Nature Articles

Flights Against the Sunset: Stories That Reunited a Mother and Son, By Kenn Kaufman This poignant memoir recounts the time the author spent at his mother’s bedside after she had suffered a stroke and before she passed away. Kaufman makes it clear that his mother had played a vital part of shaping the person he would become by blessing him with the gift of [...]

I work at a zoo, so I’m able to appreciate exotic birds anytime. But I’ve increasingly become aware that our local birds deserve attention too. Have you ever stepped outside in the early morning and taken a moment to really listen? At first, it might just be the hum of cars passing, a plane overhead, or distant voices drifting through the air. But if [...]

In April 2020, I needed a senior project in order to graduate from the Friends’ Central School in Wynnewood. I decided to study birds, though I could barely name a single species. Every bird was a blur of movement and color, vanishing before I could admire it. Then my mentor, my best friend’s mom who first sparked this passion, handed me a pocket [...]

It was a dark and stormy night, well not so dark, but stormy on this late October day. Nearing home, I spied twenty or so Turkey Vultures hunched over the branches of what I call the haunted tree; it looks like the iconic creepy tree you imagine seeing on a Halloween night. The tree was old, tall, leafless, with many twisted and gnarled branches, [...]

“Our” Birds Aren’t Just Ours Did you know that many of the birds we enjoy here in Pennsylvania aren’t really “our” birds? Songbirds such as Scarlet Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles, and almost all of the warblers, along with many of the birds of prey and members of other groups such as shorebirds, head south in the fall. A lot of ”our” birds winter in Mexico [...]

Conservation of Grassland Birds: Taking Nature Under Our Wing Claudia Winters, bird conservation program manager for Natural Lands, is on a mission to protect grassland birds such as the Bobolink. “Bobolinks are really charismatic birds,” she says with a smile. “During spring breeding, males sing a bubbling, rambling song while acrobatically diving and hovering over the meadows. They sound like R2D2 from Star Wars.” [...]

Although I do remember having a pet bird (I don't know what kind, but remember it was white) that used to perch on my Mom's glasses when I was a very little girl, my real spark for birds came much later in life. When I entered my 40s and my Mom her 70s, her life slowed down quite a bit, and we spent [...]

The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times, By Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams “Probably the question I am asked more often than any other is: Do you honestly believe there is hope for our world? For the future of our children and grandchildren? And I am able to answer truthfully, yes.” In this book, her final testament, Jane Goodall offers us [...]

These common insects in our yards go unnoticed—not just because of their tiny size, but also their skillful behavior to evade detection. That is, until you know how to look for one. With over 3000 described species in North America, leafhoppers show a mesmerizing variety of beautiful patterns and colors in tiny packages. Dare I say that leafhoppers are captivating in a warbler [...]

Despite the title of this article, there is actually no such thing as “bird vision.” We humans naturally think that all other creatures “see” the world as we do. However, each of the approximately 10,000 species of birds has evolved to see the world in a unique way that maximizes its ability to obtain food and avoid predators. This makes a lot of sense [...]

What do you see when looking at flowers? Hopefully, you see visiting pollinators like bumble bees. You may notice butterflies flitting about. Maybe honey bees too? These bigger insects draw our attention. But if those pollinators are there, there are more! They’re just smaller, or not as numerous, so harder to find. I tell people this, but is it true? Being curious (and a [...]

For anyone with an interest in or curiosity about all of nature, iNaturalist (iNat) is THE app to try. Using only the camera on your phone, you can snap a photo of any wild, living organism and add it as an Observation. Before long, with your occasional observations you’ll be putting names to the surrounding nature. Then, you’ll start looking closer and noticing things [...]

Most experienced birders are familiar with eBird. Many of us use it every time we go birding. eBird is among the largest biodiversity-related citizen science projects, with 100 million sightings submitted annually. But how does the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (CLO) use eBird data, and how can we citizen scientists give them high quality data? CLO states that they archive and freely share the [...]

No, it was not some exotic species that a guide peripherally pointed out while really focused on the large tawny cat, with intense eyes, approaching the vehicle. No, it was not a first glorious day of spring when I looked out my window to see the feathered harbingers eager to get on with the business of life. No, it was not that night [...]

