Sparrows

Snowbank Rescue

Snowbank Rescue

View the November 2023 Nature Friend Magazine “What are you looking at, Father?” Joanna asked. She had just returned from the sink where she had swallowed a dose of cough syrup. Staying home from...

My Walk

My Walk

View the July 2023 Nature Friend Magazine Spruce Grouse. Photo © Jessica Tschetter. It’s early May. Summer is now installed, and so is the itch to find and photograph summer wildlife—in me anyway....

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...