I am often asked which bird I like best, but I love them all and find it difficult to pick a single favorite.

My son Eddie and I got up early one morning this week to see a rare bird that was reported a few hours to the north: the Harlequin Duck.

Northern Cardinals are one of our most beloved backyard birds. They're known by many nicknames, including red-bird and Virginia Nightingale.

Winter is the best time of year to see American Tree Sparrows in Pennsylvania. I came across a flock of over 60 last week in some weedy fields north of Pittsburgh.

I photographed the Downy Woodpecker in the photo above in the white oak in my backyard on New Year's Day. From that picture, someone unfamiliar with Downy Woodpeckers might think they're mostly black.

Winter is the best time of year to see my wife's favorite bird, the Brown Creeper.  I found one in my backyard on the morning of New Year's Day.

My sons and I were taking care of some last-minute Christmas shopping last week when we came across a flock of Cedar Waxwings eating some cherries in trees bordering the parking lot of the mall in Lancaster.

Just last week when I wrote about Song Sparrows, I mentioned that other common backyard sparrows like Chipping Sparrows aren't here in the Susquehanna Valley all year long. 

Song Sparrows are one of the Susquehanna Valley's most common, and most commonly overlooked, bird species. They also happen to be one of my favorites.

I make a point of going bird watching every day. Sometimes that means a fun trip to a beautiful natural area, sometimes it's watching birds in my back yard as my dog chases her tennis ball.