Rare eBird lists for Connecticut remain a little shorter than those for Florida in my experience. Nonetheless I was intrigued by reports of rare species of goose being reported at Donald W. Barnes Boat Launch in Hartford County Connecticut in mid-winter. A species commonly seen here in New England in the winter months was remarkably […]
Tag: Bald Eagle
Heartbreaking news about lead use in our National Wildlife Refuges
I hate political, or personal, drama—it’s rather an odd thing for a Chicago woman of Irish descent, born-and-raised as a Cubs fan, but that’s just the way I am. I got all three of those traits, along with my normally low blood pressure, from my Grandpa. But today I can feel that blood pressure rising, […]
February’s romantic rituals
February is a romantic month for people who celebrate Valentine’s Day, and also for several kinds of birds with early nesting cycles. Great Horned Owls may start nesting in February, though in north country during most winters, they’re more likely to wait until a bit later. Bald Eagles and ravens often engage in their splendid […]
Endangered Species Act: A Big Success!
One of the most frustrating elements for me of the toxic political climate today is how little facts seem to matter anymore in public discourse. It’s become a common belief that the Endangered Species Act hasn’t worked because, since its passage in 1973, only a handful of species have recovered enough to be de-listed. Just […]
Mississippi Kites and Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
The best season to observe Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites in Florida is Summer when many have migrated from their Wintering grounds in South America to breed. Tom Obrock and I made a drive on Independence Day to observe a large number of Mississippi Kites that had been reported in Belleview, Marion County. We were not […]
The Cruelty of a South Wind
One of my friends recently moved to Duluth from Bemidji. He seemed utterly distraught on April 14, when the high here was 43 degrees but 78 in Bemidji. I don’t know if T.S. Eliot was thinking specifically about Duluth when he wrote that April is the cruelest month. Other places may have it as bad, […]
Bald Eagle Thief
I walking around the marina in Sanford a little while ago, and I had a pretty memorable experience. As I walked by a tree, a young Cooper’s Hawk with a Rock Pigeon flushed and flew up into a different tree. That was surprising and cool enough, but a Bald Eagle must have seen all that […]
Rhythm
Lately I’ve been considering why it is I find birding so continuously fascinating, and even addicting. Of course there’s the beauty of the birds, the thrill of finding them (especially rarities), and the challenge of learning to identify them. I also have great interest in learning about their behavior–why they act the way they do. […]