The Nature of Things

Days are getting shorter. Just a month ago, at 7:00 in the evening the setting sun would still be above the tops of the tall pine trees that spread across the western horizon prospect from my backyard. Today, by 7:00 the sun will be well behind those trees, just about down to their bases.  Moreover, the sun has started on its long trek to the south for winter. After reaching its northernmost point in the sky several weeks ago, the sun is now several degrees farther south, looking from our planetary perspective. And so the seasons change. There's only a month left in this season, but it is likely the most miserable month for us. The heat and humidity now are just about unbearable for outdoor activities of any extended period. And the plants which must stand out there all day under the broiling sun are looking wilted and tattered, much the worse for wear. A few leaves are already dropping, harbinger of the deluge to come. The bottom line for gardeners is that it is almost impossible ...

It was just over a week ago that I participated in the annual mid-winter census of birds known as the Great Backyard Bird Count. During the weekend over which the count occurred, my backyard and my bird feeders were covered in birds, especially our winter visitors, the American Goldfinches. It was common to see the finch feeders carrying at least thirty of the little birds in their greenish winter feathers as they gobbled up my nyger seeds. I was refilling the nyger seed feeders on a daily basis. In addition to the thirty or so on those feeders, there were even more of the birds on the black oil sunflower seed feeders and on the ground under the feeders picking up fallen seeds. A flock of more than 100 birds would fly up when I ventured too close. But a few days ago, all of that changed. I looked up one day to find that there were no birds on the nyger feeders and the seed levels hadn't gone down for a couple of days. I looked around the yard and found that there were still a few ...

Here are just a dozen of the feathered visitors to my yard this week. Blue Jay Carolina Chickadee Downy Woodpecker (female) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male) White-winged Doves Red-bellied Woodpecker (male) Ruby-throated Hummingbird (female) Northern Cardinal (male) Rufous Hummingbird (female) Red-headed Woodpecker (juvenile - yes, that head will be red when he's grown!) Mourning Dove Rufous Hummingbird (male) I hope that you will make at least part of your weekend "for the birds" in your yard or neighborhood. Even the most common species are endlessly fascinating.