Press & Media
Coverage and conversations.
Aidan’s work has been covered by regional newspapers, national outlets, and ornithological journals. Below: the feature profile, broader press, a recorded lecture, and the citizen-science records anyone can read.
Feature
Aidan Perkins Had a Very Big Year
The East Hampton Star · April 16, 2026
A long-form profile of the 2025 Suffolk County Big Year — the strategy, the rare finds, and the final bird at sunrise on December 31. By Christopher Gangemi.
Publications
Articles & essays — read or download.
SOFO Naturalist · Spring 2026
April–June 2026
A Big Year
By Aidan Perkins, Wildlife Biologist
Aidan’s own account of the 2025 Suffolk County Big Year — first bird of the year on January 1, the spring migration, summer woodcocks, the fall record chase, and the December 31 finish — published in the South Fork Natural History Museum’s quarterly newsletter.
The East Hampton Star
April 16, 2026
Aidan Perkins Had a Very Big Year
By Christopher Gangemi
Feature profile in The East Hampton Star covering the strategy, the rare finds, and the final bird of the Big Year.
Lecture video
Hidden in Plain Sight: Long Island’s Rare and Unusual Fish — a full lecture for the SOFO East End Environment series, recorded by Frank Vespe at LTV Studios in Wainscott, NY.
In the press
Smithsonian Magazine
October 2025
Rare, Out-of-Place Cuckoo Sends Birders Flocking to Long Island
National coverage of the Common Cuckoo discovery — only the fourth ever recorded in the lower 48, the first in New York. Aidan’s photographs documented the bird for SOFO.
CBS News New York
October 2025
Rare cuckoo bird draws ‘crazy viral birder insanity’ to Long Island town
The Cool Down
October 2025
‘Unusual’ bird sighting draws viral attention to New York town
American Birding Association
Fall 2025
ABA Hudson-Delaware Fall 2025
Regional rare-bird report citing multiple Aidan finds: Pink-footed Goose, Eared Grebe, Black-headed Gulls, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Common Redpoll.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology — NYSBirds-L
October 2024
Sage Thrasher discovery, Smith Point — technical analysis
Patchogue Patch
January 2026
Big Bird Eco-Bonfire at CEED
LongIsland.com
January 2026
SOFO February 2026 Calendar of Events
Citizen science records
Top-100 Suffolk County birder · 319 species in 2025 · Hotspot leader for multiple Long Island locations.
Observations of fish, plants, and other taxa across Suffolk County — including thresher shark and spiny dogfish records.
Photo and audio documentation of rare species, including the Sage Thrasher at Smith Point (October 2024) used as a scientific reference.
Media inquiries
For interviews, podcast appearances, or reporting on Long Island wildlife and birding.
Get in touch