STOKES BIRDING BLOG

It's Prime Time For Hawk Watching, Go Now!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 14:31:01 +0000

Go hawk watching now! This is prime time for Broad-winged Hawks and other raptors to migrate past the hundreds of hawk watch sites across the Americas. Look for Broadwings to travel in big flocks that "kettle" up, rise on thermals as an energy efficient way of getting to their winter areas in South America. Find a hawk watch site near you by going to https://hawkcount.org/, the big database of daily sightings maintained by the Hawk Migration Association (I am a board member). Support raptors by donating to https://www.hawkmigration.org/ I started my career in ornithology when I met a Bald Eagle on Mt. Wachusett in the late '70s and was so impressed (they were very rare then) I changed my career. 36 book on birds and nature later I am still hawk watching. See you on the mountain!

(This is my composite photo of Broad-winged Hawk group, adult right, immature, left, from Stokes Essential Pocket Guide to Birds of North America)

STELLER'S SEA-EAGLE, WHITEWAY, NL 7/19/26

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 21:25:18 +0000

Wind, water, a rocky-cliffed, conifer-covered island and a quest to find my grail bird. I have waited over 5 1/2 years to see the spectacular Steller’s Sea-Eagle since it showed up in Massachusetts in 2021 and I missed it. Likely one of the most rare, famous, and photographed MEGAs in North America, the STSE has been called by some, “the bird of the century.” By now it is a legend.

This massive bird has a 7-8 ft. wingspan and at 5 lbs. heavier, a foot taller and longer, it dwarfs Bald Eagles. It normally lives in eastern Russia, the Korean Peninsula and northern Japan. With only about 4,000 left in the wild it is a vulnerable species. This Steller’s Sea-Eagle took off on an astounding cross-continent journey with the seeming ease that a weather satellite circles the globe. It began in Denali, Alaska in 2020 and then was discovered in Victoria, TX, 3/7/21, known to be the same bird because of the photo match of the border between the white and brown feathers on the upper wing pattern. Then it bounced to eastern Canada in the Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec/New Brunswick in June then was in Nova Scotia three months later.

On December 19, 2021 there were rumors of it being spotted near the Taunton River in MA and on December 20th it was re-found and all hell broke loose. Word spread and birders descended and scoured the area until spotting it. Only about 200 lucky birders got to see it before it flew north after only hours of being there. I was not one of them. I near cried. I started an emotional support group for those who missed it called the “Big Dipper’s” club (joking, to dip is to miss a bird).

The STSE continued its journey to mid-Maine where it moved around for another few months. I could not follow it there because I had a sick husband who had Lewy-Body Dementia plus 2 Corgis. The STSE then went to NB and NS Canada, then back to ME briefly. Since November 2023 it has found a home in Newfoundland and been in a number of places there. Since late 2025 it has been seen in Trinity Bay at Green’s Harbor Point and now since July 2026 at Whiteway Bay, Salmon Point, accessible by boat.

Fast forward through my life in which Don died last year, I got remarried in May to Tony and the number one question we were asked was “where are you going on your honeymoon?” Where do you think - to see the Stellar’s Sea-Eagle!!! With no guarantee we would find the eagle since her track record is to move around, we went for it last week!

The trip was not easy, there are no direct flights, but we lucked through making a very tight connection between Montreal and St. John’s, the capital of NL.

We hooked up with Steller’s Sea-Eagle Tour from Whiteway run by Robert Burgess (902-210-0444). Getting to the eagle is all about the wind! Newfoundland is a VERY windy place! Robert only goes out in his small boat when he thinks it is safe. Robert kept messaging me about a potential window of opportunity for good seas but the weather changed constantly producing weather anxiety on my part. We only had three days (Saturday-Monday) to be there. Finally, Robert said Sunday morning early looked best. We had dinner Saturday night and still had a few hours of daylight, so over-eager me talked Tony to going to a spot of land on Old Track Road 1.7 miles across the bay from Salmon Point. I got out our Swarovski AT Balance image-stabilized, hand-held scope and started scanning. My eye caught a very, very distant object in the conifers on the cliff that had two white wing patches and a big yellow blob (her bill!!) that moved left to right and back. OMG, it’s the STSE!!!! My first thought was to get Tony on it, which I did by handing him the scope and giving good (he said) directions, then to try to digiscope a bad photo (remember it could fly away at any time) which I did. I was so excited I contacted Robert and told him we were looking at the eagle and the seas looked (deceptively) calm to us. He said come over and obligingly took us out in what was rougher seas for a “record shot.” Yes, the boat ride was rocky but we got close enough for some shots of her up high on a conifer, thank goodness for autofocus! Robert said the next morning would be much better for photos and it was, as you can see, although it was cloudy. Robert, who is a photographer himself, did an excellent job of getting us in good positions to take photos and is respectful of keeping about 100 feet away from the high cliff which is the STSE’s frequent spot. I used the Canon R5 Mark II with 100-500 mm lens, Tony was using the Nikon P1100 with its 3000 mm lens. Some of my photos are heavily cropped. We left totally elated, my dream had come true. There is no feeling like that!!

