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, …
I have a stalker. Over the past few summers, since becoming a Person More Cognizant of Birds, I’ve noticed male cardinals noticing me when I walk through my yard. One year, a red fellow would run back and forth along tree branches as I strode underneath them to and from my mailbox. Another summer, one …
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 …
Now that I’ve settled into my new abode and unpacked (mostly), I’ve had more time to spend outside on my newly rehabbed deck and in my yard, which overlooks a small, unmanaged (i.e., wild) city park, with tall trees and lots of undergrowth (i.e., habitat). I’ve gotten serious about paying attention to the birds I …
