In this week’s Torah portion, we read the story of the Jewish people crossing the Red Sea, following the Exodus from Egypt. After the splitting of the Sea and their miraculous rescue across on dry land, the people sang a beautiful song of thanks and praise to G-d, the Song of the Sea, when they reached the opposite […]
When I first started noticing wading wetland birds on my trips to Florida about a decade ago, one particularly large, somewhat awkward-looking bird really caught my eye – the wonderful, one-of-a-kind Wood Stork! Wood Storks are the only stork native to North America, and they are found in the marshes, lakes, swamps and other wetlands […]
In a recent blog post, I mentioned that the name of Zipporah, the wife of Moshe (Moses) is ‘Bird’, in Hebrew. There are often variations in the spelling of Hebrew words transliterated into English, and most often Tzippor (or Zippor) is translated as Bird.Rabbi Natan Slifkin is the author of Nature’s Song (2001), a remarkable book about the beautiful […]
I was intrigued by an article called Birding without Borders, in the current issue of Audubon magazine, because it was about a wonderful young author/birder named Noah Stryker. A few months ago, I had read and included mention of Stryker’s new book, The Thing with Feathers (a real treat to read!) in a post on my blog. Imagine […]
The pretty American Bittern above was clearly on a mission last week, stalking very close to the boardwalk. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, this large Bittern is quite elusive, “uncommon and very inconspicuous,” (The Sibley Guide to Birds, 2nd Ed.), so it’s always exciting to see one in full view, right near by. They can be nearly […]
Birds are found everywhere in Torah!! This past week’s Torah reading includes important references to birds, including the name of Zipporah (which means ‘bird‘, in Hebrew), who is the wife of the great leader Moshe (Moses). There are numerous references to Zipporah’s swift actions, comparing her behavior to the swiftness of a little bird. This week marked […]
Just paying a little tribute to some OTHER, delightful friends I see every day in the Wetland preserves ~!Red-bellied Turtle baby trying to keep up with Mama! This Raccoon forgot to go back to bed! Scurrying off for one last taste of breakfast this morning. “Even though I admit to looking quite intimidating, I swear, […]
The Great Blue Herons are still very busy courting and getting ready to start their new families together. “Sometimes I wonder where my partner has flown off to. . . . When will he finally get back here with some more good sturdy sticks . . . !” Off to work – Looking quite business-like […]
It’s such a joy to watch and listen to adults walking with their young children in the nature preserves I frequent. Some months ago, I overheard a mother say to her little boy, as they set out on their walk, “Look! All the birds are so happy – they’re singing their morning song!”I LOVE that! I […]
Birder's Journey 