Articles Archives - 2006

Despite living in a densely-populated urban environment, we are surrounded by birds here in Washington, D.C. The records committee for Maryland and D.C. has accepted reports for 324 species seen in the District. Many of these are not residents, or even regular visitors, but this speaks to the diversity of bird life that can be found within our boundaries. Since many residents remain unaware of the richness of Washington's native avifauna, we at the D.C. Audubon Society run at least two field trips every year to explore parks with the best bird habitat: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in the spring, and Rock Creek Park in the fall.

The growth of birding in the United States has opened a market for books that supplement traditional field guides. One expanding genre has specialized in a family or habitat group. There are plenty of fine books in that genre, with more published every year. A second type has covered the natural history of some or all North American bird species. The door was open for a field guide supplement devoted to identification, and that gap has now been filled with Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion.