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Migrating Through Or Here For The Winter?
November 5, 2025 I get to see one every now and then, as they migrate through. Rarely do they stay for the winter. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula). Smaller than a Chickadee (Poecile), only a little larger than a Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). Among the smallest songbirds in North America, with a wingspan of 6.3…
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Despite The Wind
November 4, 2025 Despite the high winds that howled through the mountains a few days ago there are some Flowering Dogwoods (Cornus florida) that are clinging to the last of their crimson leaves. Along with those leaves you can see buds that formed during the summer. Those buds will brave cold weather, ice storms and…
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A Cardinal In The Unkempt Garden
November 3, 2025 I leave my gardens and their seeds for the birds. This picture, a look of appreciation from a Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) as it chows down on the seeds of Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida). So many benefits of leaving those seedheads. _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by…
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White Oak Leaves
November 1, 2025 White Oak (Quercus alba), quite a large tree, reaching heights of 50 to 80 feet, sometimes reaching over 100 feet; and a width of 3 to 4 feet (or more) in diameter. The life span of this tree is 200 to 300 years, with some trees living to be much older. During…
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Halloween Pumpkins
October 31, 2025 Wishing you a perfect pumpkin Halloween. _______________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!
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Sighting Of An Elusive Creature
October 30, 2025 A picture not from today but from 2010 when my camera was right there. At lunch today a Bobcat (Lynx rufus) made a quick slink across the lane. Just a swift glimpse, just enough to identify it. No time for the camera. Poof! It was gone! They’re most often nocturnal or crepuscular,…
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Swainson’s Thrush Migrating Through
October 29, 2025 Leaving its breeding grounds of northern North America, from Alaska and Canada down the Rocky Mountains into parts of the northeastern United States. Now migrating through Virginia, a Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), on its way to its winter home in Mexico, Central America, or South America. In the first image, notice the…
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Waiting For A Chestnut Miracle
October 28, 2025 American Chestnut (Castanea dentata). Once abundant in its native range of the eastern United States, principally in the Appalachian Mountains. It was at what is now the Bronx Zoo, in the borough of The Bronx, New York City, that the Chestnut Blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) was first discovered in 1904, by 1906 it…
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A Smart Bird In A Family Of Smart Birds
October 27, 2025 The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), in the Corvidae family. There are more than 120 species of birds in this family, including Crows, Ravens, Magpies, Nutcrackers, and of course Jays. Aside from sharing similar traits like having strong beaks and long tails, they also share the trait of being highly intelligent. They will…