Autumn Is Coming
Late summer and early autumn are wonderful times to walk in woods and meadows.
Read MoreThe Wild Side
A Sunflower Field is Not Just Sunflowers!
The Wild Side: Weather, Water, Wildlife, and Wellbeing
Beauty on the Wing
Hummers and Bugs Tooling Around Town
Portrait of a White-Eyed Bird
Signs of Spring
A Celebrity Rare Bird and a Local Fan
And Now for Something a Little Different
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.
Intriguing Insects to Arouse our Wonder
When out taking nature walks, our attention is often drawn to the easily visible wildlife around us, such as birds flying by, squirrels scurrying up tree trunks and chipmunks dashing across fields and grassy areas.
Spring has sprung!
Springtime is now in full swing and we can see the signs when we look around as we walk outdoors, especially if we pay attention to the avian life around us. The birds are busy with different phases of their life cycle.
Finding Joy in Nature During Troubled Times
As we hunker down in our homes and shelters to deal with the current viral epidemic, practicing social quarantine and distancing is essential. Keeping away physically from those outside our households can protect them as well as ourselves.
To feed or not to feed — is that the question?
During our recent, brief snowfall, many bird lovers made sure to replenish food supplies for our feathered friends.
A Potentially Lethal Combination
Many of us visit garden centers and nurseries to find new plants to beautify our natural surroundings or we receive cuttings and seeds from friends and neighbors.
Leave the leaves, please!
Our town is fortunate to have county workers who collect yard debris, Christmas trees and leaves during the autumn and winter seasons. The county then sells the processed vegetative material as yard mulch. But rather than buy mulch from them or from stores, it’s worthwhile if we just participate in leaving the leaves on neighborhood and town properties.
Arbor Week in Rogers Road
In June 2019, the Town of Chapel Hill initiated a voluntary Tree Committee to help “engage the entire Chapel Hill community in enhancing and protecting the town’s tree canopy and urban treescape.”