Today’s column features one of my all-time favorite native plants, Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), also known as Coral Honeysuckle. What makes this plant so great? Well, first and foremost, it’s a hummingbird magnet. If there are Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in your neighborhood, they’re bound to come visit while this plant is blooming. In 2013 when I had a visit from a Rufous Hummingbird (a western [...]

The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne, By Chris Sweeney This engaging 2025 book is a biography of the first forensic ornithologist. Born in the South in 1910, Laybourne broke many barriers for women. The first in her family to attend college, she studied biology when it was not a woman's field. Her talent as a meticulous taxidermist led [...]

Insects engage in a broad range of approaches to attracting and courting a potential mate. There’s singing, gift giving, caressing, and even dancing! While we can’t attribute human emotions like LOVE to wildlife, we do know that the primary purpose of most adult-phase insects is to reproduce, and mate selection is key to species survival. Let’s start by clearing away any preconceived notions about [...]

Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World, by Christian Cooper. “Birding shifts your perceptions, adding new layers of meaning and brokering connections: between sounds and season, across far-flung places, and between who we are as people and a wild world that both transcends and embraces us. In my life, it has been a window into the wondrous.” [...]

Many bird species form close pair bonds. We don’t know what “love” is for a bird (we’re not even fully sure what “love” is for a human—it’s been debated for millennia!). What we do know is that birds engage in courtship rituals, some of them quite elaborate. Here we’ll admire three Pennsylvania bird species pairing off through detailed, choreographed movements that they, and [...]

The 252-acre forest in East Penn Township, Carbon County, that landowner Michael Kaczenski calls Mud Run Nature Preserve is a slice of heaven on Earth. More than 7,000 feet of streams traverse the property, flowing on to the Lehigh River. A dense canopy of native trees—white pine, red maple, and American beech—shade the waterways, keeping the water cold and [...]

Roses are Forever.   Roses have captured the public imagination. They are reflected in familiar literature—think of Robert Burns’ “My love is like a red, red rose” and Shakespeare’s “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” —and in music, for instance, Lyn Anderson’s “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” and Bette Midler’s “The Rose.” They serve as symbols of many things. [...]

Just as we both were thinking we would never find another person to love, we were brought under the spell of a Pileated Woodpecker. It was the year 2000, when we were both on our way to separate meetings at Delaware County Community College, in Media, PA. If you have ever been there, you know that coming from multiple parking lots, there are [...]

Parent birds give many gifts to their children—a nest to grow up in, warmth, food, and tutoring in how to fly, to find food, and to avoid predators. But adult birds give gifts to each other, too. Notably, adult male birds give gifts to females to attract them. To charm a female, a male Osprey holds a fish in his claws and flies [...]

A roost box for our winter birds makes a great gift, both for the bird-loving humans in your life and for the birds themselves. Bird Town Pennsylvania’s president, Heidi Shiver, can heartily confirm that—she was delighted to receive a roost box as a present. What is a roost box?, you might wonder. It’s a specially designed place where [...]

Butterflies are so well loved – we put them on jewelry and greeting cards. Meanwhile, their moth relatives are underappreciated and even disliked. In a recent survey, 75% of respondents had negative views of moths, replying that they eat clothes, are pests, or are just plain DULL. But there are lots of beautiful moths, including many daytime fliers – so how could that be??! [...]

In past articles, we’ve covered serviceberries and dogwoods, both spring-blooming small trees. It’s high time we talk about spicebush (Lindera benzoin), another early-blooming favorite of modest size, well suited to the native garden. (Because of their multi-stemmed habit, they're considered shrubs, not trees.) There’s so much to like about them, it’ll take several paragraphs to get through it all! [...]

My interest in birds was sparked by ... my toddler! Having children changes you in ways you never expected. For me, becoming a mother sparked a surprising new passion: birds. I’ve always appreciated nature from a distance, bugs creeped me out, and birds were just background noise. The idea of visiting Pittsburgh’s National Aviary sounded more like a dare than a day out, [...]

Review of Kids’ Field Guide to Birds by Daisy Yuhas. As a birder, I found this field guide to be unique and engaging. It begins with a section on birding basics, covering topics such as binoculars, conservation, and how to use the book. It highlights 80 common birds found in the lower 48 states. The body of the book is divided into eight [...]

