Category Archives: Birds

Do You Drink Bird-Friendly Coffee? Cornell Offers Guidance

Imagine you walk into the neighborhood coffee house for your morning cup of joe, and on the counter is a tip jar with a sign reading, “$ for wintering warblers” with a photo of a Chestnut-sided Warbler in a tropical … Continue reading

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Stock up on Niger Seed, the Siskin Boys (& Girls) are in town

We take in our feeders at night to avoid bear and raccoon problems. (A big raccoon visited two nights ago, startling me as I went out to check a noise on the back deck.  It was a eye level – but … Continue reading

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Peregrine Falcons — The Outside Story

When asked to name the fastest animal on earth, many people will respond “cheetah.” But it is the peregrine falcon – a cliff-dwelling raptor –that holds that title with the ability to reach speeds of 200+ MPH as they stoop … Continue reading

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Duck, Geese — Hunting Season is Near

I have been reading Julie Zickfoose’s fine book, The Bluebird Effect.  It’s a series of stories about bird rehabilitation and observation and is the kind of book that is nice to take your time reading.  I have it on the iPad … Continue reading

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Quieter Woods

Things are pretty quiet these days in our woods as I walk the dog on our trails — aside for some deer watching us nearly every walk and numerous red squirrels and chipmunks, the activity has died off as birds … Continue reading

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A Solitary Sandpiper

We don’t have a lot of shorebird habitat hotspots in central Vermont so we make do with puddles in cornfields, small mudflats along the rivers and ponds, and other spots where water gathers.  We go over to Lake Champlain or … Continue reading

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Brown Thrasher – Undercover Expert

Brown Thrasher – Undercover Expert by Sue McGrath  The Brown Thrasher is an actor, robed in reddish hue, not in the distinguished gray like the catbird or the mockingbird.  As noted in Chris Leahy’s information packed and engaging resource,  The Birdwatchers’ Companion, the Brown … Continue reading

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