Longform NYC birding writing by Shelly Lynn Xiong. Spring migration, urban conservation, birding ethics, and the infrastructure of paying attention in New York City.https://shellylynnx.com/en-ushttps://shellylynnx.com/notes/piping-plover-breezy-point/https://shellylynnx.com/notes/piping-plover-breezy-point/A volunteer's first months with the NYC Plover Project. Building the symbolic fence in March, learning the protocols in May, and the conversation about your dog.Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTpiping-plovershorebirdsnycvolunteer-workbirding-ethicsnyc-plover-projectgateway-nrasubway-birderShelly Xionghttps://shellylynnx.com/notes/rare-dog-saint-usuge/https://shellylynnx.com/notes/rare-dog-saint-usuge/A French spaniel saved from extinction, bred for woodcock, and how a line of them ended up in my family. What I've learned about birding with a dog in New York City.Fri, 15 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTdogssaint-usugewoodcocksbirding-ethicsnycbreed-historysubway-birderShelly Xionghttps://shellylynnx.com/notes/the-okinawa-rail-that-made-me-a-nyc-birder/https://shellylynnx.com/notes/the-okinawa-rail-that-made-me-a-nyc-birder/Before NYC, before the subway, a flightless bird in a subtropical forest and a college paper I wrote post-service in Okinawa. That was the beginning of the practice.Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMTpersonal-essayokinawaconservationenvironmental-ethicsyanbarusubway-birderShelly Xionghttps://shellylynnx.com/notes/florence-merriam-bailey/https://shellylynnx.com/notes/florence-merriam-bailey/Florence Merriam Bailey was 22 when she became the AOU's first female associate member. She helped invent modern birdwatching from inside a movement, not its edges.Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTbirdwatching-historywomen-in-ornithologyplume-tradefield-guidesnyc-birdingconservation-historysubway-birderShelly Xionghttps://shellylynnx.com/notes/woodcocks-bryant-park/https://shellylynnx.com/notes/woodcocks-bryant-park/The American Woodcocks that took over Bryant Park this spring, the sound everyone got wrong, and the window-strike story TikTok didn't cover.Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTwoodcocksbryant parknycurban birdingspring migrationwindow strikesconservationsubway-birderShelly Xionghttps://shellylynnx.com/notes/spring-migration-2026-warbler-fallouts/https://shellylynnx.com/notes/spring-migration-2026-warbler-fallouts/BirdCast clocked 5 million birds over NYC on April 8–9. Where to see peak spring migration this Earth Week, and why 90°F April is changing the math.Sun, 19 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMTmigrationspringwarblerscentral parkbirdcastclimatesubway-birderShelly Xiong