November Challenge

The simple act of seeing and recognizing a bird in your backyard carries with it a long- and somewhat unappreciated- history of natural observation. What do you notice when you see a Northern Cardinal? How do you recognize it? Is it the ornamental red of the males? Or the claxon orange beak contrasted against the soft brown of the females? Maybe it’s not with your eyes but your ears… the dawn song of these ubiquitous backyard companions is comfortingly familiar to backyards across the eastern US.

Signs of the season

Season changes, weather changes, local avifauna changes.

We’ve been watching the departure of summer birds- the yellows and reds and blues- and welcoming in our winter visitors… with all of their browns and tans and light browns. Of course, with the winter arrivals, we’re changing where we look for the birds. No more warbler neck!, but confounded by little brown jobs in the bushes.

 

You'll miss me when I'm gone!