https://www.birdobserver.org/Issues/2026/February-2026https://www.birdobserver.org/Issues/2026/February-2026/hot-birds-february-2026Hot BirdsSun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:14 GMT

<p class="caption"><img alt="Limpkin by Liam Norton" src="/Portals/0/Assets/bo54-1/HB_Limpkin_Liam_Norton.png?ver=h422HiUv7JhPqxCadNKVnA%3d%3d" /><br /> A <strong>Limpkin</strong> was found in Scituate on November 30. This normally southern species has strayed northwards more frequently in recent years, but this was the first record not just for Massachusetts but for all of New England. Birders watched it forage for earthworms and grubs on residential lawns through December 3. Liam Norton took the photograph.</p> <p class="caption"><img alt="Chestnut-collared Longspur by Jason Forbes" src="/Portals/0/Assets/bo54-1/HB_Chestnut-collared_Longspur_Forbes.png?ver=oJhsmvifK9UjkNRQs6fSNg%3d%3d" /><br /> On December 4, Jon Skinner found a <strong>Chestnut-collared Longspur</strong> with a flock of Horned Larks at Fitchburg Airport. This is the sixth record for Massachusetts and the first for Worcester County. The bird continued around the airport through January 9. Jason Forbes took the photograph.</p>

To view the rest of the article you'll need to subscribe. Bird Observer publishes original articles on birding locations, on avian populations and natural history, on regional rarities, field notes, field records, photographs, and art work. https://www.birdobserver.org/Issues/2026/February-2026/about-books-a-very-big-year-and-an-intimate-summerBook and Video ReviewsSun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:07 GMT

<h2><em>The Biggest Year in American Birding: A Quest to Find 900 Birds in the USA and Its Territories.</em><br /> Nicholas Komar. 2025. United States: Bohannon Hall Press.</h2> <h2><em>Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder. 25th Anniversary Edition.</em><br /> David Gessner. 2025. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing, Cornell University.</h2> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">“Every bird has a story to tell, and it’s our duty to listen and learn.” (Roger Tory Peterson, 1908–1996, quoted at the beginning of <em>The Biggest Year in American Birding</em>)</p> <p>Why do we bird? The question has as many answers as there are birders. Maybe you look at yard birds at your feeder. You may be a field ornithologist working intensively on one species or tracking migrants over land and sea. Perhaps you travel the world to search for exotic species and adventure. Maybe your life is ruled by accruing a lengthy species list.</p> <p>Every birder is a lister of some kind, even if that list is only in your mind. There are world lists, North American lists, state lists, county lists, and yard lists. You can keep a running tally of birds seen in many places. I know people who keep lists of birds seen at ball games, birds heard in films, even birds seen or heard while going to the bathroom. Birds and people have a complex relationship that sometimes changes as you get older.</p> <p>Below are two books about two different ways of looking at birds and how that relationship has affected the authors’ lives. One author’s list is in the many hundreds. The other author’s list consists of just one species.</p>

To view the rest of the article you'll need to subscribe. Bird Observer publishes original articles on birding locations, on avian populations and natural history, on regional rarities, field notes, field records, photographs, and art work. https://www.birdobserver.org/Issues/2026/February-2026/at-a-glance-february-2026At a GlanceSun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:03 GMT

<p class="caption"><img alt="" src="/Portals/0/Assets/bo54-1/AAG_Feb_26.jpg?ver=UMbmhuyZ_1VvjmxAIc-zvQ%3d%3d" /><br /> JOHN KRICHER</p>

To view the rest of the article you'll need to subscribe. Bird Observer publishes original articles on birding locations, on avian populations and natural history, on regional rarities, field notes, field records, photographs, and art work. https://www.birdobserver.org/Issues/2026/February-2026/zaps-541ZapsSun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:02 GMTTo view the rest of the article you'll need to subscribe. Bird Observer publishes original articles on birding locations, on avian populations and natural history, on regional rarities, field notes, field records, photographs, and art work. https://www.birdobserver.org/Issues/2026/February-2026/advertisers-541AdvertisersSun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:01 GMTTo view the rest of the article you'll need to subscribe. Bird Observer publishes original articles on birding locations, on avian populations and natural history, on regional rarities, field notes, field records, photographs, and art work.