A steady roar sounded in the woods. The tree canopy shimmered with traveling fixtures of light that bounced off transparent wings. I stood outside and took in the sights and sounds. Then I noticed someone on my shoulder.
Anticipating Cicadas
Vignettes of Seasonal Duality
The Merlin and the Crows
A merlin preened on a branch of a skeletal tree, contorting its body into all sorts of interesting positions as it tidied and fluffed its feathers with its beak and talons. Far away, in the distant overcast sky, the chatter of two crows sounded. Two black spots flew into view. And they saw the merlin.
The Beavers
The Tempo Persists
Drawings in the Sand
Palette of a Landscape Losing Chlorophyll
How to Bury an Acorn
The Summer Finale and the Prelude to Autumn
When Using Binoculars
Roadside Attractions
Roads themselves are notoriously busy places. Fast human transportation is concentrated within these strips of pavement that cut through what can often be a human-designed landscape, be it housing or farmland or something else. But between the road and the other development, there tends to be a section largely neglected by deliberate human interference and left to its own devices. The roadside.
A Nest of Cardinals
Global Big Day 2023
Sketching Spring Flowers
Starting the Day
A Walk in the Fog
The Regulars
The loud squawking of blue jays leads my gaze upward. The talkative birds coast in from the distance and land on the tallest tree branches where they continue their conversation. Cardinals are unmistakable with their red plumage popping against the muted winter backdrop. Nuthatches scratch the wood of trees as they crawl around on tree trunks. A downy woodpecker joins them.
Lines of Branch and Ink
Few leaves remain on oak trees in late autumn, and the lack of foliage reveals the trees’ exquisite structure. I stand at the base of a bur oak tree and look up, imagining a squirrel’s point of view as it runs vertically up the trunk. The tree is a gnarly specimen with rough bark and angular branches that twist and turn in all sorts of directions.
The Amphibious Appearance
The bird feeders outside the nature center’s windows are occupied by a frenzy of woodpeckers, chickadees, goldfinches, nuthatches, and so many more fluttering feathered beings. Squirrels take the liberty of picking up fallen seeds on the ground alongside mourning doves and dark-eyed juncos. My attention is very much absorbed in the birds’ and squirrels’ whereabouts, but I do notice someone else.