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Our Noisy World
I used to fear the wind, especially when it roared on top of Sapsucker Ridge. But ever since Interstate 99 was opened, directly beneath the ridge, the wind has been my friend because it masks the traffic noise. During the winter, without the leaves on the trees to absorb some of the clamor, the interstate
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Jaybirds
Every winter my feeder birds are mostly the same, both in species and numbers. But usually there is at least one surprise, even in winters when no northern finch irruptions occur. Last winter was the year of blue jays, often nicknamed “jaybirds” because of their calls. We live tucked away by ourselves atop a mountain
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Northern Visitors
Last winter I spent hours in our Norway spruce grove watching red-breasted nuthatches. I first saw them on October 28 when one foraged on a Norway spruce tree trunk while another rushed around on the ground in search of Norway spruce nuts. I had already learned from Doug Gross, Endangered and Non-game Bird Section Supervisor
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Crow Blackbirds
On the last day of October, a flock of blackbirds lands on top of a tree behind me as I sit on Coyote Bench. Later, on the Vernal Pond Bench, I hear and then see an enormous blackbird flock as it alights on nearby oak trees and then erupts overhead in a wheeling flock of
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Bird Brains
Don’t call anyone a bird brain unless you are complimenting them. In the last couple decades, researchers worldwide have been discovering how amazing bird brains are. That should not be a surprise since feathered winged animals that fly have been evolving on earth for more than 150 million years, according to recent genetic analyses. Neuroscientists
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Thistle-Birds
In August our weedy First Field is alive with singing American goldfinches. Although most songbirds are finishing their parental duties by then, American goldfinches have barely begun. Their preference for thistle and other seeds may be one reason they wait until midsummer when the seeds are mature, because they line their nests with thistle, milkweed
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Adaptation
July, like January, is the most extreme month of its season, and during both months I must adapt to challenging weather if I want to walk our trails and observe wildlife. In January, when the wind is howling and it’s ten degrees Fahrenheit, I wait until mid-morning to venture outside swathed in several layers of
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Great Crested Flycatchers
On a lovely morning in late June, I watched a pair of great crested flycatchers calling back and forth. One was in our side yard and the other in our front yard. Then both of them landed on a black walnut tree beside our driveway and appeared to be interested in a deserted woodpecker hole.
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The Gifts of May
Spring is my favorite season and May my favorite month. To me, beginnings are always more thrilling than endings and comings more wonderful than goings as I experience all the excitement of new and resurrecting life—the returning of birds, the blooming of wildflowers, trees and shrubs, and the newborn fawns, bear cubs, and other mammals.
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Earth Day Birding Classic
It was the brain child of our youngest son, Mark, who teaches geography and environmental studies at Penn State Altoona and one of his students, Catherine Farr. Laura Jackson, president of our Juniata Valley Audubon Society, quickly signed on to their Earth Day Birding Classic 2016. Patterned after the numerous bird-a-thons, such as the world-renown,
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My “Arena of Delight”
March is a month of hope and resurrection in the natural world. I carry hope with me as we cycle through days of cold and snow, sunshine and warmth, and I bear witness to a variety of sights and sounds during my daily morning walks. As soon as we have patches of open field, American
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Happy Birthday Project FeederWatch
It’s mid-November and once again I‘m engaged in Project FeederWatch, keeping a record of the number and species of birds visiting my back porch feeder area. As a veteran of this citizen science project started by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, both they and I are celebrating our 30th year engaged in this unique program.
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Marcia Bonta 