Make no mistake, the Steller’s Sea-Eagle is a savy, skilled survivor far from her native land, although it is interesting that Newfoundland is on the same latitude as her home area. She (some people think it is a female) has skirmishes with the many Bald Eagles, sometimes hangs out with juvenile Bald Eagles and learns from gulls who may lead her to fish. Newfoundland has plenty of food, places to perch and shelter and she is making a good living. And no, there is no plan to import a mate.

We also had some other great bird experiences, Newfoundland is full of them, such as seeing millions of nesting sea birds like Northern Gannets, Atlantic Puffins, murres and Black-legged Kittiwakes. More photos to come next week.

P.S. If you want to go see this amazing bird, go now!! She seems localized in her patch at least for a while. The weather gets too bad soon and shuts down the boat tours in fall.

Little Blue Heron, Rare inland in MA!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:28:00 +0000

Saw this Little Blue Heron at Horn Pond birding site inland in MA. Very unusual for this site and it thrilled all the birders who saw it. Little Blues are a rare nester in MA (mainly coastally).

Northern Yellow Warblers Have Returned!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:15:00 +0000

Here they come, Yellow Warblers (now called Northern Yellow Warbler) have arrived in MA! I hope to get out to see them soon. Such an exciting time of year!

Baltimore Orioles and Ruby-throated Hummingbids are arriving!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:26:00 +0000

Here they come! Eagerly waiting for the return of the orioles and hummingbirds! EBird maps show where they are now. Get out the oranges and hummer feeders soon! After this brutal winter, the return of these beauties seems even more welcome!

Purple Finch female on migration now!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:16:00 +0000

Yay! Purple Finch female/imm. arrived at the feeder today! Likely just passing through on migration. Welcome! So happy to see one of my beloved finches! Make sure and check out the new Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada. All things finch and so much more!

FOY (first of season) Chipping Sparrow has arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:40:00 +0000

Hellebore

Eranthis

Yay, FOY Chipping Sparrow has returned yesterday, I have been waiting. Hellebore and Winter Aconite (Eranthis, supposedly critters don't eat it like they do crocus) are in bloom. Happiness is -it is starting to really feel like spring. Pause and enjoy the blooms and the birds.

Happy Spring Eastern Phoebes Have Arrived!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:03:00 +0000

Happy spring! FOY (first of year) Eastern Phoebe arrived yesterday here in MA, I was so excited to hear its slighly raspy "fee-bee" song. Pansies proliferate at the garden centers, and mini-daffies can be planted. After this long, difficult winter, spring seems so much sweeter!

American Woodcocks Have Arrived "Peent"

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:25:00 +0000

FOY (first-of-year) American Woodcock recently, my target bird! Went out to a known area hoping the snow would be melted enough for woodcocks to have some open ground to display and it was. No sooner got there than 2 woodcocks flew in over my head. The craziest thing was my good friends and Big Year (a birding competition to see how many birds you can see in a year) birding legend record holders in the North America and AOU area Tammy McQuade and David McQuade called me to say hello at that moment, just as I was getting the bird I had come after. Perfect serendipity timing! One woodcock then landed, began "peenting" and launched into a display flight rising 200 ft. in the air and making a twittering sound with his wings, then spiraled down making a chirping sound. Females come to the display area, chose and mate with males then breed in a ground nest in the woods and raise the young themselves. Look for woodcocks now at dusk in open areas near woods and you may see (or hear as it is hard to see with binoculars in the dim light) this amazing ritual. A true sign of spring. I love woodcocks! Photo from another time.

Winter Bird Therapy: Beauty at your Bird Feeders!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:19:00 +0000

Through the window, winter bird therapy: Symphony in blue, yay! the Carolina Wren is surviving, black on white, our winter "snowbirds." Hope you all who are stuck indoors and enduring the frigid temps, are feeding the birds. It's beauty, entertainment, engagement, and knowing you are helping these feathered spirits.

Red Squirrel Cuteness!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 17:54:00 +0000

Red Squirrel has a home under the now buried brush pile that was originally for the birds. It did not come out during the storm. Red Squirrels (unlike gray) are territorial and have territories averaging 2-5 acres. They have a main cache of food usually hidden in the ground, a stone wall, a burrow, or under a brush pile. They can make their nest in trees, or live under fallen logs, in stone walls, buildings, or underground tunnels they dig themselves. Ounce for ounce they are one of the feistiest critters out there but so cute!

