An excerpt from Peter Alden's memoir: My Wild Life On one shore excursion, when we noticed a huge polar bear watching us from around a large rock we had to quickly load into our zodiacs. Popular culture has presented attractive images of both the Arctic and Antarctica—with the result that many people sign up for cruises to one or the other not even knowing the difference. Some expect to see polar bears in Antarctica, which they will not; and penguins in the Arctic, also an im

Photos and Field Trip Notes Great Meadows, Woodcock, and Dinner Talk, March 28, 2026 An intrepid group of Spark Birders led by Peter Alden and Lillian Stokes braved a cold, clear, but beautiful late afternoon and evening to find ducks and woodcocks. We started at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, which was cock-full of newly arrived Red-winged Blackbirds whose singing males posed on cattails every 1/4 acre staking out their territories, ever hopeful that soon-arriving f

An excerpt from Peter Alden's memoir: My Wild Life, Chapter 8 Macaws in Peru's Manu National Park lick and eat clay from riverbank "collpas" primarily to detoxify their diet of poisonous seeds and to obtain essential sodium, which is scarce in their diet. My first book, Finding Birds in Western Mexico , was published in 1969. The illustrator was a young ornithologist and artist from Louisiana State University named John O’Neill. Working on that project together, I got to know

An excerpt from Peter Alden's memoir: My Wild Life, Chapter 7 Nearly every eco traveler has the Galápagos Islands on his or her top-ten bucket list, and for good reasons. Located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, the archipelago is home to iconic species like giant tortoises, marine iguanas, Blue-footed Boobies, and Darwin’s finches, all living in habitats that are remarkably untouched by human development. What makes the Galápagos especially appealing is how fearless and a

A recap of Spark Birding’s nature safari to witness “the greatest wildlife spectacle on Earth” Our safari vehicle pulled over to the side of the road. At first glance, we saw the enormous flow of zebra and wildebeest herds grazing across the vast Serengeti plain. A lone vulture circled above, then another. Slowly, the camouflaged head of a lion rose slowly from the tall grass. The giant herd froze. The hunt was on. As the scene unfolded, it became clear that the circle of lif

A Small Team Set the Standard for Eco-Adventures Mass Audubon Travel and Tours group in Kenya in 1980 Jacquie Manley Colman of Acton, MA remembers a moment 50 years ago when she had just returned from Venezuela on her first international birding trip. At that time, Venezuela was not only safe for Americans, it was an emerging birding destination. Manley was working for the pioneering Mass Audubon Travel and Tours program. Her colleagues, Peter Alden and Chris Leahy, would d

Peter Alden’s upcoming memoir will feature stories from his pioneering nature journeys the world over. This chapter takes us into the jungles of South America to find new exotic species. Warning: Peter and his group end up having to spend a night in a house of ill repute! Scarlet Ibis, Orinoco River, Venezuela By Peter Alden South America is known as the bird continent, hosting more species than any of the other continents. There are over 11,000 bird species in the world, and

A new film by Owen and Quentin Reiser Until a friend recommended the new feature documentary, Listers , I hadn’t seen a decent birding film that riveted me. Listers , by Owen and Quentin Reiser, is a wild, funny, and unexpectedly heartfelt look at what happens when two brothers decide to do something totally ridiculous: tackle a Big Year across the Lower 48 states with no birding experience. It’s a spoof that will entice you to learn more about the curious world of birds. A "