From the category archives:

Birds

Find a Penny, Pick it Up…Hear Horned Larks?

March 9, 2010

Today the mercury hit a sweltering 50°, so after hitting the SEND button for a major assignment, I went outside to manufacture some Vitamin D.
My local walk is so convenient I rarely drive to the park anymore. It’s flat, but offers plenty of sun as it winds through a 4-mile square loop of rural backroads and [...]

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What’s Your Sign (of Spring)?

March 7, 2010

Old Man Winter is like the Kraken, a vile, gangly force unleashed upon us, one that repeatedly whomps its icy claws across the land and sends us scurrying into our dark, crowded mouse holes where we cower, shivering, until the creature returns from whence it came.
Right now, there are signs that Old Man Winter is [...]

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Write Well, When You Can (and how to use RSS feeds)

February 17, 2010

Bloggers write well when they can. And for times they don’t write, readers can use RSS feeds to stop aimless surfing.

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Short-eared Owls: The Best Gig in Town

January 27, 2010

Doran Road (Lima, NY) is my favorite place to bird in winter. The undulating country road dead ends into a spectacular 240-degree vista of the Finger Lakes. I can see Bristol ski mountain in the distance.
I love taking friends and guests down to Doran Road, especially non-birders. I always hope that one or more wicked-faced owls [...]

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Feeding Chickadees by Hand and Head!

January 17, 2010

Our local park here in Rochester, NY (Mendon Ponds Park) has a songbird trail where chickadees, titmice, and even nuthatches gather to eat from the hands of chubby-palmed children and wistful adults.

We visited Saturday in order to get the family outdoors on the first sunny day we’d had in a long time. Why stop at the hand? thought my husband, and offered his balding pate as a serving platter of black oil sunflower seeds.

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Kids in Nature: Proud Warriors of Chimney Bluffs

January 11, 2010

This essay, which I first wrote in 2007 not long after I moved to Rochester, NY, seemed worthy of resurrection after my last post about kids in nature.
I wasn’t sure whether to title this post: Be Careful What You Wish For or, Believe in the Law of Attraction. So I decided to leave it up [...]

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Green Jay: a Caribbean Creamsicle

January 6, 2010

I never tire of examining the plumage of Green Jays…the blacks and blues, the greens and yellows along with their chartreuse sibling. When I peer at them long enough, I see ocean beaches. I see Caribbean creamsicles, a coral reef with wings. And this makes my eyes melt.

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Moment of Zen: Bluebird Pair Feeding Young

January 3, 2010

At some point, the lush, green landscape around me turned cold and barren. The mercury now hovers in the single digits. A frosty white coating buries the trunk of every tree. The wind yawns and howls right through the single pane windows of this 1880s Victorian. With no fireplace to warm my tootsies by, I turn [...]

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Ten Favorite Bird Photos of 2009

December 30, 2009

As long as round-ups are making the rounds, here’s my round-up of my ten favorite bird photos from 2009. Chosen either for quality or for the excitement of the bird itself, these are the top ten I’ll hold near and dear to my heart for years to come.

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Tri-colored Heron

December 29, 2009
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My Christmas Challenge: Publish A Recipe

December 24, 2009

This post is for my friend June, who is not much of a bird enthusiast but is an enthusiastic foodie. She writes a not-your-every-day food blog over at Mendonfoodie.blogspot.com. Check it out. If you think this person with a larger-than-life personality is just joking, think again. She means every word, every delicious word, and I love [...]

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