A simple whistle, ascending at the end, easy to imitate. It’s the hour when the light departs, converting the trees into silhouettes, and the evening […]
Bridging the distance: two countries and a Cassin’s kingbird
I recognized it right away, that emphatic kiBURR call from the ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) on the hill. I was in Rosebud County, Montana with […]
Among the redcedars: finding stillness in the rain-drenched forest
It’s a cool, misty morning in late May at the Ross Creek Cedars, a remnant patch of old-growth forest in the rain-blessed northwestern corner of […]
Waiting for rain: making it through climate change
It’s a dry September morning and the sun rises orange through a thick mass of wildfire smoke. The smell of it is the first thing […]
Sandhill cranes and Baird’s sandpipers: Lake Helena part 3
Note: This story is the third and final in a series about Lake Helena and getting to know a place in nature over time. In […]
Of bitterns and bank swallows: Lake Helena, part 2
This story is the second in a series about Lake Helena and getting to know a place in nature over time. If you haven’t heard […]
Nature at Lake Helena, part 1: shorebirds to the Arctic
May 15, 2024 A light rain fell during the night, and the west end of Lake Helena is wrapped in a gentle gray fog as […]
A hopeful sign for a bird in decline: helping Montana’s tree swallows
The nest boxes haven’t been up for five minutes, and already a small cloud of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) is swirling around them. A dusky, […]
Learning from starlings: urban ecosystems and weedy species
Nature is all around us, all the time. Wherever we are, we live in an ecosystem. It may be far from pristine. It may be […]
An explosion of voices: listening to the birds and the Huatulco River
It’s a cool morning on the outskirts of Santa María Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico. The streetlights are still glowing in the waning darkness, illuminating the road […]