The Outside Story: Brown thrashers rely on thickets
The brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) lives out its days in relative seclusion.
The Outside Story: Winter suits downy woodpeckers
On winter mornings, I often venture outside to photograph the assembly of birds that visit the feeders in my front yard.
The Outside Story: Providing shelter for birds
Come winter, after the bears have retreated to their cold weather dens, many backyard bird enthusiasts hang feeders to attract – and nourish – avian visitors.
The Outside Story: Purple finches are birds for all seasons
In September, as summer yields to fall, most of the colorful birds that breed in our region during spring and summer head south for warmer locales.
The Outside Story: The Secretive Eastern milk snake
Walking down my road on an early June afternoon several years ago, I spotted a snake attempting to cross into the underbrush.
The Outside Story: Black-throated green warblers star in the spring woodland soundtrack
This spring, as you walk outside, keep an ear open for two distinctive bird songs: zee zee zee zee zo zee or zee zee zo zo zee. If you hear them, you’ve identified a black-throated green warbler (Setophaga virens), a bird that is often heard but rarely seen.
The Outside Story: Denizens of the bark
On certain afternoons if I time it just right, I may spot a brown creeper on the trunk of a tree in my front yard. Moving stealthily, almost imperceptibly up the tree, the brown creeper hunts for food amongst the bark. I watch this avian mission with a sense of appreciation, as the bird flies to other trees to repeat the process.
The Outside Story: Bluebirds bring a splash of color to winter
On Valentine’s Day, as I sat down to write, I noticed a burst of blue outside my upstairs window. Looking out with my binoculars, I counted six eastern bluebirds.
Barred owls are both neighbors and characters of age-old legends
On frigid winter evenings, the hooting of a barred owl (Strix varia) serves as a reminder that the darkened forests of the Northeast are still very much alive with activity.
The Outside Story: Tufted titmice flock to feeders
As winter approaches and snow coats the ground, the tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) will again become a ubiquitous backyard visitor.
The Outside Story: Life within the brush pile
For nearly a decade, I’ve been adding to a brush pile in the woods behind my home. A depository of pruned branches, dead flowers, discarded logs, old leaves, and an occasional Christmas tree, the pile is a decaying testament to seasons and chores long past.
The Outside Story: Blue jays as likeable villains, astute visitors
Plenty of backyard bird watchers consider blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) the villains of the avian world.