My love of birds developed in elementary school as an attendee of Glen Haven Elementary. My home at that time was on a quiet road on the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky across the street from open fields. Because there were no professional sports in Kentucky, the rivalries were fierce at the high school and collegiate levels, and none fiercer than the University of [...]

You’re familiar with the incredible diversity of bird species in Pennsylvania – 435 species. But did you know that 437 species of bees have been recorded here too??!! And there are double the number of bee species worldwide as birds (20,000 bees vs 10,000 birds). Our native bees are powerhouse insects critical to the health of our environment. Their role in pollinating results in [...]

A wildlife corridor is a passageway that helps birds and other creatures survive despite the all-too-frequent loss of habitat they encounter. People often think of wildlife corridors as bridges for animals to walk safely above roads, or tunnels under those roads, or thin strips of wild lands that connect larger natural environments so that animals can safely get from one roomy area of habitat [...]

This fun, 2023 animated children’s movie is about a Mallard duck family of four: an overprotective dad, Mack; fun mom, Pam; precocious son Dax; and little daughter Gwen, who live together in a lovely, idyllic pond. After meeting a migrating flock of ducks who land on their pond, the family is inspired to see the world and have adventures of their own, but Dad [...]

Fall will be here before we know it, and the colors of goldenrod are a must for your native garden. They are also great in cut flower bunches, and usually they aren’t popular with deer. You can plant goldenrods now for lovely flowers this autumn, or you can plant them in the fall for lovely flowers next year. So this article is all [...]

She sits on a nest of 8-15 eggs in the bottom of a tree cavity covered in wood chips, and her mate is close by for the month of incubation. He leaves close to the period of hatching, spending time with other males from then on. The entire brood hatches in one day, usually spending a night in the nest, and then on [...]

Birds (and mammals) are renowned for their dedication to raising young that rely on parental care. But bugs? Motherhood doesn’t come to mind when we think about bugs because their immature stages largely fend for themselves. Perhaps you’re thinking – I know an insect that provides maternal care! That’s why we have honey! Or maybe you’ve [...]

Hedge clippers are sharp and can be dangerous to people—but they’re especially dangerous to nesting birds. Many birds like to nest in hedges and bushes, where the mass of little branches and leaves protects their helpless babies from predators like cats, foxes, and falcons. Nesting inside a thick bush or hedge is like having a natural fence around their home. Their young families need [...]

Hidden within our cities and towns is a second network of homes and gathering spaces: that of the Chimney Swifts. Often called “flying cigars” on account of their shape and size, Chimney Swifts are small, dark gray-brown birds found throughout the eastern half of the United States from mid-spring to early fall. Unlike most birds, Chimney Swifts are incapable of [...]

What comes to mind when you think about oaks? Majestic trees that provide shade and beauty in our cities and towns? Key components of forests? Hardwoods important economically for construction and furniture? The producers of acorns, loved by squirrels? Yes, all these things, but they are also critical to birds, including many of our favorite backyard birds. Oaks and Birds Oaks are important for [...]

Review of What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World, By Jon Young. As I sit down to write this review, I see a Cooper’s Hawk charge through my yard in a failed attempt to grab a bird at my feeder. In his book, What The Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World, Jon Young [...]

I didn’t have a spark bird at first—rather, I had a spark naturalist. Years ago, I joined a guided bird walk at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, TN. At one point, we paused to listen to the birds, and the guide began identifying them by sound: “That’s a Carolina Wren over there, those calls are a pair of Northern Cardinals checking in on [...]

Review of What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds By Jennifer Ackerman. A New York Times bestselling author who appealingly brings the lives of birds into focus, Ackerman has written a fascinating account of owls’ physical adaptations and lived experiences. The book is divided into nine chapters covering many topics, such as owl evolution, their hunting techniques, their [...]

If watching birds brings you joy and excitement, then you’re really going to enjoy butterfly watching too. These stunning winged insects are jewels on flowers. It’s only natural that we want to attract and feed them—just like we do birds. Being “cold-blooded,” butterflies don’t start flying until mid-morning, after sunning or warming themselves from the air. So, you can bird first AND then watch [...]

