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Books To Find For Nature Lovers

Great books make great gifts. Here are some titles worthy of consideration for nature loving family and friends on your holiday gift list. Birds in Winter: Surviving the Most Challenging Season by Roger Pasquier (2019, Princeton University Press, $29.95) has been incubating in the author’s mind for decades. Ever since writing Watching Birds: An Introduction to Ornithology in the mid 1970s, Pasquier wanted to write this book, but publishers thought the topic was too narrow. Birds in Winter proves they were wrong. Pasquier reveals the details of avian ecology and behavior: ¯ ...

Graceful Branches

Without the leaves on many of the trees and shrubs, sightlines are longer, that which is hidden forms shadowy outlines and lurking forms. Sometimes it is a downed tree, with roots now reaching toward the sky. Other times it’s a gnarled apple tree, the last of its grove, encased by ...

Encountering An Owl Can Be Wonderful

The sound startled my daughter and I as we walked through the mid-afternoon forest. A loud echoing hoot shot across the valley. The sound was coming from a dense patch of hemlock trees up the hill. It was close, very close. Scary close to someone who didn’t know what they were hearing, ...

A Turkey’s Disappearing Act Is Impressive

Thanksgiving has just passed, so let’s talk turkey. Anyone who has ever tried to get a good look at a wild turkey knows they have incredible eyesight. One moment you’re looking at a big bird; then you blink your eyes, and it’s gone. You swear you didn’t move a muscle, but obviously you did. And now, after trees have lost their leaves, the problem is exaggerated. Whether you’re a birder or a hunter, clearer sight lines give a huge advantage to turkeys. A turkey’s disappearing act is especially impressive for a bird that can weigh more than 20 pounds, run 25 miles per hour, ...

Take A Hike

Winter isn’t the time of year most people associate with hiking, but if you’re properly prepared and equipped with some basic knowledge, it’s a fine time to take a walk in the woods. What you wear on a winter hike can really make the difference between a miserable or even dangerous ...

Being Curious is A Good Reason To Stay Outdoors

I can clearly remember the first time I found myself in a grove of giant sequoias. On the first night of a camping trip, a group of us went out on a night hike under an almost full moon. We had the trail to ourselves and the entire experience was overwhelming in the best possible way. I ...