Jesse Greenspan is a Bay Area-based freelance journalist who writes about history and the environment.

Articles by Jesse Greenspan

News

Exhausted Birds Become Lunch Meat for Tiger Sharks in the Gulf of Mexico

By Jesse Greenspan
May 24, 2019 — New research shows that these apex predators wait for food to fall out of the sky during migration.
News

How Well Do We Really Know Cardinals?

By Jesse Greenspan
December 20, 2018 — New research provides support for splitting the Northern Cardinal into multiple species.
News

Alcatraz Is Being Overrun by Seabirds, But Who’s Complaining?

By Jesse Greenspan
August 09, 2018 — Fifty-five years after the infamous prison closed, “The Rock” now hosts thousands of nesting gulls, cormorants, guillemots, and more.
News

This Common Form of Plastic Pollution Is a Menace to Birds

By Jesse Greenspan
June 22, 2018 — Fishing line snares vast numbers of wildlife each year—a problem birders and outdoor groups are trying to combat.
Christmas Bird Count

Oakland's Christmas Bird Count Has Another Banner Turnout

By Jesse Greenspan
December 23, 2017 — Short on sleep but not on species, volunteers fanned out across the habitat-rich city.
News

Six Kid-Friendly Bird Guides

By Jesse Greenspan
September 27, 2017 — A solid field guide will give them a head start on IDing common species. Here are some options to help shape their skills.
News

A Birder’s Farewell to the East Coast

By Jesse Greenspan
June 07, 2017 — Cheers to the cardinals, the chickadees, the jays, and yes, even to the grackles I pretend to ignore.
News

How Crossbills and Other Birds Are Rewriting the Rules of Evolution

By Jesse Greenspan
February 10, 2017 — A possible new crossbill species is the latest example of how genetic research is giving us surprising insights into the ways animals evolve.
News

How to Go Birding by Tree

By Jesse Greenspan
July 29, 2016 — A New York City naturalist shares his unique approach of matching trees to certain bird species.
The Sketch

The Cattle Egret

By Jesse Greenspan
June 24, 2016