Lesser Yellowlegs fighting

Lesser Yellowlegs

Both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs can be extremely aggressive in defending their feeding territory. With so much rain this year, a local farm field has developed a very large but shallow puddle, attracting quite a few shorebirds. Though half the weight of the Greater Yellowlegs,  these Lesser Yellowlegs provided quite the show of aggression! They fought, almost to […]

Northern Shoveler

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Shoveler/overview

In breeding plumage, the Northern Shoveler is a handsome bird with striking rufous along its flanks and a bright green head. These colors are greatly muted in non-breeding plumage seen in the following photos taken in fall in Cape May, New Jersey. The beautiful sky-blue shoulder patch and green speculum are visible while the duck is […]

Rattlesnake Roundup! Sinnemahoning Snake Hunt

Timber Rattlesnake

Dark-phased Timber Rattlesnake (photo from Wikimedia Commons) The Sinnemahoning Sportsmen’s Association Snake Hunt recently held their 49th annual event, and it was attended by hundreds of participants and curious onlookers like me. It is one of several rattlesnake roundups held in north central PA every year. Participants first need to have a venomous snake-hunting permit acquired […]

White-throated Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

The handsome White-throated Sparrow which spends the winter in much of the Eastern United States, is a study of field marks: a black and white striped crown, a gray face with a black line through the eye, yellow tufts of feathers in front of the eye, and a well-defined white bib on a gray breast. […]

Sharing a love for nature

Sharing a love for nature is second nature for me. I love to see the light bulb go off when young people observe something new and alive jogging their world. We are privileged to have several International college students nearby doing an internship in Agronomy. Befriending these great kids means sharing my love for nature, […]