Wednesday, February 19, 2025

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NATURE’S TURN: Blizzard paints the high country

Every branch, twig, and evergreen leaf sported a white brushstroke before snow changed to freezing rain.

IN THE FIELD: American Woodcock

The woodcock begin their displays at dusk, usually right around the time it turns dark enough to not see things very well. The show is mostly auditory.

IN THE FIELD: Birds close to home

The combination of predictability and surprise makes a well-known route rewarding, whether one is birding or enjoying it in some other way.

IN THE FIELD: Hermit Warblers and Rusty Blackbirds

Right now, Hermit Warblers should be in tropical wintering grounds in Mexico or Central America, but one little vagrant was spotted in Connecticut in February.

IN THE FIELD: The Great Horned Owl

One early field guide accused the Great Horned Owl of suggesting “every form of dark emotion by its voice.”

IN THE FIELD: Common nighthawk

Common nighthawks have one of the longest migration routes among North American birds, wintering all the way in South America.

IN THE FIELD: Migrating songbirds, calls in the dark

While we may be able to predict which species, how many, when, observing birds in the wild is still at heart about the sheer pleasure of their unpredictability.

IN THE FIELD: Indigo bunting, the dazzling songster

Indigo buntings are easier to see than many birds, because, in addition to living in open habitats, they like to find the highest perch and stay there, singing.

NATURE’S TURN: Rapture in the garden, water play with a hummingbird

I aimed the cold-water spray through the trellis wire to the outer row, swinging the hose slowly, deliberately. Into the midst of my concentration on the task, a ruby-throated hummingbird flew, suspending its colorful little body in the spray I was creating.
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