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Speaking of Nature: Introducing the Birch Perch II: Making improvements to my bird observation venue
12-10-2024 1:20 PM

By BILL DANIELSON

My last visit to the Thinking Chair occurred on Sunday, Oct. 20. It was a bright, sunny day and there had been a frost during the night and this produced some interesting effects on the remaining leaves down in the meadow. The following Saturday was...

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Speaking of Nature: Spotting the bird with the ‘X-factor’: The absolute worst time to be without a camera
12-03-2024 10:25 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

It was the morning of Thanksgiving Day and I was up early. Guests were still asleep and I was done with the morning chores. A pot of fresh coffee had been brewed, a fire was crackling happily in the wood stove (front doors open so the fire was...


Speaking of Nature: A feast for the little guys: Planning a menu for the birds in your life
11-26-2024 11:03 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

Thanksgiving is here and I couldn’t be happier. 2024 has been an “interesting” year and I, for one, just need a break. Even the hustle and bustle of the holiday (the shopping, cooking, traveling, or hosting) can be a delightful distraction from the...


Speaking of Nature: A featherweight sparring match: The blue jay and sharp-shinned hawk are evenly matched in speed and maneuverability
11-19-2024 2:40 PM

By BILL DANIELSON

It was Veteran’s Day and I was sitting at my kitchen window. I had a delicious mug of freshly brewed coffee, a comfortable seat to sit in and freshly washed windows to look through. The feeders had been stocked and I was all ready for a session of...


Speaking of Nature: The guest list, ‘bonus birds,’ and more
11-05-2024 2:05 PM

By BILL DANIELSON

September and October are months of farewell and I spend a lot of time trying to squeeze in a last visit with each species of bird before the they finally decide to pack it in and head south. Great friends that have spent the entire summer with me...


Speaking of Nature: An exceptional evening extravaganza: An entire yellow-rumped warbler flock threw a party on my deck
10-15-2024 1:46 PM

By BILL DANIELSON

I realize that I wrote a column on the yellow-rumped warbler just last week, but I had an encounter with this species that was as wonderful as it was unexpected. I very rarely feature a particular species in consecutive columns, but this was an...


Speaking of Nature: A record-breaking month of bird-watching: One good thing to come from catching COVID was extra time at the Thinking Chair
10-08-2024 2:19 PM

By BILL DANIELSON

The month of September was one of the most beautiful stretches of solid gorgeous weather that I can remember. There was very little rain last month and whatever rain there was seemed to fall on weekdays. As a result, there was ample time to get out...


Athol Bird & Nature Club installs nest boxes for American kestrels in Orange, Winchendon
09-26-2024 4:16 PM

By GREG VINE

ATHOL — Volunteers with the Athol Bird & Nature Club recently constructed new homes — for the birds.The two nest boxes were installed — one in Orange and one in Winchendon — specifically for the American kestrel (Falco sparverius). Also known as the...


Speaking of Nature: The return of feeder politics: It’s autumn, and the baby birds aren’t babies anymore
09-23-2024 6:01 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

On Sept. 22 we observed the official change in the seasons from summer to autumn. This was the Autumnal Equinox, the day when we technically saw 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. With each passing day we will now see less and less of the sun...


Speaking of Nature: Abandoned by the gods: One unusually unlucky birding morning
09-16-2024 6:01 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

Long-time readers of mine will be familiar with my tales of the Photo Gods. These are those supernatural beings that look over me during my photographic endeavors and either smile down on me benevolently, or take issue with something that I have done...


PHOTOS: Airborne at last
09-09-2024 3:18 PM


Speaking of Nature: The great southward migration
09-09-2024 12:45 PM

By BILL DANIELSON

One of the most remarkable things about birding in September is the number of strangers that you see. Having spent so much time observing the birds during the summer months, I have a very clear roster in my head of who the “regulars” are. Not only...


Speaking of Nature: He’s the king of the tyrants: The eastern kingbird is an aggressive, spunky little bird with an oversized attitude
09-02-2024 6:01 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

About a mile to the east of my house, sitting at the side of the quiet country road upon which I live, there is a small man-made pond that is typical of the kind that one might find near a farm. There are actually several of these ponds along this...


Speaking of Nature: Spotting an unusual feeding frenzy: Three very different species of birds partake in communal feeding
08-26-2024 6:01 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

For the final week of my summer vacation I decided to make a bold move and pay a visit to one of the wonderful coastal areas that we have in the state of Massachusetts. Earlier in the summer I went to First Encounter Beach, in Eastham, and to round...


Speaking of Nature: Heron in the mist: An otherworldly scene on my second day at First Encounter Beach
07-22-2024 6:01 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

My second visit to First Encounter Beach came on a Monday. The hustle and bustle of moving day was a thing of the past, but I am generally immune to routine traffic issues because of the early hours that I keep. There was no one on the road at 5:45...


Speaking of Nature: A bird that epitomizes ‘sleek’: An account of my first day at First Encounter Beach
07-15-2024 6:01 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

It was a Saturday morning on Cape Cod, which is usually a problematic day because it is moving day. All of the weekly renters start heading off the Cape to make room for the next wave of renters and traffic can be a bear. However, I had the advantage...


Speaking of Nature: Become a part of the background: Reasons why you can, and should, take up nature bathing
07-01-2024 6:01 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

Sometime back in the 1980s, in response to increased urbanization and technological development, the government of Japan decided that it was a good idea for people to turn off their electronics and get back to nature. Thus it was that the concept of...


Speaking of Nature: Introducing the Alder Flycatcher: After 27 years of waiting, the bird finally allowed itself to be photographed
06-23-2024 10:46 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

This week I have the rare pleasure of introducing you to a new species for the first time. After 27 years of reporting on my observations, I have finally acquired a photograph that I think is worthy of such an introduction. I have been exploring the...


Speaking of Nature: The return of some familiar feathered faces: Tree swallows come home to the same fields they used the previous year
06-03-2024 5:01 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

One of the great joys of the spring is the year’s first appearance of the tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). In my yard this event almost always occurs in the first week of April and this year was no exception. It was a close call, but the first...


Speaking of Nature: Wilson’s warbler sighting my first in a decade: The story of a bird named after the ‘Father Of American Ornithology’
05-20-2024 6:01 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

In 1794, a Scot named Alexander Wilson arrived in the newly-independent nation of the United States of America and got to the business of starting a new life for himself. He had been employed as a weaver back home and thought he could make a go of it...


Speaking of Nature: Capturing my Bermuda nemesis: The Great Kiskadee nearly evaded me, until I followed its song
05-06-2024 6:01 AM

By BILL DANIELSON

We’ve reached that point in the school year when it is actually painful (I mean physically painful) for me to leave my yard in the morning. May is the true month of the reawakening and blooming of Nature’s splendor and last week she was in full...

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