A little birdie told me something scary was right outside my window. He didn’t say it in words, of course, or at least not in English. But it was clear from that robin’s incessant Cheep! Cheep! CHEEP! – so shrill, so unlike his cheerful melodic song – that danger was afoot. A sparrow’s harsh CHIRP […]
Have you ever had one of those dreams where you run and run but never seem to get anywhere? I woke up from a nap the other day with my heart pounding and sweat beading on my forehead. I hadn’t been running in my dream—I had been flapping. I dreamt I was a migrating bird. […]
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) Habitat: Depends on thickets, tall grasses, forbs, yards, and finds abandoned lots ideal Foraging Habits: Searching ground and shrub level for seeds & invertebrates Range: Common and cosmopolitan, throughout North America Territory Size: .5 – 1.5 Acres Personality: Retiring, elusive, yet very expressive and territorial Height Zone: Ground level to lower […]
Picture an owl perched on a tree branch 25ft above the ground. Sitting motionless with its owl eyes in a fixed gaze. The form we are gaining from the owl is that of wide peripheral vision. Stillness yields motion for the owl. When the owl holds perfect stillness, all motion is very evident. Any bird […]
Two years ago in the late summer, I started seeing bear scat along a field edge on the way to my sit spot. An inch and a half tube full of raspberry seeds is hard to miss or misidentify here in northern Vermont. Then a bit later the chokecherry bushes in the south end of […]
A deep need for humans is outdoor safety, the maintenance of life, and limb. This is a powerful connecting force with the rest of life! From the sparrow fleeing the hawk, to the caterpillar hiding from the wasp, all creatures share a desire to avoid dangers or hazards. If you hook up electrodes to measure […]
Bird watching is an engaging and educational hobby that offers a unique blend of excitement and tranquility you won’t find anywhere else. Although a wide variety of birds will often be seen during a walk or hike, you can observe many of these birds from the comfort of your own home if you simply provide […]
Listening to birds and watching bird behavior allows us to become aware of animal activity, to sneak up on wildlife or unsuspecting friends, and to enhance our senses. In my year at Wilderness Awareness School’s Immersion program, in Duvall, Washington, I explored the school’s teachings about birds, bird watching, and awareness. Here I’ll share some […]
Bird Language is a big passion of mine, so I’m always keeping my eyes and ears open for mysterious bird alarms on the landscape. It’s always really exciting on those occasions when I hear an alarm, especially when I can use that to predict exactly where an animal is, what that animal is likely to […]
A Redstart gleams glossy black and is gone. Kinglets trickle past me, their high calls scattering south. Bird migration is in full swing. The birds may be finding their way by seeing the magnetic fields of the earth by virtue of magnetite crystals in their brains, internal compasses that let them perceive magnetism as we […]