Where martins hang

Purple martin “scouts” are some of the earliest harbingers of spring. I recorded one in February at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana during last year’s Great Backyard Bird Count and it’s not uncommon for them to show up in Florida in January. The...

Carolina birder video bombed

Carolina birder Matt Daw from Raleigh was videoing a least bittern last week as it foraged at Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. In an interview, Daw said he was looking through the viewfinder at the bittern when suddenly, an interloper...

Learn about the GNSA

The regional environmental group Wild South has a hike planned for July 13 into the heart of, what they hope will soon be, one of the wildest national scenic areas in the country. Wild South and its partners and supporters have been marshaling support for the proposed...

“Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves…”

And ye elf and sprite lovers and lovers of the Bard whose words have seeped so deeply into the fabric of our language that even those who’ve never seen them toss them out with a knowing nod – get thee soon to the Hazel Robinson Amphitheater at 100 Gay Street in...

That’s Suuthern flyin squerl, ya”ll

I’ve written about these small nocturnal hang gliders before but I posted a pic of a group from my home, on Facebook, the other day and it produced more than 70 likes in one day (and I know it wasn’t the quality of the photo,) so I thought I would share our little...
A milkweed by any other name

A milkweed by any other name

Every year as summer approaches and the days begin to heat up I marvel at the beautiful orange explosion that protrudes from an unkempt patch of daylilies and Queen Anne’s lace that was once (BC – before children) a more kempt flowerbed. The butterfly weed (Asclepias...