Looking out at a winter yard in Pennsylvania can give you a case of the blues. The sky is often gray, and everything else is shades of brown - the shrubs, trees, and all those flower stalks with seed heads you’ve left to feed the birds and serve as wintering habitat for insects. What can you do to brighten your landscape? Add something green! [...]

On these cold and dark days of the year, one silver lining is that this is a great time to see and hear owls. Maybe you’ve heard hooting in your neighborhood in the evening or even been woken up by a vocal owl. Pennsylvania is home to 6 species of owls, not including an additional 2 species that come down from farther north during [...]

Let’s go on a hunt with an owl and learn, step-by-step, about their amazing capabilities. Possessing even just one of their capabilities would mean having a superpower, but owls have far beyond just one extraordinary gift, possessing multiple talents in their sight, hearing, flight and more. Pennsylvania has six resident owl species, plus two more species that come in the winter, and has even [...]

I came to birdwatching somewhat late in life, in my mid-30s. I always had a latent interest in birds from early childhood, however. By the time I was four or five, I knew the names of most of the common birds around where I lived, especially the ubiquitous Northern Mockingbird, the state bird of my native Texas. Odd as it may sound, if [...]

If you love coffee or even only enjoy the occasional cup, you may have heard of shade-grown coffee, but you may be unaware of its importance for migratory North American songbirds. Such popular and familiar birds as Wood Thrush, Cerulean Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Ovenbird, Gray Catbird, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Scarlet Tanager, Magnolia Warbler, and Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, all of which can be seen in Pennsylvania in [...]

For some people, a “spark bird”—a feathered wonder igniting the human with a passion for bird watching and conservation—well for some people, that bird comes early in their life. But not for me. I had recently retired from a career as an elementary school teacher, and as I boarded the plane I was beyond excited to be taking a dream trip to see [...]

I was an arachnophobe most of my life, and the nightmare-provoking giant spider Shelob in Lord of the Rings was no help. Still, as a kid I loved Charlotte of Charlotte’s Web and was a Spiderman fan. I’m here to say that I have been cured, and there’s hope for you too by getting to know this amazing order of arthropods and their [...]

Have you ever been outdoors when suddenly it feels like you’re in the middle of a bird storm? Little, feathered bodies flitting around you—often with a chickadee feeding and vocalizing—and just when you try to see them better, they vanish? If so, you’ve likely experienced a mixed flock. People say “birds of a feather, flock together” to mean that people with similar values like to group together. But does this actually apply to birds, and are there exceptions to this rule? And why is there often a chickadee in the mix?

It’s easy to forget to plant shrubs. Many homeowners associate native plants with perennials, and this is quite understandable. Open a gardening magazine, or an issue of Birds and Blooms, and you are besieged with images of beautiful native flowers adorned with bumblebees busily pollinating, or goldfinches pecking away at seeds. Many homeowners, me included, began their native plant journeys with perennials, as they [...]

Following the 2019 report that North America had lost one third of its birds in the previous 50 years, journalists Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal set out on a 25,000 mile journey through North America to document efforts to save our vanishing birds. In this well-written book, they speak with scientists, conservationists, and activists focusing on many threats to birds, including habitat loss, climate change, and urban hazards.

Molting is the replacement of all or a substantial subset of a bird’s feathers. Birds generally molt once or twice a year; how often depends on the species. Some male birds molt into feathers called “eclipse plumage,” and although we humans also, in a way, have “eclipse plumage”—we put on special glasses and maybe even commemorative T-shirts for eclipses in the sky—eclipse plumage in [...]

Despite a childhood that was far from “outdoorsy,” Susan Bonfield stumbled onto a life path with birds, all the way to World Migratory Bird Day. Bird Town Pennsylvania was privileged this past May to chat with Dr. Susan Bonfield, the director of Environment for the Americas (EFTA). It’s a small organization (only 14 full-time staff) with an outsized impact. Partnering [...]

Book Review. Bird Girl: Looking to the Skies in Search of a Better Future Written by Mya-Rose Craig What is it like to be a teenager who has seen over 5,000 species of birds spanning all seven continents, plus Madagascar? What is it like to be a teenager whose mother suffers from severe bipolar disorder? What is it like to be a British Bangladeshi [...]

