I was taken with a recent Maryland Birding Facebook Group post—a post about a front-line Emergency Room nurse. Among her patients were those with COVID-19. One day while at work, she discovered an adult male Northern Cardinal lying on the ground just outside the ER. It had flown into a hospital window and was motionless, … Continue reading Life and Beauty
Category: Photography
The One Constant
"There are 2 things I can't imagine being without: birds and music. OK, there might be a 3rd: potato chips." I jotted those words down in my journal a while back. It's fun and important to write things down. But what I wrote there doesn't reflect how I rank the things that matter. Religion, which … Continue reading The One Constant
Bird-Related Grace
Before I begin, please note that some of what follows might be a little obscure unless you're familiar with my previous 2 blog posts. It's funny, but as a writer, albeit a middling one, I feel something of an obligation to blog more often now, if it means providing my readers with a little more … Continue reading Bird-Related Grace
A Hopeful Time
This is a complicated time. But one thing that keeps many of us centered and hopeful is the birds in our lives. Beacons of Hope John W. Fitzpatrick, Director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, said as much in a recent message to members. He wrote that birds are "beacons of hope," and that "this … Continue reading A Hopeful Time
Common Birds
It was a year ago that I wrote: "Be Still and Know." And I still believe, but now even more so, that stillness is, as Mary Oliver put it, “one of the doors into the temple.” Gosh, I love those words. I'm a Mary Oliver fan from way back. The longer I bird and the … Continue reading Common Birds
A Few Words About Birds
A recent opinion piece in The Virginian-Pilot, Virginia's largest daily newspaper, began with the words: "First of all, thank you for reading." I'd like to begin, here, the same way. First of all, thank you for reading. I mean that, sincerely. "We've mentioned the passing of Caroll Spinney and our love for Big Bird, but … Continue reading A Few Words About Birds
These Wonders
We love our birds, and that's an understatement—from 8-foot Big Bird to thumb-sized hummingbirds. Speaking of "hummers," here's a male Ruby-throat captured by talented Louisiana-based photographer Roberta “Birdie” Davidson. Roberta is a lady for whom the world disappears when she gets behind her camera. I'll bet the world also disappears when she gets behind her … Continue reading These Wonders
