Canada Geese have been on my mind a lot lately. This past winter I have missed the skeins of geese that fly back and forth up and down the river appearing every single morning like clockwork. In Abiquiu when winter turned to spring I noted that the geese were behaving in much the same way […]

Early spring in Western Maine is a time when a surprising number of shore birds are moving through our area. Of course, most of us recognize the Great Blue Heron, but did you know that at Valentine Farm we’ve documented a number of other shore birds that migrate from South America, up the U.S. coast […]

Many different shrubs populate the understory of old-growth redwood forests. Among them are berry bushes such as red and evergreen huckleberry, blackberry, salmonberry, and thimbleberry. Black bears and other inhabitants of the forest make use of these seasonal food sources. Perhaps the most famous and spectacular member of the redwood understory is the brilliantly colored […]

No question: these are troubling times. While we all are coping with inconveniences and worries, we are all experiencing it differently: some facing real challenges and crises; others simply looking at things differently or making minor changes in our lives – some even welcoming the slowing of our pace, the checking-in with family and friends. […]

Around St. Patrick’s Day, I start to see Turkey Vultures soaring in loose groups as they move north into Maine after a winter further south. It’s as if they follow the same highways I do to get to Bethel. I know that’s not the case although, given what they eat, our highways might work like […]

Totally by accident, I discovered a picture of a most beautiful flower commonly called Adderstongue (Scoliopus bigelovii) that I had never seen before. Of course I had to look it up… I learned that Adderstongue only grows in old growth forest in the understory of the ancient Redwood trees of California in moist mossy places […]

What do they mean by “payback period” when it comes to deciding on energy-saving measures or purchases? Payback period is the time it will take for your energy savings to pay for the cost of the energy-saving thing you bought.  Say you spend $2 on switching to a 9 watt LED light bulb from a […]

It’s that time of year again. Birds, first by the thousands then by the millions, are starting to move north. Do you marvel at how these balls of fluff can manage the remarkable feat of flying, sometimes thousands of miles, to our area? How do they do it? How did these extreme migratory habits come […]