Species Parade, Episode Twelve

After several weeks of mild weather, this weekend turned back the days. We had snow, rain, and cold. Wildlife seemed to respond by turning down activity. The woods, ridges and draws were quiet and still. Nonetheless, when it’s been warm, there’s been a whole lot […]

Species Parade, Episode Eleven

Spring in February? So it seemed. During last month, I saw two phenomena I usually witness in April or later: Canada geese flying up from the south. Magpies carrying nesting material. For weeks, we have enjoyed sunny, 50-degree days full of bird song and snow […]

Species Parade, Week Ten

Father Winter has put the hammer down on the Species Parade. Due to heavy snow, poor visibility, and a busy work schedule, this rendition of the Species Parade is pretty darn slim. I did, however, have the thrill of seeing an ermine dash across the […]

Species Parade, Week Nine

Moving 300 miles southeast and up 1,600 feet in elevation from my previous stomping grounds means a whole new environment and a whole new parade of species to celebrate. There are still juncos and deer. In town, there are still mostly white folks. But things […]

Species Parade, Week Nine

Moving 300 miles southwest and up 1,600 feet in elevation from my previous stomping grounds means a whole new environment and a whole new parade of species to celebrate. There are still juncos and deer. In town, there are still mostly white folks. But things […]

Species Parade, Week Seven

Back in the day, bird identification came with a gun, not a pair of binoculars. Of course, the explorers and scientists didn’t have a Peterson Guide on their desk. They quantified and qualified what would later make it into the Peterson Guide. Nearly two centuries […]

Species Parade, Week Six

What can I say? I can be attracted to flash. So, it was quite fun to see the Western Tanager checking out the neighborhood as it did this time last summer. All bright orange and yellow, contrasted with black. But I also love the dull-colored […]

Species Parade, Week Five

Babies have left the nest. You can hear and watch them still begging their parents for food, beaks open, wings shivering. They can be clumsy flyers, sometimes struggling to land right on branches. The ravens, in my observation, are the loudest and klutziest of newbies. […]

Species Parade, Week Four

In my twenties, I worked for two summers as a field researcher in Michigan and North Carolina. My job was studying Indigo Buntings, finding their nests, catching and banding the adults, as well as the young. Buntings like to nest in secondary growth – tall […]