Lospalluto / Flickr I’m snowshoeing through Colorado’s Rocky Mountains when I see a small, nondescript bird at the far edge of the creek.American dippers are small and chunky — about the side of a robin — with grey-blue plumage, a brownish head, pink legs, a short tail, and a white eyelid.

The act of brood parasitism allows females to forgo the costs of nest building, incubating eggs, and feeding and protecting vulnerable young.

© Ashok Biswal The Nature Conservancy in India has been engaging with the local communities and working closely with state government authorities since 2017 to undertake and facilitate cost-effective and pragmatic riparian restoration activities in the selected patches of Narmada riverbank.

To help you make sense of the often bewildering range of choices, here are three of our favorite binoculars, well suited to the beginning, intermediate, and advanced birder.Nikon Monarch 5, Size 10x42 ($330)These binoculars are the perfect upgrade from less expensive, compact models.

Photo © Nils Bouillard He modeled the idea on the popular concept of the Big Year in birding, where birders attempt to see as many bird species as possible in one calendar year.“The rules for a birding Big Year are well established,” says Nils.

Apparently, the same cannot be said for the children who were walking to school while I was taking pictures of cedar waxwings.

It’s a list of all of the bird species you have seen from a very specific, small site, like your yard.More relaxed birders often keep a running list of new species seen in the yard.

And backyard birding is at its best when the snow falls and flocks of wintering species descend for sunflower and suet. A downy woodpecker at a winter bird feeder.