To twitch or not to twitch? That is always the question. One of the numerous birding groups I follow on social media is called “Ohio Chase Birds.” As the name suggests, the posts are about birds that are worth chasing, or twitching, after. I prefer “twitch” over the more ominous-sounding “chase,” since my brain literally… Read more »
One of the few good things to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic was the renewed activity in simple, less commercial pastimes. Bread making was rediscovered. Interest surged in baking cookies, knitting, gardening, and all kinds of handcrafts as people re-experienced ways to reduce anxiety and stress levels. And, of course, bird watching and, in particular,… Read more »
For Halloween, I thought it would be fun to make a list of my top 10 scary birds. Remember the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock classic The Birds? The plot centers on a series of violent bird attacks on the people of Bodega Bay, California. Most of the birds used in the film were real crows, ravens,… Read more »
by Nancy Peterson Several months ago, I had an epiphany while birding in my town’s nature park. I envisioned a mural featuring native birds and plants, local scenery, and a cat. A cat? Yes, and not just any cat, but my indoor cat, Jenny. I’m not just any ailurophile. I worked for the nation’s largest… Read more »
Ever since I read Julie Zickefoose’s latest book, Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-Luck Jay, I have had a soft spot for blue jays, a bird some folks find hard to love due to their noisy and aggressive nature. In the book, which recounts the summer she spent rehabilitating Jemima (while at the same… Read more »
What mighty force could possibly bring a myriad of agencies (US Fish and WIldlife Service, Ohio State Parks, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the US Department of Agriculture’s APHIS division, specifically) to collaborate? A single, solitary piping plover nest. True story: This past summer, a pair of breeding piping plovers successfully hatched four chicks… Read more »
During a recent field trip to a nearby national wildlife refuge, I picked up a newly published checklist of birds for the sanctuary. It identified all the more than 300-plus species of birds that have ever been seen in the sanctuary along with an indication of the relative ease of seeing each species—if it abundant,… Read more »
On a recent lunch break, I walked down one hill and up three others to drop off a starfish sansevieria pup to a fellow plant mama living one neighborhood over. “I’m delivering a baby,” I messaged her, cackling over the cryptic lack of further explanation. I took the long way home, off the main drag,… Read more »
If I have any regrets in life, it is that I didn’t become a birder sooner. I suppose birding took its place in my life right when and how it was meant to, but when I think about all the birdy opportunities missed in my earlier years… well, there’s a twinge of sadness there. I… Read more »
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 »
