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Author Archives: Kim Smith
Quick, Make Like a Statue!
I’ve got an interesting series of photos to show you today, sort of a follow up to my recent post titled The Hunter and the Hunted. The other day I glanced out the kitchen window and saw a red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta … Continue reading
Focus on Yard Birds
When I started birdwatching, my photos were almost exclusively shots of birds on feeders in my yard. When I began to venture out for birding at places away from home, I gradually got better at taking photos of birds in … Continue reading
The Hunter and the Hunted
There’s been a young Cooper’s hawk frequenting my yard recently. I see this species in my neighborhood throughout the year, but their visits become more frequent in the winter when I have the bird feeders out. An active bird feeder … Continue reading
Posted in Birds
Tagged accipter, Cooper's Hawk, hawk, house sparrow, hunter, predation, predator, prey, sparrow
19 Comments
Brain Food or Useless Fruit?
A few weeks ago I was counting birds in rural Marion County in central Ohio. My count partner Jim and I were participating in one of the many Audubon Christmas Bird Counts that take place all across the country each … Continue reading
Finding the Joy, Redux
I’ve written here before about how birds helped me discover a love and appreciation for the natural world rather late in life. They gave me years of enjoyment and also led me to my current passions for native plants, dragonflies, … Continue reading
Posted in Birds
Tagged buteo lineatus, Christmas Bird Count, melospiza melodia, mimus polyglottos, Ohio, sialia sialis
6 Comments
Happy New Year!
Thanks to all of you who have remained faithful readers of my blog this year. I’m grateful that so many people find value in what I share here, and I hope you’ll stick around to read about more nature adventures … Continue reading
Posted in Happiness and Gratitude
Tagged big things, carpenter bee, gardening, learning, little things, milkweed, Native plants
5 Comments
Seeing What You Want to See
A few weeks ago I went up to Michigan with my friend Tracy to see the Sandhill Cranes during their annual migration. We spent two days in the Jackson area, roaming the rural roads around Haehnle Sanctuary. Many of the … Continue reading
Posted in Birds, Migration
Tagged Aix sponsa, Antigone canadensis, birds, Eastern Meadowlark, expectations, mindfulness, mistakes, Sandhill Crane, Wood Duck
10 Comments
Cocooning
The weather here in northwestern Ohio has turned colder and wetter as we enter the depths of autumn. Humans turn to furnaces and fireplaces for comfort and survival, and insects have their various methods of doing the same. This year … Continue reading
Can You See Me Now?
While working in the garden between rain showers yesterday, I took a quick break to check on some monarch caterpillars in my native flower garden. I quickly saw that all four of them were accounted for, but worriedly noted that … Continue reading
Posted in Insects
Tagged camouflage, caterpillar, moth, synchlora aerata, wavy-lined emerald
5 Comments
