One thing about bird watchers is that we rarely stop with birds. Once you notice one winged creature, it’s difficult not to become interested in other winged things. Butterflies are a natural extension for birders, especially since the birds are a bit quieter and often hidden in leafed-out trees during the summer months. Meanwhile, butterflies… Read more »
Do you remember the song “Cool Change” by the Australian musical group Little River Band? The song’s familiar refrain says, “Time for a cool change… I know that it’s time for a cool change.” That melodic earworm has been flowing through my brain for weeks now because it’s time for a cool change of our… Read more »
I was sitting here on my balcony a few minutes ago literally thinking, “Well, it’s Father’s Day, I wonder if I’ll see my Dad Bird.” (I wrote about my connection to my dad through a Cooper’s hawk last year – it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever written.) And then I started typing up… Read more »
Every morning, I crawl out of bed, put on my walking clothes, and take my little dog, Frankie, for a walk. In other words, I go birding. At most times of the year and when I’m pressed for time, I stick to the streets and alleys near my house for about 20 minutes. There, the… Read more »
“Hearing a cerulean in front of the mausoleum.” Bird Watcher’s Digest editor Dawn Hewitt texted me a 6:35 a.m. update from her neighborhood birding patch, knowing that I had visited that same graveyard the weekend prior and was sorry to have missed a cerulean warbler sighting. I assumed this message was a kind gesture rather… Read more »
A little over a year ago, just as Ohio’s governor was announcing stay-at-home orders, I was packing up my things to do the exact opposite. An unhealthy situation prohibited me from staying in my house any longer. And so, I said goodbye to my home for the past twelve years—the first house I had owned,… Read more »
You would be hard-pressed to find a nicer group of people than birdwatchers. Of course, as in any large group, you might find an occasional bad apple, a braggard, a know-it-all, a loudmouth. But for the most part, birders lean heavily toward the nice, kind, gentle end of the spectrum Especially when you compare them… Read more »
I had a bird dream the night before I set the world I’d known on fire. Two large owls of indeterminate species were in the upstairs room of my first childhood home (of course, being a dream, it both was and wasn’t the same structure). I was panicking about the safety of some kittens that… Read more »
Marietta College’s Institute for Learning in Retirement asked the editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest to teach a virtual course on birding for its Spring 2021 session. I was honored and excited! It was an offer I couldn’t refuse!! The course would meet for four consecutive Wednesday afternoons for two hours. I decided to offer the… Read more »
Two things have carried me during this difficult past year: my people and birds. And not much makes my heart happier than when I get to share birds with my people. So you can imagine my delight when a couple of my closest childhood girlfriends who are newer to birding wanted to plan a getaway… Read more »