How To Help Birds in Severe Winter Weather

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 15:28:00 +0000

American Goldfinches and Pine Siskin on lower right

Dark-eyed Junco in snow

Severe winter weather with below 0 degrees temperatures and storms is invading much of the eastern area of the country now. This makes it hard for birds to find food and survive. Birds cannot live for more than a day or two without food and providing feeders may help them survive. To help your birds get through winter in areas of the country where there is severe winter weather, start with an excellent bird feeder set up. Make sure you include multiple tubular, hopper, screen, and suet feeders filled with a variety of quality bird seeds and suet. Focus on providing black oil sunflower (which has a high oil, thus calorie count), seed mixes that contain a good amount of black oil sunflower and, for finches, Nyjer (thistle) or finch mix seed. Also include suet which is a calorie-rich food that provides much needed energy for birds in cold weather.

Place feeders near cover so the birds can escape wind and cold. Near pines or other evergreens is ideal, especially if they face south. Place feeders on poles with squirrel baffles and locate them 12 or more feet from any place from which a squirrel can jump.

Clean off snow from feeders whenever it accumulates from a storm. This includes shoveling snow from under the feeders so ground feeding species like Mourning Doves, White-throated Sparrows and juncos can access seeds that birds drop from the above feeders.Consider using the snow blower to clear under the feeders if it is feasible. Some people make a big brush pile with a hollow middle inside and sprinkle seed on the ground in the middle of it so ground feeding species can get the seed. The more feeders you have, the more kinds of birds you will attract.

Winter target birds. In addition to regular winter birds like chickadees, titmice, goldfinches, nuthatches, cardinals, jays, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, juncos, and White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows, you may attract rarer species like Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, and Evening Grosbeaks.

Once you finish shoveling the snow go inside, pour a cup of hot chocolate, get out your binoculars and field guide and, though the window, watch a lot of happy birds flock to your feeders.

And if you're looking for to identify the birds you see, get our new Stokes Essential Pocket Guide to the Birds of North America. With 250 species and over 580 stunning photos, it contains all the birds you will see at your feeders and the essential ones beyond. For the more advanced birders on your list get our best-selling,

Buy Now! The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America

It was recently divided into Eastern and Western editions, and we also have a new pocket guide for backyard birders.

Buy Now! The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds, Eastern and Western Regions

Buy Now! The Stokes Essential Pocket Guide to Birds of North America

Enjoy!

Winter Birding

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 15:45:00 +0000

Cold. Windy. Car birding. That's what it's been like. A Northern Mockingbird warms up on the roadside near its treasured winter food supply of winterberry. 5 Song Sparrows make a living on the weedy roadside. Eastern Bluebirds are still here and eat berries (and suet at my feeder). A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was found on my Christmas Bird Count, one of a handful in the CBC area, unusual to have so many here now relatively speaking.

(Nikon P950 photos)

FIRST BIRD OF THE YEAR!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 21:23:00 +0000

What was your first bird of 2026? Mine was 25 juncos with a Fox Sparrow mixed in! Happy New Year and good birding in 2026!

HAPPY BIRD-FILLED NEW YEAR1

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 21:28:00 +0000

MAY YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL 2026 FILLED WITH BEAUTIFUL BIRDS AND MANY LIFERS!

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Sun, 21 Dec 2025 15:48:00 +0000

Happy Winter Solstice! Enjoy the birds, get out in nature and celebrate the return of increasing daylight hours!

Pine Grosbeak Beauty!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:39:00 +0000

This beautiful male Pine Grosbeak is in Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada along with the story of how I came to find and photograph him after a long search. The book is all things finch plus creative essays before each finch chapter which is unique among field guides. One of "Best Bird Books of 2024" according to ABA. I am so proud of it.

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT 2025 IS COMING! HERE'S HOW TO PARTICIPATE

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 19:03:00 +0000

I did a recent scouting trip for my CBC (Christmas Bird Count), which takes place for me on December 29th (other areas of the country have counts on different dates from Dec. 14th to Jan. 5th). Hooded Mergansers, were hiding waay down the river, hope they stay for the count! To join the CBC count as part of a party or as a feeder watcher go here, https://www.audubon.org/.../chr.../join-christmas-bird-count

Snowstorm is coming but I'd Rather it be Snowing Snow Buntings!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:35:00 +0000

Show Buntings

Snow Bunting in flight

Major snowstorm predicted for MA tomorrow. I'd rather it be a Snow Bunting storm!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:36:00 +0000

Hoffman Bird Club talk, The Finches of the United States and Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 20:57:00 +0000

With Jonathan Pierce

With Tom Tyning

Bufflehead by Clair Postmus

Had a great time giving talk on Finches of the United States and Canada and book-signing at the Hoffman Bird Club in western MA on Monday. Saw friend Jonathan Pierce and amazing herp expert, Tom Tyning, coauthor of the Stokes Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians. Great, active, bird club! Then tried to see birds in a snowstorm! Managed to find some Buffleheads waaay out on Stockbridge Bowl, using the Nikon P950 like a scope. Then the next day had adventures looking for finches in the cold, snowstorm weather, more to come....

