Sparrows

This Morning was the “Tomorrow”

This Morning was the “Tomorrow”

View the February 2023 Nature Friend Study Guide MacGillivray's Warbler. Photo © Kevin Shank. You may remember “The Photo Focus” in January ended with the sentence, “Plus, there is tomorrow.” Well,...

Building a Weight-triggered Perch

Building a Weight-triggered Perch

View the December Nature Friend Study Guide Chipping Sparrow. Photo © Austin Vinar. When trying to photograph skittish birds at my feeder, I’ve often thought, Wouldn’t it be nice to have a trail...

Big Day Birding

Big Day Birding

Canada Warbler. Photo © Dogwood Ridge. On May 13, 2022, my brother and I, along with five others, joined my grandfather on a big day birding trip. My grandfather, Andrew Troyer, keeps an annual big...

A Week by the Creek

A Week by the Creek

Stream and wild lupines. Photo © Dreamstime.com. With a last cautious effort, the sun finally peeked over the eastern horizon. Gaining confidence, it rose fully, flooding the earth with its warmth...

My Half-hour Hike…

My Half-hour Hike…

Henslow's Sparrow. Photo © Dreamstime.com. I was in a hurry because I wanted to go on a hike before dinner, and I had only half an hour of free time. I could not expect to see much of anything in...

Our Birding Day

Our Birding Day

Sunday dawned a beautiful morning. The first birds I saw were cardinals—male and female. There were Chipping, English, and House Sparrows at the feeder. Out the kitchen window I saw a Junco and a...

My Day With the Birds

My Day With the Birds

Red-tailed Hawk. Photo © Julian Kreider. When I was looking through the September Nature Friend, I saw the Birding with Friends Contest. I thought it would be interesting to try. I decided to make...