Flowering plants are living beings that need to reproduce, but they’re immobile. So, how do they reproduce? Plants have co-evolved with insects to obtain pollination services by rewarding them with nutritious nectar in exchange for the distribution of pollen to complete reproduction.

Spark Bird. Dappled morning light danced through the cottage curtains of my shared bedroom. Outside was a massive ficus tree framed by my neighbor’s huge hedge, with a break just large enough that I could peek through to admire his hibiscus flowers beyond. Usually, I spent most of my time outside climbing or collecting tadpoles down at one of the ponds or picking [...]

Native plants provide nectar, bugs, and fruit for birds. What else can they provide? Today’s column will focus on two great seed-producers! You can have beautiful garden flowers that also provide a fall and winter feast for birds to keep them going through cold weather. These two work well together to make a spectacular display for both you and the birds. [...]

This article explores the history of IBAs and the program in Pennsylvania. Then it highlights 6 IBAs across the state with a feature of a key featured bird species that is protected at each location.

Something massive and extraordinary, perilous and strange, is happening, now. It's one of the great spectacles of nature, and until recently it was invisible to us. It's happening high in the sky—in the dark, while we're sleeping—the passage of hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of birds over North America every night during spring and autumn migration. Now, thanks to technologies enabling us to perceive [...]

Springtime would not be complete without a trip to Cape May in hopes of spotting robin-sized and colored shorebirds called Red Knots, from the subspecies rufa, as they forage intensely for horseshoe crab eggs. They are gathering much-needed food along their migration flight north in May. When I think of tales and books about the incredible journeys that Red Knots take during migration, the [...]

Swallows, flying over a field, look like they’re performing amazing acrobatics in an empty sky! But they are actually feeding in a habitat filled with flying insects that aren’t visible to us.

What do plants for butterflies have to do with supporting birds? Several things: Remember Doug Tallamy’s estimate that it takes 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to raise one brood of chickadees? Well, sad to say from the butterflies’ perspective, but butterfly (and moth) larvae = caterpillars = great baby bird food. (In fact, I read somewhere that a reason butterfly numbers increase in July and [...]

Spark Bird. My Dad, George, is 90 and has moderate dementia. He can hold a good conversation for a few minutes, making puns and funny little comments, but once a topic changes, he doesn’t remember anything that was said about the previous topic. You can end up having the same chat with him many times a day because he doesn’t remember that he [...]

The human larynx is fabulous at producing an extensive range of sounds, including singing, but it’s less-than-ideal in its other function, which is to act as a valve keeping food and drink from going down the windpipe. So we humans regularly aspirate food and drink, and then we cough and sputter (or worse). Other mammals have the opposite problem: their larynxes are pretty good [...]

Did you ever wonder how noise might affect birds and their populations? Scientists have conducted studies that have demonstrated that birds are significantly affected by noise, including while trying either to attract mates via song, establish nests, or listen for predators, and that noise pollution can increase birds’ stress levels and reduce their sizes and life spans. [...]

Have you ever noticed bird calls while watching a movie? Bird calls are often used in films to create an atmosphere or mood. To create a creepy feeling, Common Loons are often used, while the Mourning Warbler’s song might suggest a neighborhood or homey feeling. Interestingly though, the setting or location of a movie or commercial scene is often not aligned with the bird’s [...]

Do you want to add a splash of vibrant color to your garden from spring till frost? Do you want to attract hummingbirds, butterflies and moths, and bees to boot? Then plants in the genus Phlox are for you! There are many different species in the genus Phlox. Some hug the ground while others can be up to four or five feet tall, [...]

“Is this a BAD bug?” is a common social media question that bugs me. Labeling bugs as good or bad bug is a human construct. Inherently, they aren’t either. Still, many people fear or hate bugs.

Appearances are deceiving, even for bird poop. Pretend you’re an insect that birds like to eat. Your life depends on evading detection from these master predators! Test your skills in detecting the imposter!