White-throated Sparrow New Arrivals!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 13:46:00 +0000

Happiness is, a newly arrived White-throated Sparrow at my feeder. Feeding birds is so rewarding. Each season brings the excitement of new arrivals, the pleasures of providing for them, and the mental health wellness of your engagement with them.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 12:51:00 +0000

Phoebe and her mom, Chanel

Eastern Red Bat

Short-eared Owl

Halloween Pennant

Great Horned Owl

Nature's Rhythms, Life Goes On

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:46:00 +0000

They say everything has a season. Don's season ended but life goes on and I embrace nature's rhythms: Yellow-rumped warblers passing through, the arrival of the first-of-season juncos (yay!), the parade of spectacular fall leaf hues, and the knowledge that the oak near Don's grave will blossom next spring attracting migrating warblers in their season of renewal.

RIP OBITUARY Don Stokes 2/21/47 - 10/7/25

noreply@blogger.com (Lillian Stokes) — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 16:20:00 +0000

Don Stokes

The Raven that flew over me

10/7/25 - On a beautiful October day, after a harvest-full-moon-Great-Horned-Owls-calling night, my beloved husband, Don, age 78, died, then a Raven flew over my head.

After a long 9-year decline, Don died of Lewy Body Dementia in a dementia facility he had been in for three plus years. I was with him in the afternoon, and even though he was unconscious, I think he heard me when I asked for two things: that he wait to die until my daughter got there (she did, and my son had visited in the morning) and that he send me a Raven, his favorite bird, after he died. After I had visited him, I had to run an errand, and my daughter, who was with him, then called to say he was gone. I drove back, and when I pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car, a Raven swooped down, flew low right over my head, and landed briefly on a nearby building, and then was gone. Rest in peace, Don, may you fly with the Ravens.

You all know him as a loving, kind, humorous, gifted teacher and deeply spiritually connected to nature. In place of a formal obit, let me tell you some things about Don you may or may not know.

Don was born in Philadelphia into a Quaker family and went to Germantown Friends School, then Swarthmore College, majoring in Comparative Religions. He was a talented musician who could sing, play the piano, and was an excellent tabla hand drum player. He even spent time in Calcutta, India, studying with a tabla guru there.

After college, Don moved to Berkeley, California, and in the hills kept careful and beautiful journals of the nature he encountered. He soon realized he was seeing things that little was known about. That planted the seed that later led him to begin writing about nature. After returning to Massachusetts, he taught at the Warehouse Cooperative School, where he met Bill Phillips, an editor at Little, Brown and Company/Hachette, whose daughter attended the school. Bill accepted Don's first book, Nature in Winter, and went on to become Don's editor for many years.

Don then began teaching at the Massachusetts Audubon Society and was in the process of writing a bird behavior guide when he met Lillian (already an avid hawk-watcher who came from a background in animal behavior and psychiatric social work), who took his course on Bird Behavior. As they say, the rest is history. Don and Lillian got married and over more than 30 years produced 35 Stokes Guides, including 3 volumes on bird behavior (instrumental in introducing a holistic approach to birds), backyard books such as the Bird Feeder, Hummingbird, and Bluebird books, beginner's guides, and the national The Stokes Field Guide to Birds of North America. Stokes' books have sold over 6 million copies. Don and Lillian produced and hosted the first PBS national television series on birds, Birdwatch with Don and Lillian Stokes, as well as Stokes Birds at Home, which 40 million viewers saw. They gave keynote talks and taught at birding festivals and Audubon societies across the country for years. They spent many winters on Sanibel Island birding and teaching others at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge through their Stokes Birding and Photography tours.They were Duck Stamp Judges and received a Partners in Flight National Conservation Award. Don belonged to many nature and conservation organizations, including the Nuttall Ornithological Club.

Befitting his beautiful, spiritual side, Don was a student of Haiku poetry, writing it for many years. Here is a fitting example.

Entering the wilds

Equipped to look at nature –

Wait! I am nature.

Don will be buried at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in MA (a famous birding hotspot) on Goldfinch Path (how fitting!!). There will be a private family Celebration of Life as per his wishes. If you would like to do something in remembrance of Don, send a contribution to the nature, birding, or conservation organization of your choice. Thank you.