July 1, 2015
We were looking at turtles basking along Darby Creek and something wasn’t clicking. The kids were asking about the turtles, and my mind was drawing a blank. […]
May 1, 2015
I leaned over the footbridge railing and looked where she was pointing. At first all I could see was a tangle of zig-zagging sycamore branches, but then […]
November 28, 2012
"Something isn't right here," the woman said with a perplexed look on her face. Our group was birding Greenlawn Cemetery, and we'd just looked through an apparent group of Grackles. Most of us had already moved on, but she looked back at the Grackles, a few of which had dropped to the ground and were tussling with leaves and tree debris. "They don't sound like Grackles," she intoned. As it turned out, we had almost been fooled by the Midwest's stealthiest winter resident, the Rusty Blackbird. Her initial comment was also prophetic about the species as well.
August 20, 2012
It’s one of the most recognizable symbols in conservation: the flying Great Egret, symbol of the National Audubon Society, devised when the organization was lobbying to […]
May 17, 2012
green and blue slivers the dragonflies whirl and dart high and low circles The above haiku is one of many about dragonflies, an insect contemplated in […]