tales from the wild metropolis
Chromatically muted though they may be, Gadwalls aren't as conventional as they may first appear. For one thing, they've got a pirate streak that's fitting for a bird who lives the life aquatic, but surprisingly uncommon among their waterfowl kin.
Big things come in small packages, we're told... and if you'd like some evidence to support that theory, boy-howdy, have I got a potent little parcel for you! Measuring 3-4" (8-11 cm) from beak to tail-tip, and tipping the scale at 0.1-0.3 oz (4-8 g), less than 2 cents worth of copper, the Golden-Crowned Kinglet... Continue Reading →
If, as you gaze through a frosted window at a pewter sky, watching the neighborhood being tucked beneath a frosty white blanket, you wonder where all the snowbirds have gone… look no further than your own backyard. I'm talking about Dark-Eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis), of course. Small (5.5-6.3"/14-16 cm, beak to tail-tip; 0.6-1.1 oz/18-30 g),... Continue Reading →
Strolling through Lafayette Park early one evening, I took note of the usual suspects distributed along the edge of the centerpiece man-made lake as they waited patiently for red-and-white bobbers to disappear below the surface. The fisher-folk are a common fixture here — the reservoir is stocked by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) every... Continue Reading →
You know how there's always that last bit of liquid in the glass, just a few drops, that's resistant to lift-off no matter how many times you re-position the straw or how much suction force you apply? Well, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus varius) solved this physics problem over 10,000 years ago. Turns out, the solution to... Continue Reading →
Anywhere you hang your hat is home, or so the saying goes, but the same holds true even if your cap is actually a cluster of rose-colored feathers, or even a cloche of streaky tan and taupe. Perhaps we rarely see a House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) wearing a hat because once they settle on a... Continue Reading →
Descendants of German immigrants are living in the city park a couple of blocks from my loft. Nobody in this historic St. Louis neighborhood seems to mind, least of all me. In fact, this family has had an encampment there for 7 score and 10 years, so if the other residents notice them at all... Continue Reading →
"He sure does have a chip on his shoulder!" That statement is a metaphor... ... except when it isn't. Taken literally, this idiom for describing someone looking for a fight may also refer to the ornamental insignia on a military uniform, or the poppy red and sunflower yellow feathers of Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Like... Continue Reading →
Next-Door Nature 