Why Pete Dunne is enchanted by birds
Nothing against listing, but the real joys in birding are simply watching birds.
Pete Dunne
Pete Dunne is the author of over a dozen books about birds and birding and the founder of the World Series of Birding. In 2001, in recognition of a lifetime of achievements in promoting the cause of birding, he received the Roger Tory Peterson Award from the American Birding Association. Until 2013, he served as director of the Cape May Bird Observatory and vice president for natural history for New Jersey Audubon. His column “Birder at Large” appears in every issue of BirdWatching.
Pete Dunne on social media
Milestones in a birder’s life
Reflections on moments large and small over 65 years of watching birds.
A dream birding year
Pete Dunne’s advice for where and when to bird around North America for an extraordinary 12-plus months of finding birds.
The Explorers Club
How places like Big X Swamp and Bee Hive Hill sparked a lifelong love of nature.
Shorebirds: The best show in summer
From late June through September, dowitchers, yellowlegs, plovers, and the like help ease the malaise of summer birding.
Why it’s worth learning to ID birds by sound
Enhance your skills at identifying songs and calls and you’re sure to enjoy a lifetime of birding memories.
For birders, saving birds is job #1
17 ways birders can help our feathered friends.
Why a Big Sit gets every day off to a good start
Pete Dunne explains how to make your mornings in the backyard last.
Why birders have no excuse for boredom
As long as birds exist and we birders have the latitude to engage them, life is a sensory and intellectual feast.
The greatest hawk watchers of all time
Pete Dunne reflects on several of the hawk watching G.O.A.T.s he has had the pleasure to raise binoculars with.
‘Magic’ oak tree attracts birds to California yard
Pete Dunne reflects on the bird-attracting powers of a single tree in central California wine country.
Pete Dunne on the gifts of winter birding
Highlights of the season include ducks, eagles, and spectacular owls.
Pete Dunne’s tips for watching raptors
How to scan the sky and clouds in search of high-flying birds of prey.
Back to the source: Hog Island, Maine
At Audubon’s iconic Hog Island Camp, an influential instructor wore the student’s clothing.
Pete Dunne’s blueprint for a Big Day
Advice for a fun and challenging 24 hours in the field.
Be a birding ambassador
How to recruit new birders to the hobby.
Dressing for the elements
Pete Dunne provides birders with a basic primer on dressing for the different weather conditions Mother Nature serves up.
Pete Dunne describes his local birding patch
When time is short, Pete Dunne goes birding at his local patch, the Commerical Township Wetlands Restoration Site.
Overcoming gull-ID phobia
Why it’s time to stop ignoring and start identifying gulls.
Don’t let rain stop you from birding, Pete Dunne says
Learn why Pete Dunne believes a little (or a lot) of rain shouldn’t stop people from getting out there and birding.
Birding in winter: Redpolls, Rough-legs, and other treasures
Birds to look for in the season between fall and spring migrations
Pete Dunne on the unsung benefits of being a birder
When I reach my last day upon this planet, I hope I will greet a morning like this morning. Set in the familiar confines of … Read More “Pete Dunne on the unsung benefits of being a birder”
Pete Dunne on the riches of birding in late summer
August ranks among the richest of birding months. Southbound shorebirds are near peak diversity, and many songbird species are starting their southern push. One day … Read More “Pete Dunne on the riches of birding in late summer”
Forty years and counting at Cape May Point, New Jersey
Cape May’s first official counter tells the story of the Cape May Hawkwatch on its 40th anniversary
Pete Dunne toasts VENT and the Ecotourist Movement
In April 2016, I was invited to say a few words to birders gathered to celebrate Victor Emanuel Nature Tours’ 40 years of operation. Of … Read More “Pete Dunne toasts VENT and the Ecotourist Movement”
Cape May mystique
When fall is winding down across most of North America, it is peaking in Cape May at New Jersey’s southern tip