It topped 70 degF at home this weekend (in the mid-Atlantic). Second week of January, and I'm in a T-shirt. It's not that this doesn't ever happen. Brief warm spells are a thing here - but we still haven't really gotten cold. The leaves are off the trees and it feels like April, with thunderstorms…Read more It’s Too Warm!
Wildlife
Night Music, Revisited
Last summer I introduced the idea of Night Music, that special cacophony of animals, insects, wind and whatever else that is unique to the night, and makes many an outdoor evening or camping trip that much more memorable. I was intrigued to find that many people hear almost nothing in their respective wild lands. Silence. …Read more Night Music, Revisited
Cryptochromes and Bird Migration
Spring is here! Around here, the trees are budding, the weather is alternately windy, stormy, and cold - and the birds are returning. Flocks of robins cover the neighbors' lawns, and the ospreys have returned to claim and improve last year's nesting sites. Bird migrations have long been a mystery to us simple humans. We've…Read more Cryptochromes and Bird Migration
On Groundhog Meteorological Prognostication
I'm a little late posting this, but hey, busy weekend. So... There are many, many groundhogs out there. Several are consulted each February 2 on the prospects of an early spring. (Punxsutawny Phil is merely the most famous of these prognosticating rodents.) I wondered - how good are they? I mean, just so we're on…Read more On Groundhog Meteorological Prognostication
Junco Snack Break
Snack break - we're in round two of a two-step snowfall here in the Mid-Atlantic. First was 5 inches of snow worn down by some sleet and freezing rain, and now it's a serious snowfall bringing maybe as much as another 5 inches. We had several birds stock up during the lull. These dark-eyed juncos…Read more Junco Snack Break
Red
Red -- Only female American Holly trees grow the iconic red berries in the winter. Male trees, always nearby, lack them.