It’s called the little candle, the Christmas bird, the butterfly of the bird world, and even the latrine bird (!). Why does one species have such oddly different nicknames? Answering that question about this high-energy, very vocal little warbler—the American Redstart—will stretch your thinking in multiple directions. Redstarts live in Pennsylvania from late spring through mid-autumn, where they bop around [...]

There are now so many ways to follow and identify birds electronically to enhance our birding experiences as well as share them. Many people report bird sightings or look up birds on eBird or use Cornell University’s Merlin phone App. People also enjoy Birdcast to learn about migrating birds in real time. These and other electronic tools have greatly expanded the adventure of birdwatching. [...]

Book Review. Belle’s Journey: An Osprey Takes Flight Written by Rob Bierregaard and Illustrated by Kate Garchinsky This exciting and beautifully illustrated story is about a young osprey, Belle. It follows her first migration all the way to Brazil in South America and her return home again. To understand her journey and learn more about migration, scientists fitted her with a special small radio [...]

Berries for Birds. We’re well into fall, so it’s a great time to think about how you can help our migrants and over-wintering birds with your planting choices as they face the challenge of migration or cold weather. Viburnums are an excellent choice for both purposes. What are Viburnums? Viburnum is a genus of fruit-bearing shrubs, with a few [...]

Towns occasionally receive complaints from residents about the brightness of their neighbor’s outdoor lights. This is often a legitimate concern, and one that most of us might not be thinking about when we install those lights. Please be considerate of how your lighting might be impacting your neighbors and pay attention to whether your lights could be in violation of your town’s ordinances. In [...]

Birds don’t just eat bugs, they control their populations. We’ll also explore the “worm-like” larvae insects that we don't usually see, but birds eat.

Long viewed as otherworldly messengers and masters of metamorphosis, butterflies have for ages brought joy and beauty into our lives.

Movie Review. For bird watchers and lovers there aren’t really that many movies to enjoy that capture the fun, excitement and endless possibilities of bird watching.

There are so many opinions about what to do if you find a baby bird. Unless you’ve learned to communicate in detail with birds to ask the baby or its parents about their opinions, it’s best to go with the advice of human experts. So here’s a really useful infographic from the National Audubon Society. Also, [...]

Birds don’t, of course, hatch from eggs ready to just get up and fly, any more than humans are born ready to run or drive. Growing strong enough and developing the skills to fly is a multi-step process. Here’s how it starts: These newborn American Robins have a few tiny feathers but are nowhere near ready to try [...]

A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators strikes at the heart of what we strive for in Bird Town PA – creating wildlife habitat in our yards. While we encourage everyone to start by adding a few native plants, this enjoyable book is a guide to taking the next step - to go “from plants... to plant communities”. And it explains why [...]

The cow says moo, the bird says tweet, and the bee says buzz. But there’s much more to the buzz than meets the ears! It’s also a sound that some bees produce while performing a special skill called “buzz pollination,” or sonication. Over half of our native bee species can perform this skill. And even though only a small [...]

Bird Town Pennsylvania: Thank you, Mr. Ruby-throat, for taking the time to be interviewed today. We’re aware of how incredibly busy you are. Ruby-throated Hummer: You really aren’t that aware, unless you can imagine yourself running constantly here and there to get each item for every one of your meals at 9 miles per hour, every day of your life. And when I say [...]

This program is a solution-based “call to action to regenerate biodiversity and ecosystem function by planting native plants and creating new ecological networks.” Their goal is to have 20 million acres of native plantings in the US, which would represent half of the green lawns of privately-owned properties. Habitat loss is a profound problem for birds and many other kinds of wildlife, so [...]

Buds for Birds - Mighty Mites! Everyone loves Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, but have you thought about where they are when they aren’t with us in Pennsylvania? The hummers that breed here or pass through while heading farther north mostly winter way down in southern Mexico and Central America. Most of them get there by making a 600-mile nonstop flight across [...]

Movie Review. The remarkable lives of hummingbirds are beautifully captured in this 55-minute documentary shot primarily in the highlands of Brazil. There are over 360 hummingbird species, with the earliest believed to have emerged 50 million years ago. British broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough narrates and explains the fascinating history of how flowering plants coevolved with hummingbirds—the plants ensuring that their pollen would [...]

