Everything happens on schedule, and for a reason. At least in the natural world. Take Autumn for example. The shortening day, the lowering temperatures, the disappearance of flowers, the appearance of seeds and berries... All due to that small tilt of the earth. These circumstances then provoke birds to respond, in a variety of ways, with each species on its own schedule.

Summer is the time when at the moment we begin to feel confident about the songs around us, the birds mostly stop singing... And when most of the exciting arrivals of spring are now so familiar that we impatiently watch for something new. And nothing shows up. Not yet…

This spring we celebrate Flycatchers, from the adorable Sayornis family to the confusing Empidonax complex, Matthew will take you on a tour of all of our buzz-wing-eating harbingers of spring.

Winter seems to hold more bird surprises than other seasons. Why is that? Matthew explores our winter wonders from waterfowl to woodpeckers to warblers. And hawks of course.

Confused by fall warblers? Matthew Dodder will help you figure out which field marks will most help you narrow down your warbler choices this season.