Places to Bird this Summer
It’s the time of year schoolkids love and birders dread: summer vacation. Diehard birders wait in vain for rare bird notifications but their phones have gone eerily silent. It’s not that the birds aren’t out there; they’re just busy nesting, fledging, molting and doing other birdy things behind a thick veil of foliage. For most […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Condors Over Arcata
During most of the sturm und drang of the Cal Poly Humboldt protest, I was across the country, on a pilgrimage of sorts to honor my dad and scatter his ashes at one of his favorite fishing spots. By the time I got home (let’s just forget about my unplanned stay in Newark, New Jersey), […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
A Chime of Wrens
One of the prettiest places that my dog and I like to explore is the lower section of the Arcata Ridge Trail where it follows Janes Creek. Even though it’s not far from the industries that line West End Road, it feels remote, unspoiled and serene. But not quiet. Today the Pacific wrens were bursting […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Bird Names for Everyone
Of all the birding news stories that came down in 2023, perhaps none was more unexpected than the American Ornithological Society’s (AOS) decision to change the names of up to 152 North American bird species, eliminating honorific and eponymous names. That means so long, Steller’s jay. Bye-bye, Brewer’s blackbird. Hasta la vista, Heermann’s gull. Why? […]