DO THIS, NOT THAT – Protecting Birds from Cats. Scientists estimate that domestic cats kill 2.4 billion birds in the U.S. every year (billion--that is not a typo!). *Much of the carnage comes from feral cats, but pet cats that are allowed to roam outdoors do plenty of killing too. In fact, after habitat loss, cats are the biggest threat [...]

Spotlight on Backyard Habitat Recognition Programs. The National Wildlife Federation’s “Certified Wildlife Habitat Program” is one of 10 programs that Bird Town Pennsylvania encourages homeowners to consider as they improve their backyard habitats to support birds and wildlife. Our goal is to engage and encourage all property owners and managers who care about providing good habitat for ecological diversity and a sustainable future. It’s [...]

DO THIS, NOT THAT – Practical Steps to Preventing Window Strikes. It probably happened to you at some time. You are at home, and you hear something that sounds like a soft thud in the background. You get up and investigate. Where did the sound come from? It sounded like it came from outside, but you look outside and see [...]

We live in a world where we can research anything with the simple click of a button. This is a wonderful thing to be able to do, but we must also realize that not everything we find is fact, or current. This holds true when you do a search of the web for bird-window collisions. You can find a wide range of facts, half-truths, [...]

Projects in Community Science, also called Citizen Science, are a fun way to contribute meaningfully in collecting data about our local bird and pollinator populations and beyond. The data that you collect help scientists study such things as diversity in nature and trends in populations. No formal training is required, but just curiosity, a willingness to go out and explore, and a smartphone or [...]

Set in Mongolia, this beautifully filmed documentary follows the teenager Aisholpan’s journey as she trains to becomes the first female in twelve generations of her nomad family to become an eagle huntress. With the help of her father, she learns how to train golden eagles, and she even captures and trains her own eaglet. She goes on to compete in the annual traditional Eagle [...]

Buds for Birds Be a Buddy — Plant Native It’s never too soon to start thinking about spring, is it? To make your dreams come true sooner rather than later, let’s talk about some of the earliest spring bloomers. Aside from having something to look forward to on dreary winter days, there are two good reasons to think about these plants early. First, [...]

Bugs for Birds As you’re snuggled warm in your bed… do you ever wonder what happens to our bugs in the winter? Okay, so it isn’t the most burning question on your mind. But come spring, birds (especially migrants) rely on bugs “reappearing”. So how do they survive and where do they go? Bugs are exothermic – which means [...]

A human conversation that doesn’t happen: “Brrrrr, I’m freezing out here!” “Remember, you can turn your body’s temperature requirements down—then you’ll be fine.” “Oh, right, good idea. I forgot how easy it is to re-set my internal dial.” A bird adaptation that does happen: In cold weather, birds sometimes turn their internal heat requirements down—in Pennsylvania, mourning doves and turkey vultures regularly use that [...]

DO THIS, NOT THAT – A Homeowner's Guide to Helping Beneficial Insects (and Birds) Weather the Winter Fall is upon us with a host of activities, football games, county fairs, and festivals. The smell of autumn greets us on crisp mornings, and we indulge in pumpkin lattes and ginger snap cookies. For us, as well as for nature, it’s a [...]

Spotlight on Community Science Projects in Community Science, also called Citizen Science, are a fun way to contribute meaningfully in collecting data about our local bird and pollinator populations and beyond. The data that you collect helps scientists study such things as diversity in nature and trends in populations. No formal training is required, but just curiosity, a willingness to go out and explore, [...]

Birdwatching: Classic Movies about Birds Bringing Migration into Focus: Winged Migration This is a stunning magnificent classic movie about the migration of birds both in spring and fall, when birds fly hundreds even thousands of miles as they navigate by the stars, sun, gravitational fields and landmarks to follow food sources and mate. The limited narration informs as needed, but the stars of the [...]

LIGHTS OUT Programs:  Do they help, and is it worth the effort? The short answer is YES! But it’s not that simple. Reading the news reports, on the night of the first and morning of the second of October 2020, over a thousand birds died in Philadelphia colliding with glass in a small block radius in downtown. Totally tragic and mostly preventable. Yet reading [...]

