Many of you enjoyed the Carolina Wren sound recordings in the last blog. I love recording birds and listening to the results. But I especially enjoy looking at the spectrograms, where I can "see" the sounds and learn more about them. Birds' songs and calls are a lot more interesting and complex than many people … Continue reading The Birds of Spring
Category: Bird nesting cycle
A Late Winter’s Tale
We're closing in on blog #100. It's interesting. My most-read blog to date is one I wrote a few months back entitled "A Life Lesson." Why are readers drawn to it? It's mostly about European Starlings, so it's not the content. I think it's the title and the promise that readers will learn something about … Continue reading A Late Winter’s Tale
Finding Humor, Finding Birds
One of the things that keep us going is our ability to find humor and to laugh. It might not be a survival need (like writing), but sometimes it sure feels like it. How many times have you heard someone say, in response to something funny, "God, I needed that!" Speaking of things funny, here's … Continue reading Finding Humor, Finding Birds
Whispers of Spring
We're not quite ready for "the day is on the wing, the kite is on the string," but we're getting close. (Those are two lines from the N.M. Bodecker poem I referenced in "The Day is on the Wing.") There have been reports of American Woodcock courtship flights, House Finches, Titmice, and Northern Cardinals singing, … Continue reading Whispers of Spring
Bird Notes
No doubt, some of you have Green Heron fatigue. I understand. But I need to share a few more photos with you. Please bear with me. This is a young bird getting ready to leave for the winter. As I understand it, the bird is headed for a small lagoon in Punta Cana. The bird … Continue reading Bird Notes
End of Season Bird Photos and Photo Tips
Maybe we should just call this the "Green Heron Blog." I continue to devote a lot of space to that popular bird. I continue to devote a lot of space to photography, too. Stan, an 8th-grade teacher (and doing God's work), left a comment after reading "Birds Are Markers." Here's some of what he wrote: … Continue reading End of Season Bird Photos and Photo Tips
Birds Are Markers
Prior to his death in 1801 at Montpelier in Orange County, Virginia, James Madison Sr., the father our 4th president, James Madison Jr., kept a weather journal. He and other family members added garden observations in the margins. According to Hillary Hicks, who wrote "'A Paradise of Roses': Flowers at Montpelier," those observations were recorded … Continue reading Birds Are Markers
A Green Heron Album
This post is a continuation of "A Green Heron Colony." Many thanks to those of you who read it and enjoyed it. Not that long ago, the words "Green Heron Album" might have conjured up a 33 1/3 LP, a paper sleeve, and a compelling, if enigmatic, album cover. Not anymore. What follows isn't an … Continue reading A Green Heron Album
A Green Heron Colony
Douglas, a fellow FM Forums member, just posted some awe-inspiring Green Heron nestling photos. He took them 15 feet from the birds' natal tree—one of many trees that line a Maryland lake. A few of the photos feature a nestling being fed by a parent, a spectacle everyone should see at least once. Karl's comment, … Continue reading A Green Heron Colony
Anatomy of a Photo Shoot, Part Three
We all need to laugh, maybe now more than ever. These 3 young Green Herons have just seen their first round-tripper and are watching the baseball as it exits the park. Having just finished listening to a sometimes-impassioned discussion, this young Mallard is feeling better about returning to school. Let's Resume This is the third … Continue reading Anatomy of a Photo Shoot, Part Three
Elizabeth River Bird Blog 