Do you have a ritual you perform, either when you are elated and ecstatic, or when you feel down and depressed? Are there natural refuges you seek when you need to reset your compass? Ever since feathered beings have captured my heart and imagination, and ever since first witnessing the twice-annual migration of Sandhill cranes … Continue reading The Comfort Of Cranes
Among our migratory birds, one of the more color- and cheerful representatives is the Western Tanager. As the name implies, it does not typically frequent the eastern part of the Americas, but from its winter quarters in Central America or Mexico journeys to US states and Canadian provinces west of the Great Plains, where it … Continue reading Here Comes The Sun
May of 2020 has gone down in my personal record book as the birdiest month ever—186 different avian species enriched and enlivened my spring beyond the wildest expectations. This number included both resident as well as migratory birds, both birds previously known to me, as well as a few new ones—lifers, as we birders like … Continue reading Spring Migration
As this month is drawing to a close, I am, again, musing about its changeability. From record low to record high temperatures, from snow- and rainfalls to wind- and thunderstorms, Colorado Springs has seen it all. Whereas the first spring flowers were welcomed warmly, they paid for their precocity with their lives. Our daffodils and … Continue reading So This Was April
Dear Avocet, When I perused last year’s photo archive and found a series of portraits of you, my heart went into a happy little dance. You blessed us with your presence at a local lake during fall migration for one full golden October week. Only you know where you had come from and where you … Continue reading American Avocet
tanja britton 