Northern cardinals – The Jersey Birder

Molting makes for some odd-looking birds

Pale-looking hairy woodpecker clinging to a feeder.

For many birds, mid- to late-summer is molting season. As a result, you may see some odd-looking ones like the “bald” male Northern cardinal we’ve been seeing in our yard. His head is black; the red feathers have fallen off. While looking out to the yard this afternoon, I was surprised to see a hairyContinue reading “Molting makes for some odd-looking birds”

‘Soul Friend’ book: a love letter to birds and nature

Cover of Soul Friend book, with a illustration of a hairy woodpecker on a tree branch.

In the book “Soul Friend,” released last month by Blackwater Press, my friend Sheila McEntee writes movingly of her affinity for nature. She draws insights from her experiences observing flora and fauna whether hiking deep in the Appalachian woods or merely looking out the windows of her West Virginia home. Sheila and I were classmatesContinue reading “‘Soul Friend’ book: a love letter to birds and nature”