Essays
All essays
Recent writing on gardens, wildlife, books and memory.
Alpha in a Wolf Pack is a Fallacy
May 14, 2021
Studies of wild wolves reveal family and without pecking order
The Kindness of Rehabbers
May 7, 2021
Wildlife rehabbers aim to restore injured and orphaned animals to the wild
Eastern Screech Owl
May 4, 2021
Eastern Screech Owl cared for by wildlife rehabilitators
Flight of a Russian Queen
May 2, 2021
Queen found in mysterious patch of honeybees on ground
The Peril of Faith in a Net-Zero Target for Carbon Emissions
April 25, 2021
A critique of putting faith in net-zero carbon emissions
Carolina Wren
April 21, 2021
This girl looks coy with closed eyes but is probably acting. Carolina Wrens pair the year round and may be faithful to the same mate for years, up to a maximum recorded lifespan of 7 years. Great songsters for their
We were Pleistocene Predators
April 18, 2021
As natural is a word with a vast definition, diet is one with almost unlimited scope. Hence, the exploration of a natural diet as the touchstone of optimal health is but a Grail quest. The omnivorous diet of the San
Red-winged Blackbird
April 15, 2021
Seen locally the year round, Red-winged Blackbirds gather in flocks in winter. Occasionally an all-female flock dives into the garden to frenetically peck for seeds until disturbed when they storm off. Sometimes the females are mistaken for immature starlings or