For the Birds: Great Backyard Bird Count is coming

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A red-shouldered hawk perches on a branch during a snowy day in New England, January 2026.

It should come as no surprise that birdwatching is growing in popularity, according to several studies and other metrics. It had been gaining in popularity for years, but the pandemic greatly accelerated the movement.

As I researched the Great Backyard Bird Count for this column, I was surprised at how much birdwatching had gained in popularity, at least as it is measured by the number of GBBC participants.

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January 25, 2026, snowstorm bird photos: round 4

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Phto by Chris Bosak – A tufted titmouse during a snowstorm on January 25, 2026, in New England.

Yet a few more bird photos from the snowstorm on January 25, 2026, in New England.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A male cardinal perches on a branch during a snowstorm, January 2026, New England.

January 25, 2026, snowstorm bird photos: round 3

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A house finch perches in a snowy bush during a snowstorm, January 25, 2026, New England.

A few more bird photos from the January 25, 2026, snowstorm in New England.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A white-throated sparrow perches in a snowy bush during a snowstorm, January 25, 2026, New England.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A female cardinal perches on a branch during a snowstorm, January 2026, New England.

January 25 2026 snowstorm bird photos: round 2

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A blue jay perches on a branch as a cardinal perches in the background during a snowstorm, January 25, 2026, New England.

Here are some more photos of birds during the snowstorm of January 25, 2026. More photos to come …

Photo by Chris Bosak
Snow gathers on a blue jay’s face during a snowstorm, January 25, 2026, New England.
Photo by Chris Bosak
Snow gathers on a blue jay’s face during a snowstorm, January 25, 2026, New England.

January 25, 2026, snowstorm bird photos: round 1

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A female cardinal perches on a branch during a snowstorm, January 2026, New England.

Here are a few bird photos from the January 25, 2026, snowstorm currently hammering New England. I’ll post some throughout the day, so keep an eye out for more photos. What else would you be doing today anyway?

Photo by Chris Bosak
A male cardinal gathers snow on its face during a snowstorm, January 2026, New England.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A male cardinal perches on a branch during a snowstorm, January 2026, New England.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A dark-eyed junco perches on a fence post during a snowstorm, January 2026, New England.

For the Birds: Eerie noises during a night in New England

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Photo by Chris Bosak – A red fox works its way through the New England woods.

This fox had no consideration for my sleep schedule.

I was sound asleep when the fox decided it was a good time to sit on the shared driveway that separates my house from my neighbor’s house and start barking over and over. I rolled over, tapped the screen on my phone and saw 3:01 displayed. 

The fox was about 15 yards away from where I had been enjoying a good night’s sleep. I pulled back the curtain and there it was, plain as day (even though it was the middle of the night), sitting in the middle of the driveway barking away.

If you’ve ever heard a fox barking, you know it’s not like a dog barking. We’ve all been jarred awake by dogs barking before, but that sound is familiar, and usually the owner is quick to respond and stop the barking. 

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Some wintry bird photos

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Photo by Chris Bosak
White-throated sparrow in snow, New England, January 2026.

You didn’t think I’d let a snowy weekend go by without posting a few snowy bird photos, did you?

Photo by Chris Bosak
American goldfinch eats seeds from a spent flower in New England, January 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak
Eastern bluebird in a birdbath in New England, January 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A fox sparrow perches on a snowy branch in New England, January 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A Carolina wren searches for food under a feeder in New England, January 2026.
Photo by Chris Bosak
A red-breasted nuthatch takes a safflower seed from a feeder in New England, January 2026.

For the Birds: Looking back on birding highlights of 2025

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Photo by Chris Bosak – A dark-eyed junco eats goldenrod seeds at Huntington State Park in Redding, Connecticut, November 2025.

It’s time for one of my favorite annual columns, as I take a look at my top 10 birding/wildlife moments from the past year. It’s always fun to look back at a year’s worth of For the Birds columns and pick the moments that continue to resonate with me the most.

Here are my top 10 birding moments of 2025:

10. Early in 2025, when ice still dominated most ponds and rivers, I found a small unfrozen pond with a hooded merganser pair and a small flock of ring-necked ducks. The pond was small enough to afford good photo ops of the birds but large enough that they felt safe on the opposite shore.

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For the Birds: More winter bird sightings

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Photo by Chris Bosak
A northern flicker drinks from a birdbath in New England, December 2025.

Last week, I wrote about the evening grosbeak and the various sightings that have occurred throughout New England.

This week, I want to turn the attention to some of the other sightings and questions that have reached my inbox recently. I appreciate hearing from others and what they are seeing at their feeders and in the wild.

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For the Birds: Evening grosbeaks on the move

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Mike Quinn of Ticonderoga, N.Y. had these evening grosbeaks visit recently (December 2025.)

There is a thing in birding called a “spark bird.”

It is not a species of bird like a bluebird, mockingbird or blackbird, but rather the type of bird that piqued (or sparked) someone’s interest in birding and got them hooked. For many people, it is something big or colorful, like a loon or eagle or Baltimore oriole or great blue heron.

Because I have to be different, my spark bird is actually a moose. Yes, I know a moose is not a bird, but my quest to see a moose in the Vermont woods led me to my love of birdwatching.

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