The never-ending aspen
One of my favorite sounds is the rustling of aspen leaves in the wind. While most leaves are attached to branches with round stems, quaking…
Tag: Birds
Waxwings flock to fruit year-round
By mid-summer most birds have finished nesting and the young have fledged, but one bird is a late nester compared to the rest–the waxwing. The…
How do animals beat the heat?
On sweltering 90-plus degree days we can retreat to basements or air conditioned buildings but how do animals beat the heat? Often animals gain relief…
A hummingbird? An insect? What is it?
What hovers like a hummingbird, flies like a hummingbird but has antennae? A hummingbird moth. Aptly named, hummingbird moths can easily be mistaken for hummingbirds…
Don’t be fooled by a coot
The American coot may swim like a duck, dive like a duck, and look like a duck but it isn’t a duck. As much as…
Swallows provide valuable insect control
Pesky insects can bother us during gardening, barbecues and other outdoor activities but one bird species makes an impressible dent in the insect population for…
Hummingbirds feed on more than nectar
As I walked through the yard an unfamiliar buzz came and went that was louder than a bee. I looked around and finally looked up…
Bird nest diversity unparalleled in animal kingdom
Many birds are busy building their nests to capitalize on the insects and other food that will be abundant when the eggs hatch in a…
Bird nests range from simple to elaborate
Just when I think the robin can’t hold any more grass in its beak, it leans over and picks up one more piece before flying…
Great blue herons more than excellent fishers
Standing motionless in stagnant water, a great blue heron’s head suddenly reels forward into the water and emerges with a small fish. Great blue herons…
First Robin
Despite cool morning temperatures in the teens, the robins are back. This morning I saw a flock of eight robins in the tree tops. They…
Caching allows early nesting for Clark’s nutcracker
Laying eggs in March would be a risky venture for most birds because of the lack of food available to feed nestlings. But an alpine…
Waxwings flock to fruit year-round
By mid-summer most birds have finished nesting and the young have fledged, but one bird is a late nester compared to the rest–the waxwing. The…
How do animals beat the heat?
On sweltering 90-plus degree days we can retreat to basements or air conditioned buildings but how do animals beat the heat? Often animals gain relief…
A hummingbird? An insect? What is it?
What hovers like a hummingbird, flies like a hummingbird but has antennae? A hummingbird moth. Aptly named, hummingbird moths can easily be mistaken for hummingbirds…
Don’t be fooled by a coot
The American coot may swim like a duck, dive like a duck, and look like a duck but it isn’t a duck. As much as…
Swallows provide valuable insect control
Pesky insects can bother us during gardening, barbecues and other outdoor activities but one bird species makes an impressible dent in the insect population for…
Hummingbirds feed on more than nectar
As I walked through the yard an unfamiliar buzz came and went that was louder than a bee. I looked around and finally looked up…
Bird nest diversity unparalleled in animal kingdom
Many birds are busy building their nests to capitalize on the insects and other food that will be abundant when the eggs hatch in a…
Bird nests range from simple to elaborate
Just when I think the robin can’t hold any more grass in its beak, it leans over and picks up one more piece before flying…
Great blue herons more than excellent fishers
Standing motionless in stagnant water, a great blue heron’s head suddenly reels forward into the water and emerges with a small fish. Great blue herons…
First Robin
Despite cool morning temperatures in the teens, the robins are back. This morning I saw a flock of eight robins in the tree tops. They…
Caching allows early nesting for Clark’s nutcracker
Laying eggs in March would be a risky venture for most birds because of the lack of food available to feed nestlings. But an alpine…