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The first of the year can be a really hard time to find and count birds where I live. It can be subzero with deep snow-cover and wind; it can be mild and (almost) spring-like; or it can be anywhere in between. This year the first was a mild 42 degrees Fahrenheit (5 Celsius). We…

January is thought to be named for either the Roman god Janus, or the female goddess Juno-Janus. Greek for gateway, Janus relates to beginnings and ends, doorways, entrances and departures. Depicted with two faces- one to look forward and one to look backwards, the idea is that all things in the future bear some mark…

This has been a good year to watch the skies. Since mid Feb, I have seen so many wonderful scenes unfold in the dark skies over my little corner of the word. From meteors, to comets; from planetary conjunctions, to the latest, 13th, and final, full moon of the year. There have been sunsets and…

Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side, is one of the most brilliant, successful people ever- in my humble opinion. And so it is with sincere apologies that I post both one of his comics and an image that I took today that caused me to stop the car and take a picture from the…

The year is winding down. I find myself wanting to say something like “and not a moment too soon!”. But I won’t do it, because it always winds down about now. Whether the year has been a good one or a bad one. Whether there is a white Christmas, or not. Whatever your success marker…

Last evening, December 21, 2020, we all packed in to the Sienna and headed out for a nice, dark park to take a mid-winter’s walk and see the planets Jupiter and Saturn cozy up to each other. I’ve been watching their progress for a few weeks. One of the nice things about living in the…

December 19, 2020The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) has been going on since 1900. That makes it the oldest running citizen science program in the country. It is also a great way to get out into nature, exercise and learn a little bit about the nature patches in your greater area, about birds, and about the…

Obsidian and I took the middle of the day to do a little walking and birding. I didn’t have a lot of time as I was planning to make a Cassoulet recipe that I enjoy, but I really wanted to get out and see what, if anything, was moving in the valley. Not much. We…

Life has been busy for the last 60 days or so. The Holidays, budget planning for next year- all that. I have spent less time out “afield”, and a bi more time that usual simply walking the pup in, closer to town. That lead me back around to the main point of this site- nature…

Today is the pseudosolstice where I live. Today’s sunset is the earliest of the year. The sunrise, however, is still getting later, and it doing so faster than the sunset is now also getting later. So- for another 10 days or so, the day will be shorter, but the sunset will be a tiny bit…