Your local grocery store closed down—what to do? You get in your car or on your bike and ride the roads to a grocer farther away. Birds react the same way: when cold weather closes down their food supplies in the north, they migrate south using their own ingenious transportation tools and tricks: elaborately engineered flight feathers and air highways complete with winding [...]

Seasonal migrations are exciting times for us birders. In the spring, we anxiously await return of our breeding birds from their southern wintering grounds. In the fall, we're sad to see them leave. While birds follow that classic concept of animal migration, insects (having shorter lifespans than a migration period) were historically excluded from consideration. Their small size and weight were also believed [...]

Your beloved relative is coming for the weekend:  you tidy up the house (but not so much that it feels like a don’t-touch museum), you prepare a comfy bed, set out clean towels in a clean bathroom, and stock the fridge with favorite foods.  So too for our distant kin, the birds:  you provide bushes, trees, wood piles, or nesting boxes where they can [...]

There are billions of people in the world, but we only fall in love with the ones who feel special to us.  Same with forks!  In America people use more than 100 million plastic utensils every day.  An ordinary plastic fork is just that—ordinary, not special.  Also, like all plastics, such a fork is a source of pollution that exposes birds and other wildlife [...]

Wait—are those birds carrying army pocketknives around??? Well, sort of. Birds don’t need to snatch our knives because they’ve got multi-tool knives built right into their bodies: their beaks. Birds’ beaks differ greatly depending on what they eat, but all beaks are strong while also remarkably light (flying creatures avoid hauling excess weight!). A beak is made of spongy bone inside, covered first by a [...]

Birds are affected by our “carbon footprints” —the amount of carbon pollution we put into the air through our energy and lifestyle choices. Carbon traps the sun’s heat around the Earth like a blanket.  An overheated Earth has more extreme weather—more hurricanes, wildfires, heat waves, droughts, and floods.  It’s like we’re putting big, hot, dirty feet into the sky. Climate shifts cause plant and [...]

Beautiful goldfinches with their lovely black wings are abundant now!  Did you know there’s another kind of “black gold” that YOU can create, and that it helps birds? “Black gold” comes from compositing—the natural way of recycling leaves, yard waste, and food scraps. Composting helps birds because it helps plants grow (birds really need plants!!).  Composting also reduces the air pollution that drives climate [...]

Our erratic climate can be disastrous for migrating birds.  Although scientists observe many birds adapting to climate change, “false springs” sometimes lure birds to migrate too early—followed by sudden, fatal “cold snaps” in the weather along their routes. Birds can also die or fail to breed from mismatches between previously synchronized—but now off-kilter—migration dates and the hatching or flowering of needed foods. But birds [...]

Do you love Birds?  And humans?  Then love a Bug! We don’t have lovebugs in Pennsylvania (they live down south), but we can all LOVE BUGS!  Here’s why: Bugs feed birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals (a possum can eat 4,000 ticks a week!).  Scientists report that, except for seabirds, 96% of North American birds feed insects to their young.  [...]

Wren babies begging for food; Printed with permission from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Hidden in bushes and trees all over our region, parent songbirds will soon be feeding adorable little hatchlings.  The babies have fragile throats, so they need soft food.  Fortunately, nature provides the perfect squishy protein packets for the hungry little ones:  caterpillars!  For most songbirds, caterpillars are the main [...]

When you were a child, did you love those soft gray pussy toes clustered along the stem of pussy willow branches?  I know I did. In spring, my mother would buy a bundle of cut, dry branches for an arrangement in the house, and I would stroke their soft fur.  But pussy willows are good for a lot more than indoor decoration! [...]

Whether you love or despise bugs, they’re important to birds as food and are fascinating to get to know.

Many of us embrace the beauty of the winter landscape when the first flakes of the year fall. By the time that February rolls around, though, we’re tired of snow and worn down by the effort of coping with the cold. Birds may not exactly share our emotions about winter, but as cold weather wears on, they also face extra challenges. Many insects are [...]

To help waning bird and insect populations by educating the public on how native plants could be used to create a beautiful and ecologically functional garden, the Upper Dublin Bird Town, Wyncote Audubon and the Ambler-Keystone Branch of the Woman’s National Farm and Garden Association are creating a Native Plant Demonstration Garden in the new Twining Valley Park. Once a golf course, the park presented [...]