Birds
The Belted Kingfisher is one of my all-time favorite birds. The Belted Kingfisher is a goofy-ass-looking bird. Body too small, hair too crested, beak too big. But it holds a special place in my heart. I grew up in a small town in South Georiga—name a Nashville (in the
Birds
I took an Eastern Religions class my freshman year of college. The professor, a wonderfully woodsy adjunct, talked about his experience of nature experiencing him. That was needlessly complicated. Let’s try again. My wonderfully woodsy adjunct spoke of hiking and how, if you’re paying attention, you can sense
Birds
Despite not doing really any dedicated bird watching outings, I’ve still managed to grab some more birds for the year! What I’ve found about big years is that, for me, at least, the first couple of months are full of all the backyard birds that have stuck around
Birds
There is a particular thrill that comes with seeing, in person, a bird for the first time. That’s not what today’s post is about. Today is an appreciation of a common backyard bird. The bird that you’ll never see on the cover of a field guide. The
Birds
Bird watching is a hobby. Bird watching is an obsession. A list-takers dream. A never-ending quest. It’s trying not to always talk about birds Bird watching is seeing a bird in every shaking leaf, every swaying branch, every minute motion. It’s remembering geographic places not by landmarks but
Birds
At just over 6,600 feet of elevation, Mount Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi. Nested in the Black Mountains of North Carolina, the peak acts as a sort of magic mirror to a subalpine ecosystem, giving us in the Southeast the opportunity to see plants and
Birds
As I mentioned before, I fudged the start of my big year a bit (by about four days or so) because I was going to be on Jekyll Island—a decision I have zero regrets about after having returned. In total, I saw 54 different species of birds (the 55th
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I’d mentioned previously that I’m going to start my big year a bit early—December 28th, to be exact. See, I’m going to be on Jekyll Island through the new year, and it’s just too birdful of a place to NOT start. So what makes Jekyll
Birds
It was December 3rd of this year (2023) that I got the email. Subject: Sandhill Cranes over Druid Hills Body: Just saw 3 Vs of Sandhill Cranes flying over Druid Hills in DeKalb County. About 40 to 50 total. That’s just north of me, I thought. I looked at
Birds
The Barred owl is a chunky piece of bird, which always surprises me for some reason. Though I rarely see them, they are consistently larger than I expect when I do catch a glimpse of them. Those lucky enough to see one during the day are treated to more brown
Birds
A sure sign that winter is well on its way in Georiga is a yard full of blackbirds. Mine are almost always Red-winged blackbirds. They are rusty black with a streak or two of bright red and yellow just hiding below their wings. In flocks, their mechanical chirps blend together
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This is my personal Big Year. Again. I’m on the hunt again, and I’m using this blog as a way to keep me honest and to check in on a regular basis.