Welcome the new birds, both migrants and babies!
As summer begins, we should be aware the avian breeding season is not over yet.
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Birdy family life continues
Rivals for Avian Real Estate
Birds of a Black Feather Flock Together!
An Almost ‘Rare’ Bird
Waterfowl in Winter
Creatures Getting Ready for Winter Need Those Fallen Leaves!
Leapin’ Lizards: Adorable Anoles Abound!
Autumn Is Coming
A Sunflower Field is Not Just Sunflowers!
Last month, many Orange County residents were alerted to the eruption of profusely blooming sunflower fields that were attracting both birds and people.
The Wild Side: Weather, Water, Wildlife, and Wellbeing
All life on our earth needs water to exist — plants, animals, and humans.
Beauty on the Wing
While birds are quite active right now with nest building, incubating eggs, feeding nestlings and then guiding fledglings, there are also other beautiful flyers to see when we’re out walking and sitting in natural surroundings. Butterflies like those above are especially popular.
Hummers and Bugs Tooling Around Town
The title of this month’s column might lead older readers to expect a treatise about old cars being used for an afternoon outing.
Portrait of a White-Eyed Bird
You don’t need to travel much, however, to be able to see quite a few different types of birds.
Signs of Spring
We had freezing temperatures last week, and we could still have a few more brisk mornings this month.
A Celebrity Rare Bird and a Local Fan
When a bird turns up in an area where its species doesn’t normally spend time — either year-round or during migratory seasons —many people will travel long distances to see it.
And Now for Something a Little Different
With the relatively numerous days of temperatures in the 60s and even 70s in the past 6 weeks or so, it seemed as if “real” winter weather might be passing us by this season.
Red marks the spot — and Happy Holidays to you all!
As 2021 draws to a close and many of us enjoy a few free days, we may take outdoor walks, alone or in the company of others.
Advocating for Trees and Leaves
This week, the town of Chapel Hill is celebrating Arbor Week, culminating in a Nov. 19 ceremony where Mayor Pam Hemminger will read an Arbor Day Proclamation and accept the Tree City USA Award from the N.C. Forest Service.
Raptors are Roaming
North Carolina is known among birders as a destination for “hawk watches,” i.e., gatherings of people to see groups of hawks that are migrating south (for winter) or north (for summer).
A Surprise at the Pond
A combination of abundant vegetation and some kind of water — a creek, river, wetland, pond or lake — is one of my favorite types of natural area to visit for wildlife watching…
A New Celebrity Bird
When an unusual avian visitor turns up locally, birders tend to get excited. Many birders keep “life lists,” records of all the different bird species that they have seen worldwide…
Appreciating and Protecting Trees – A Focus for National Forestry Week
This year, National Forestry Week took place from July 12th-18th.
Insects Can Be Exciting!
This past May, I had the opportunity to experience both wonder and awe when observing two interesting insects busy with life events. While not many people aside from entomologists….
Mammals on the Move
As spring progresses, we’re seeing more mammals on the move. Those whom we unfortunately see dead alongside — or on — roads often include members of the rodent group: groundhogs…
An Elusive Bird Draws Crowds
The Brumley Nature Reserves (North and South) are popular recreation sites for walkers, hikers, nature observers and birders. Springtime is especially nice when the birds fill the air…
Ospreys – Returning Harbingers of Spring
Not only the emerging daffodils, crocuses, irises, camellias and hellebore flowers are announcing that spring has arrived. The birds returning from their…
Spring Migration is Coming Soon
The change of seasons “officially” begins on March 20, and we’re still waiting to see whether the continuing cold rains will make this the wettest winter on record in our area.
A Winter Irruption for North Carolina
As mentioned in my last column, not only the evening grosbeaks came to North Carolina during this season’s migratory “irruption.”
Gorgeous Grosbeaks Gathering
If you know birders, you may have heard that this 2020-21 winter season marks an “irruption” year — a period when large numbers of different bird species migrate to places where they’re usually not seen.
Nest Boxes: Not Just for Spring and Summer
Many people who love watching birds focus their attention on nest boxes in the spring and summer in the hope of seeing avian parents bringing food…
Twitching in the Triangle?
Among birders, people who are extremely focused on identifying as many species of birds as possible in their lives — and who will travel great distances to do so — sometimes are known as twitchers. The term is used more often in Europe than in the USA, but the behavior is known here, too. Twitching has a bit of a bad reputation…
Saying goodbye to autumn – please keep those fallen leaves!
The morning temperatures this past week have indicated that winter really is arriving, and we’re saying goodbye to autumn. It’s been a very beautiful season with vibrant yellow, orange and red hues.
Relocate, don’t kill, snakes!
Despite the last few mornings of freezing temperatures, we’ve been having some rather warm autumn weather overall. And judging from photos I see posted online, people are still seeing snakes and turtles moving about.
Helping Monarchs Thrive
If you follow news about nature, you may have come across warnings that the monarch butterfly has been in dire straits for many years now. These lovely orange and black butterflies migrate in a multi-generational process between Canada and central Mexico in the spring and fall. The last generation to emerge in late summer can live up to eight months…
What gets birders really going? A rare bird!
People who are “into birding” are excited when they see a new bird for the first time. Many keep “life lists” — an account of each different species they have actually seen worldwide…
Herons, Hawks and Home Goods Stores
Autumn has arrived with somewhat cooler temperatures. That seasonal change bodes well…
Planting for Hummers
If you’ve been spending time walking in natural areas or visiting parks like the NC Botanical Garden, have you noticed an increase in the number of hummingbirds that are around? The female birds have raised their young and they, the adult males with beautiful red gorgets (throats) and young…
Baby birds are still around!
While we are now well into summer, some avian neighbors were still mating recently and expanding their families. Several bird species have more than one brood each season…
Citizen Science in the Yard and Neighborhood
Since 2015, it has been my privilege to participate in a citizen science project run by the Smithsonian Institute called Neighborhood Nestwatch.