Until recently, the last—and only—photography class I ever took was back in the '90s in high school. To put that in perspective, I mainly recall ...
In Gratitude to Muskrat for His Sacrifice (or Happy Earth Day)
It's Earth Day, but I'm thinking of it as Thank a Muskrat Day. I recently was introduced to Muskrat, or rather a muskrat, who lives down the road ...
Seeing Steller’s
Thirty-three hours. Five days. One bird. That's how long I spent, over two weeks, trying to see a single bird here in Maine, a Steller's Sea ...
Some Stellar Non-Stellers
When I venture beyond my backyard, birdwatching often entails seeing something different than what I intended or hoped to see. If I'm paying ...
Finding Stellar
"The eagle flew" a lady announced to me through her car window and immediately drove off. Darn it. On New Year's Day morning I showed up a frustrating ...
Beat the Blerch: A Virtual Race Report
This past week a T-shirt made me run a marathon. In July I signed up for the Beat the Blerch virtual race as soon as it was announced, despite not ...
On Lupines
“You must do something to make the world more beautiful.” ― Miss Rumphius Whenever I see lupines in bloom I hear that quote from Miss Rumphius, one ...
Bees: Nature’s Essential Workers
We often overlook the individuals we take for granted but depend on daily to keep us fed, safe, and healthy. The list of essential workers is long, ...
Go Big and Go Global, from Home
It's Global Big Day. Look outside today, notice any birds, and you can be part of the largest biodiversity-related citizen science project in the ...
Bird Blind
Whenever I hear the distinctive tapping of a pileated woodpecker during a run or hike I stop to look up. If I'm lucky while scanning the trees, I spot ...