There are certainly a lot of interesting backyard birds. Of them, I’m quite fond of catbirds. They regularly visit to the jelly feeders that we started for the Baltimore Orioles. We have been surprised at the number of birds that … Continued
House wrens cause me some conflict. They are undeniably cute. These tiny birds also seem intelligent, resourceful, adaptable and curious. Those are good qualities. At the same time, they are bullies having some nasty habits. The little squirts have a … Continued
At first glance, the milkweed leaf beetle looks like a ladybug on steroids. After that cursory look, you can appreciate that it has a more dome-like abdomen, larger antennae, and is missing the white dots on the side of the … Continued
Bigger isn’t always better. These tiny weevils are fascinating despite their minuscule size. It is easy to overlook these 5-6mm beetles. I didn’t come across these much as a kid growing up in rural western New York. In Michigan they … Continued
One of the more recognizable birds in North America has to be the Northern Cardinal. Almost everyone can identify the male. They seem to be plastered on every bag of bird seed, so they are a popular marketing tool as … Continued
As a homeschooling Dad I try to keep some of our studies on the sly. We don’t really stop our studies when all the other kids are on break… instead we do what I call the “Summer Slow” where we … Continued
Sparrows are underrated. To most people they are just LBBs–little brown birds. Sure, they aren’t the flashiest of birds, but they have a subtle beauty about them. Some are downright beautiful if you only take the time to look carefully … Continued
This male Eastern Bluebird was aggressively defending his nest from his own reflection in our shed’s window. I snuck inside with the tripod and 400mm lens to get some shots. He came in incredibly close. After bagging a ton of … Continued
We have been lucky enough to have Eastern bluebirds nest in our yard multiple times. As the field nearby is slowly being taken over by trees, our property has become less attractive to the bluebirds. This year they built a … Continued
