Tag Archives: birds
Paying back Spain in kind with Red Kites
Red Kites were familiar sights in London in Shakespeare’s day. He mentioned them in several plays, but not always with compliments. The Winter’s Tale tells a complaint that “My traffic is sheets; when the kits builds, look to lesser linen.”They … Continue reading
Virginia Nature Journal for January
After the merry Christmas holidays and the high spirits of Hogmanay and Ne’er Day in Scotland, January stretches out, dark, drab and driech. February too promises precious few fine days, although the longer daylight hours are cheering. It is time … Continue reading
Christmas Birds
Our friends and neighbors turned up early for a hand-out on Christmas Eve in Williamsburg. They looked snug in their colored winter jackets and were eager for suet, seed, and nuts. I recorded them in my FeederWatch tally sheet—northern cardinals, … Continue reading
Seventeen Year Itch
Back in 1996, Bill Clinton was still in his first term of office, Charles and Diana agreed to divorce, the Unabomber was apprehended, and Ella Fitzgerald died. That year I hadn’t even dreamed of moving permanently to North America: I … Continue reading
Cardinal robes
As winter marches towards spring, two male northern cardinals have set up territories in our yard, keeping an eye on their mates but not getting along with each other. They watch, emblazoned against a blue sky, from a favorite perch … Continue reading







