Blue Jays are so common throughout the eastern and central United States and southern Canada that I tend to forget that not everyone is familiar with them. The Audubon site is a rich source of information about the history, behavior, and many varied calls of this showy and raucous bird. Blue Jays are known to be […]
Author Archives: Birder's Journey
Last year, advocates for a family of Burrowing Owls that had made their home in a local school athletic field were successful in protecting them. The burrows were roped off and marked, and the district re-scheduled games scheduled for that field to a new location.This year the Burrowing Owls are back! They are a ‘species of special concern’, “protected from harassment and/or […]
Did you ever have one of those moments when something happens so quickly that you have no idea what settings you have on your camera – you just point and shoot?Well, this morning, I was chatting with some folks about a Wood Stork in the pond, when all of a sudden I spotted this Great […]
The mornings and evenings are a bit cooler and less humid these days, and some migrating birds have arrived in our area. But the wetland birds’ courting and breeding season that brings so many visitors has really not yet begun. Lots of marsh plants are still in bloom, including these delicate Fireflags dangling over the ponds, and […]
You can hear the unmistakable, loud hammering of a busy Pileated Woodpecker from quite a distance. As soon as I got out of the car at the refuge, I knew he was there, and followed the sound all the way from the parking lot to the woods several hundred yards away. There he was – hard at work! […]
The Book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) by King Solomon was read in synagogues around the world this week during the holiday of Sukkot. Kohelet is well known for its verses in Chapter 3 which include. . . “there is a time for every purpose under heaven” (3:1). As I look around at the inexplicable wonders of nature on […]
The small wonders of nature never cease to amaze me. My husband always reminds me to be open to noticing . . . . You never know what you’ll be privileged to see. Sometimes we find hidden little surprises in our photos only when we get them home and open up the image on the […]
All of sudden, there they were – a flurry of pink as several juvenile Roseate Spoonbills came swooping in, jockeying for the best position as they settled onto the pond.The population of these magnificent birds was greatly reduced a little over a century ago, when they were hunted for their feathers at the height of […]
Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, takes place this Tuesday evening through Wednesday. On this day, also known as the Day of Atonement, one refrains from eating and drinking, and spends most of the day in the synagogue engaged in prayer. Much of the liturgy focuses on repentance, confession, and seeking forgiveness. Yet Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz reminds […]
I’ve written several previous posts about the wonderful Yellow-crowned Night Herons we have in our local preserves. At this time of year, these special birds like to frequent a small wooded area along the boardwalk. At first, you might not see any, as they are amazingly well-camouflaged. But little by little, they come into view, and you may soon […]
Birder's Journey 