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 …
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, …
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, …
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 …
