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I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for owls. Wander through my front door and glance upwards and you’ll find at least two watching you, a Tawny Owl and a Barn Owl, both sadly gathered as roadkills. Above our fireplace is a large painting of a Barn Owl. The current header image of [...]

What kid can resist the siren song of bunny rabbits frolicking in the grass?  No kid that I would want to pass the day with, that is for sure!  And Desi, being the offspring of two pretty cool people, if I do so say myself, loves chasing him some rabbits. Why wouldn’t he?  Rabbits practically [...]

I think I missed my slot; did I miss my slot? Was anyone worried, anyone think maybe I’d been caught up in that little bit of bother? Le me reassure you I can handle myself in a riot. I’m three weeks into the summer holidays with three children. That’s three weeks of chaos and anarchy [...]

I often find myself searching my memory as far back as I can go for the spark that started me birding. I know where and when I started being a birder, that bit is easy. A warm summer morning in the late eighties, a fretful baby waiting for a hernia operation and a long calming [...]

Those of us with a keen appreciation for the natural world worry about how to instill the same passion in our children. We come up with terrific ideas and expose our progeny to all manner of flora, fauna, and habitat hoping that something deep and abiding will take root. And sometimes it does! Case in [...]

My 8-year old daughter got interested in birds from a VERY early stage. By age 2 she could identify over 10 species of birds in our Johannesburg, South Africa, yard by call alone. And perhaps 20 others by sight. Her natural talent was astounding and surprising. Astounding because she picked up birding before she could [...]

Though you’d never know it from the way most teens turn their noses up at anything related to nature, kids love birds. Young children in particular love birds, though in an undifferentiated way that bears little resemblance to the obsession evinced by more mature birders. My budding naturalists Mason and Ivy love, to my alternating [...]

…or, as his birth certificate will soon say, Desmond Shearwater Ji Won Chung-Finger (Desi for short). Desmond came into this world early this morning, at 6:18 AM to be exact, after 13 hours of labor.  He tipped the scales at an imposing 8 pounds, 7 ounces, and is a full 21 inches in length.  Both [...]

This weekend Daisy and I held our baby shower at our home and a good time was had by all.  The food, the games, and friends and family made it what a baby shower should be: a joyful occasion (the competition to see who could empty a baby bottle of beer fastest didn’t hurt either).  [...]

Or, at least he will be a boy when he is born.  Wait, what am I talking about?  Oh yeah, I might have neglected to mention this, but Daisy and I are having a baby come November!  He will be our first child and, as is only to be expected, we are excited, nervous, flummoxed, [...]

As part of our Young Birder’s Guide Giveaway, in which we are lucky enough to be able to give away three copies of Bill Thompson III’s terrific Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of Eastern North America, we asked readers to share their favorite tips for How to Get Kids Excited About Birds. Based on the [...]

While birding with Corey a while back, I was abruptly struck with a somewhat bittersweet realization: I am at the nadir of my birding career. By career, I mean the ability to pursue bird watching to the extent of my desire, which is, as the name of this blog implies, rather ambitious. By nadir, I [...]