Fall migration has wound down and, as usual, I promise myself that I’ll study and learn “fall warblers” before next year. This is something I mutter at least once every fall when I see a loose flock of small birds, most of which look identical – olive green on their backs with a yellowish wash […]

The Beneficial Sumacs I am already missing the stand of staghorn sumac that was growing on the road near my house here in Maine. This time of year, I look to the ornamental sumac groves for the first signs of fall. These small trees turn the most exquisite sun yellow, deep orange and flaming red […]

People often ask me, “What’s your favorite bird?” For many birders that is a hard question. Truth is, I have many favorite birds. Often it has to do with some unique experience in which a bird was involved. I’m not alone in this. Recently, I spent the morning talking with Frank Vogt, a Bethel resident […]

The moment I saw Iren’s picture I was hooked and had to look these beetles up. I am always trying to figure out who is feasting on the multitude of deadly amanitas that live all around me in Maine and sure enough the Pleasing Fungus Beetle lives in Maine too, and its larvae feed on […]

Broad-winged Hawks nest in the forest around my house. This time of year I hear young birds calling in a high, whistle-like scream as they soar with their parents. Broad-wings (photo by Francesco Veronesi) are a medium-sized hawk, and the smallest of the Buteos. Buteo is the name for soaring hawks, like the much more […]

When I moved into the casita in Abiquiu, I planted a small patch of mint on the south side. I also put some cuttings in the kitchen window to root, and eventually planted those as well. By mid-July I had such an abundance of leaves on purple stems that ran close to the ground that […]

At this time of year, one of the most common birds in the field at my house is the Cedar Waxwing (Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren).  Although considered a songbird, they are one of the few birds that do not have a recognizable “song”. Even so, I often hear them before I see […]

In late May, a friend of mine in Abiquiu told me that he saw at least 10 Monarch butterflies clustered together in one group, a sighting that warmed my heart because the year before I had seen so few. Last year I was fortunate enough to have a milkweed plant seed itself by the casita […]

The woods are quieter this time of year – partially because many birds have moved south. But I have another theory. Birds of prey are migrating this time of year, too. Hawks, eagles and falcons prefer the day. Most song birds migrate at night. That is probably not by accident. Darkness allows songbirds to avoid […]

It is the middle of July, and here at the house, Queen Anne’s Lace is beginning to blossom and will continue to bloom well into September. I have loved these wildflowers since I was a child, and even now I will open a book and an exquisitely pressed bloom will drift to the floor. I […]