The question of the day seems to be “How are we all doing?” There are as many responses as there are readers of the question. It is, to be sure, a day-to-day consideration: what will today bring? What is safe and prudent under current conditions? The Age-Friendly Community Initiative is pondering our current reality, too. […]

This summer because of the heat and drought I have spent a lot of time across the brook in my woods because it is always so cool in there. As parched as the land is elsewhere, in the forest I can still find the occasional mushroom, examine various mosses and lichens (the latter remind me […]

  At this time of year, we start to see another LBB (Little Brown Bird) starting to move south from the higher elevations. In the fall I find them picking through the grass under my feeders or pecking at the gravel in my driveway. This LBB is stocky compared to other sparrows and has a […]

Two nights ago I went down to the newly cut field, the one I call “Field of Dreams” because it opens to the Northeastern sky allowing me to view the Great Bear, Cassiopeia and other constellations, meteor showers, as well as rising winter moons (my favorite). I sat down in the stillness listening to the […]

Sitting on my deck in Albany, one of the most common birds I see in the spring, summer and fall is another LBB (Little Brown Bird) – the Chipping Sparrow.  This LBB is easy to identify because of its distinct rufous head-cap. It is small as far as sparrows go and very busy. I find […]

  For years I’ve ignored sparrows and just listed them in my records as LBBs or “Little Brown Birds”. They are small and often flit into the high grass, weeds or shrubs before I can get a good look and just seem too hard to learn. So, for years, I didn’t bother. Recently, though, I’ve […]