Blue Jay (Curt Chipman photo) The term “jaybird” has long been a slang word to describe someone who was a bit crazy, lazy or stupid. But the term is also a nickname for the blue jay, and this bird is definitely not lacking in brains, hustle or common sense. A member of the Corvid family… Read more
Otter Brook in winter (Ed Robinson photo) Unless you spent the holidays in the Southern Hemisphere, you know that we finally are experiencing one of those deep freeze winters that balance out a couple of mild years. There will be no golf in January, your snow plow guy is on speed dial and your partner… Read more
]Eirwin Soltesz photo In an earlier article, I described the lovely Cooper’s hawk. Here we will learn more about the smallest member of the same family, the sharp-shinned hawk. These birds, along with the sparrow hawk and goshawk, are members of the genus Accipiter from the Latin word accipere, meaning “to grasp.” The Accipiters are… Read more
November finds us enjoying the last of the foliage season, but it can be a busy time getting our homes and lawns cleaned up for winter. It is also a time for action if you have valued deciduous trees. Once the weather turns colder, we will begin to see large numbers of the invasive winter… Read more
As children, we learned at school that deciduous trees grow new leaves each year, dropping their old leaves in autumn, bringing bright colors to our forests. The conifers or “evergreens” have needles that remain on the trees all year long. It turns out that there are conifers that are also deciduous, and the one closest… Read more
If there is one constant about the natural world around us, it is the opportunity to learn something new every day. No matter how long you have been a keen observer and participant in the outdoors, there is always a revelation just waiting to smack you in the forehead. It was my good luck to… Read more
If I had to nominate the toughest of all the animals in nature on a pound for pound basis, I probably would go with the hummingbird. These tiny birds weigh only three to four grams, but they have a migration path that may exceed 3,000 miles. The most amazing part of their migration is a… Read more
Lately I have been enjoying the appearance of water lilies in several large ponds along our local highways. It is easy to see why the French impressionist Claude Monet was inspired to create his famous series of “Water Lilies” canvases, with over 250 paintings of his water garden in the last 30 years of his… Read more
Several years ago I was introduced to springtime striped bass fishing by a friend with a boat in Duxbury Bay, Massachusetts. At first light on a bracing May morning, Dale motored slowly around the bay and used high-powered binoculars to scan the water on all sides. In a few minutes Dale spotted a flock of… Read more
Most people enjoy watching wildlife, but there is a limit to this hobby. Many species do their best to avoid humans, or they are most active at night. But there is a great solution to this problem and it can open a new world of viewing for your pleasure, in the comfort of your home…. Read more