There are two species with stilt in their name: stilt sandpiper and black-necked stilt. We see small numbers of the former every fall but the latter is a rare vagrant. Both are here now, which is highly unusual.

There is a nova visible in our southern sky, but you'll need binoculars and a star chart to find and identify it.

Barbara Lerner needed a hand.

With the breeding season now at full tilt for most species, it seems appropriate to highlight the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the efforts of our local surveyor, Matt Pelikan.

The bright red planet Mars will appear right next to one of the brighest stars in the evening sky, the star Regulus.

The northward migration that started in January and February is almost over. We will get a few more migrants, but now most birds have settled into the nesting season. So, the attention of many birders shifts to watching for behaviors documenting that the species is nesting.