“Fall migration” conjures up images of honking, south-bound geese and monarch butterflies on their way to Mexico. Each autumn we marvel at the long distance migrations made by many other birds and animals. Some dragonflies make long distance movements, and salmon make well known spawning runs from the ocean to freshwater spawning grounds. But there [...]

Changing day length bird migration triggers bird migration because photoperiod is the only absolutely reliable environmental cue that signals birds that keeps seasonal time. Ruby-throated hummingbirds have already begun to leave, and chimney swifts and nighthawks are gathering in evening skies as they prepare to head south. Monarch butterflies Even more remarkable than bird migration, [...]

When my daughter, Emma, turned 9 (she’s now 20), she asked for only one thing — a yellow Lab puppy. She had been reading about Labs in library books for weeks, and she knew this was the dog for her. I tried to talk her into a shelter dog, but it had to be a [...]

Compared to spring and early summer, late summer mornings are quiet. Most birds are done nesting. The avian territorial imperative has given way to memories of fall migration. Other sounds, however, fill the void. More noisy than musical, the sounds of insects define late summer. In the heat of the day, dog day cicadas drone [...]

Anyone who has ever perused a field guide to birds has no doubt wondered how some of the names originated. By convention, the person who first describes a species gets to name it. The stories behind the scientific names are complex and steeped in Latin and Greek. Accurate names Common names are another story. Some [...]

For the last 10 years, many of us have been plagued by ladybugs invading our homes each fall. That’s why it may be hard to believe that some species of ladybugs (or lady bird beetles as they are more correctly called) are disappearing. Citizen science project But it’s true, and entomologists at Cornell University have [...]

Any ichthyologist knows that largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are not members of the bass family. The fish competitive anglers seek are actually large members of the sunfish family.

Readers often ask if it’s possible to love both wild birds and cats. My answer is “yes.” But I always add that, “Cats make great indoor pets.” Our last cat lived the good life for 17 years. Outdoors, cats kill millions of song birds and small mammals annually, and their life expectancy shortens considerably. Here’s [...]

The results of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s 2009 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey are in, and the news is good. The preliminary estimate of total ducks in North America was 42 million, up 13 percent from last year’s estimate and 25 percent greater than the 1955-2008 average. The survey samples more than [...]

It’s been a banner year for wildlife in my backyard, and each evening my wife and I enjoy the show from the back porch. Pairs of bluebirds, robins, phoebes, chipping sparrows and Carolina wrens tend to their second nests of the season, while the young of their first broods search the backyard for insects and [...]