The other morning was the chilliest so far this fall, and completely overcast, with occasional drizzle, so I wasn’t sure I’d see much on my walk. But I was delighted to encounter several of my favorite bird friends! The Wood Stork featured above was foraging among the marsh grasses, when he suddenly leapt up and made a […]
We witnessed a magnificent Sunset (above) over the Gulf of Mexico this past Sunday. The brilliant oranges and yellows got me thinking about how different “Fall” looks in different places. These beautiful, rich Purple Morning Glories above were blooming all along the roadside on the water’s edge at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge the other day. Their bright blossoms […]
Moments after I had passed the [human] fishermen and crabbers setting up their gear at the water’s edge early yesterday morning, I spotted this determined Yellow-crowned Night Heron, hiding in the shadows, out of sight of the humans! He looked quite self-satisfied As I approached, he gave me a slightly nervous, momentary glance, when he […]
Humans have a curious need to classify the elements of the natural world around us, and to assign names to these wonders. I wrote last week about my experiences with learning to identify birds, and how important this also seems to be to passersby who often ask, “Excuse me, but do you know which bird […]
As dusk closed in, the graceful flock of Glossy Ibis featured above sailed toward me in the waning light. From a distance, I wasn’t quite sure what they were, but as soon as I could discern their body shape and size, it was clear that these were Glossy Ibis and not some other wetland bird […]
Sometimes we are lucky enough to encounter beauty in the world around us when we least expect it. One recent morning, while I was busy looking down instead of up, the Roseate Spoonbill featured above (and below) in this post just appeared out of nowhere! Suddenly someone called out, “Oh, look, a Roseate Spoonbill!”, and I was fortunate […]
This week we chant the second portion (parashah) in the Torah, the well-known story of Noah, the Ark, the Flood, and the Covenant of the Rainbow. According to our story, Noah sent both a Raven and a Dove from the Ark after the flood waters receded, to determine if the waters had subsided sufficiently so […]
“To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under Heaven.” These are familiar words to many of us, and English speakers are likely to have heard the song Turn, Turn, Turn, popularized in the 1960’s, when folk singer Pete Seeger put these very words to a beautiful melody. But did you know […]
There is something very special about taking a mid-afternoon walk on Friday in the wetland preserve, with the sun shining and a lovely breeze blowing. I know that in just a few hours, SHABBAT will begin, a beautiful day of rest and quiet. The ever-present song of Red-Winged Blackbirds flying about in the rushes is […]
This week marks the Days of Joy on the Jewish calendar~! We note this special time period between the Days of Awe, which include Rosh HaShana through Yom Kippur, and the beginning of the week-long holiday of Sukkot, when we commemorate the travels of our ancestors in the wilderness, and the building of the sanctuary, […]
Birder's Journey 