HOW DOES A bird know it is a particular species? The quick and easy answer is “instinct.” There is a bit more to it than… Continue reading
A SCUFFLE BETWEEN two birds called my attention to the ground under the feeder. Sibling rivalry. Two juvenile juncos were after sunflower seeds that had… Continue reading
YOU CAN’T HAVE too much red color in your garden. I don’t mean flowers, even though I do love red flowers. I’m talking about objects… Continue reading
THIS IS THE month when black-headed grosbeaks and Western tanagers add their neotropical color to neighborhoods throughout the Northwest. If you can’t join in the… Continue reading
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS IN Port Angeles, Western tanagers in Forks, black-headed grosbeaks in Port Orchard and uncommon sightings of chipping sparrows and Lincoln’s sparrows got the… Continue reading
CITIES, ESPECIALLY LARGE cities, aren’t my preferred habitat. Ever since I was hatched, the great outdoors is where I have wanted to be. Sometimes, you… Continue reading
“CHER AMI AND the Lost Battalion” sounds like the title of a French movie. These words don’t bring visions of pigeons to mind unless you… Continue reading
A FRIEND SENT me a newspaper clipping recently. It was from a newspaper in Alabama and carried an article I found interesting. It was primarily… Continue reading
WHAT DO ROBINS, meadowlarks, orange-crowned warblers and Swainson’s thrushes have in common? These are birds whose songs are permanently etched in my memory banks. There… Continue reading
“THE VULTURES ARE coming!” That has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? At the least, it would make a good title for a science-fiction… Continue reading
MARCH WASN’T EXACTLY lamb-like when it was leaving, and I’m hoping April will forget about bringing showers. Not only was the month of March just… Continue reading
HIKING AND TENT camping are not very tempting right now. The fact that you might drown in your tent isn’t very far-fetched, considering the amount… Continue reading
WELL, IT’S BEGUN. Despite all the rain and cold weather, the robins have determined that it is spring and time to start a family. First… Continue reading
A SHORT WHILE ago, one of my favorite newsletters arrived in the mail. This isn’t a monthly or even a bimonthly publication. “Grus Americana” is… Continue reading
THE SWALLOWS ARE supposed to return in March and April. Birds don’t always do what we expect them to do. Reports of swallow sightings began… Continue reading
DAYS ARE GETTING longer and temperatures are rising just a little. It won’t be long before the return of spring is in many creatures’ minds.… Continue reading
ONE OF THE most attractive and fascinating birds to visit our feeders is the Northern flicker. They’re big and handsomely marked. When a flicker lands… Continue reading
VALENTINES AND EAGLES are a strange combination, but in February, thoughts of both are in many minds. Bald eagles are thinking about nesting. It won’t… Continue reading
at least among the hummingbirds. A male Anna’s hummingbird has been making his presence known… Continue reading
A NEWSPAPER CLIPPING from Huntsville, Ala., contained some unexpected surprises. A reader moved to that area last year and has been on the lookout for… Continue reading
