Just the mention of the name conjures notions of fear and loathing in some folks, like farmers. Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) Male (click on...

I’ve been reading Bernd Heinrich’s Summer World lately and was struck by his description of the song of the Red-winged Blackbird as “oog-la-ee.” For...

At the tail end of my birding expedition today I was fortunate enough to have a close encounter with an extremely confiding, cooperative, and...

There’s something about a toucan, isn’t there? Toucans tell you that you aren’t in Kansas anymore. They affirm that the tropics are true, not...

Disbelief probably seems like the proper response to the idea that there are woodpeckers in New York City.  After all, woodpeckers peck on trees,...

Change is in the air, isn’t it? All around the world, satisfaction subsides as an inevitable restlessness sets in on a cellular level. If...

I recently took a walk off-trail at Papscanee Island in Rensselaer County, New York, taking advantage of deer trails to find my way through...

It’s March and most birders over here are eagerly  anticipating the arrival of the first spring migrants from whichever far-flung corner they’ve been wintering....