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 […]
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 […]
“The heavens declare the glory of G-d; the sky proclaims His handiwork.” Tehillim (Psalms) 19:2 I had just spotted this lovely Roseate Spoonbill standing nearby, when suddenly he took off right over my head~!
Just as this lovely Snowy Egret lights up the evening with his brilliant white feathers, let us all share the light of Chanukah and this season to brighten up the world around us. “Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, is a celebration of a historical miracle. But no less significantly, Chanukah is the celebration of a […]
Once again there are some fascinating connections between the weekly Torah reading and birds. Just last week, we read of Joseph, the son of Jacob who was perhaps best remembered for his dream interpretations (and his “Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat”!). Joseph interprets the dreams of both his fellow inmates in Pharoah’s prison, the wine steward […]
The late Chabad Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson is quoted as saying, “Melody is the quill of the soul. Words may be an expression of your heart, but a melody expresses the contents of your soul. . . . “ (Source: Prisms, Uplifting Views on Daily Life, 2014). We made a visit to the renowned world […]
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 […]
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 […]
Birder's Journey 