Icy days
Ice storms are lovely to look at. The shimmering casement they provide to everything they touch transforms the ground into a glistening landscape. A crunch accompanies each step across the snow. Frozen remnants move effortlessly over the skim, making crinkly sounds along their paths. Everything now seems black-and-white. The birds are having a tough time […]
Dying tree, woodpecker homes
Living in a house for over 30 years gives perspective to change. We used to have a trio of healthy sugar maples in the front yard and now we have just one showing signs of decay. But unlike the other ones that rotted out at the main trunk, this one is dying from the top. […]
Golden ornaments
For the last few days, our feeders have been bombarded by countless goldfinches. They perch on a small dogwood in the back like so many Christmas ornaments waiting their turn at one of the feeders we have scattered around the property. This morning their numbers seemed to increase with a dusting of snow that added […]
Opportunistic osprey
Late in the day, we see osprey and pelicans dive in the ocean looking for their last catch of the day. They are rarely close or still enough to get a good shot. On my bike ride yesterday afternoon, I noticed this osprey perched on a high branch next to the ocean. I backed up […]
Fruits for the Fall
The first frost is expected in the next few days. With that event, more leaves will fall and the tender perennials with shrivel. But some of the plants I tend come into their own as others fade with the season. This year’s Japanese beautyberry is the most spectacular of the group as its long, pendulous […]
Bird alert
Between the raptors circling above our house using thermals and hummingbirds frenetically zipping between flowers, our gardens are chirping with birds. This year, in particular, we have been hosting a wide variety of fledging birds in too many nests to count. Woodpeckers took over the top of a sugar maple whose upper branches had died. […]
Where are the birds?
Shadblow serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) is one of my favorite native small trees. It is interesting to look at in all seasons. Lovely blooms in the Spring, vibrant Fall foliage and early Summer fruit that is loved by birds. But this year is unusual: the birds have not come to eat the fruit. Typically, I carefully […]
Bird hospital
Though the Keys are a skinny set of islands, they are chock full of wonderful nature surprises. We recently visited the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center (@keepthemflying ) to see all the good work the organization is doing. It takes in hurt birds and either heals and releases them or takes care of them for […]
Searching for seafood
The birds are always active looking for a snack regardless of size. Flying high are pelicans, anhingas and ospreys looking for yummy seafood and making a quick and decisive dive to capture a morsel. Closer to the ground are sanderlings that scamper in a pack pecking the sand looking for sustenance. Their quick and coordinated […]
And now for some place completely different . . . .
Juana and I, like a pair of elderly migrating birds, have made our way South (way South) to the Florida Keys to warm our bodies and souls. With the exception of the past few years, we have been coming to the Keys to vacation for over 20 years. The tiny apartment we rent is on […]