Haunting. Flute-like. Ethereal.
These are words commonly used to describe the song of a Wood Thrush. They’re all accurate.
Continue reading Ee-Oh-Lay!Image Credits: Carol Doeringer.
BLOG-Tales from a West Michigan Wood
A Wood Thrush Story
Nooooooo!
That was me, early on the morning of June 13.
I’d been watching and filming a Wood Thrush nest, expecting nestlings to fledge at any time. This morning, I set up my video gear at the first light. I positioned my tripod and zoomed in on the nest… almost ready to record… then, crash! I knocked over my big stainless steel coffee cup, which landed on a flagstone. The startled nestlings squawked and leaped in unison.
My eyes witnessed the fledge. My camera did not.
Continue reading A Wood Thrush StoryImage Credits: Carol Doeringer.
Duck Drama
Wood ducks seemed to be studying our squirrel tree.
We call it that because squirrels like to shelter inside. And each spring, at least one new family grows up there. One year, a pregnant raccoon took over the entire tree. But otherwise, for some twenty years, we have watched squirrel mamas, and eventually their pups, scurry in and out of the largely hollow tree.
But last week, I wondered if wood ducks might be moving in.
Continue reading Duck Drama
A Red-breasted Ballet… For Now
It’s almost time for the annual duck dance.
The Red-breasted Mergansers put on quite a springtime show. They scoot. They splash. The handsome boys bow to impress the ladies. I never tire of watching their annual courtship display.
Continue reading A Red-breasted Ballet… For NowImage Credits: Carol Doeringer.
One Batty Night
I felt a nudge. “Hey, wake up!”
It was my husband, Bert.
“Huh?”
“Something’s flying around in here!”
Here was our bedroom. Something was a bat.
Image Credits: ErinAdventure.
The Not-So-Sneaky Squirrel
Squirrels are known to spy on each other.
Usually, they’re watching another squirrel bury a nut. Then, when the coast is clear, they steal it. But food larceny didn’t explain the behavior of one little sneak I watched out my window.
Continue reading The Not-So-Sneaky SquirrelImage Credits: Carol Doeringer.
Dear Stink Bugs: Let’s Negotiate.
Here’s my best offer.
Continue reading Dear Stink Bugs: Let’s Negotiate.Image Credits: Carol Doeringer.
Call CSI: It’s an Insect Murder Mystery
A strange-looking fly caught my eye.
It stood upright, balanced not on its legs but on its wingtips. I leaned in for a closer look.
The fly wasn’t standing. It wasn’t even alive.
The poor creature had been stabbed.
Continue reading Call CSI: It’s an Insect Murder MysteryImage Credits: Carol Doeringer.
From Shallows to Swamp?
A bird stares intently, seemingly focused on an errant feather stuck to his beak.
But that’s not what this juvenile Bald Eagle is watching. Perched on the high bluff behind our Lake Allegan home, the raptor has a sweeping view of the water below. That view includes Eagle Island.
You can probably guess how that island got its name.
Continue reading From Shallows to Swamp?Image Credits: Carol Doeringer.
Petal Puzzle
Uh-oh. There goes another petal.
The foliage feasters are out in force these days. I don’t begrudge the insects’ leafy meals. But their bloom banquets are another story.
Continue reading Petal PuzzleImage Credits: Carol Doeringer.
A Squirrely Show of Color
The black squirrel stopped me in my tracks.
Black is a common color morph in eastern gray squirrels, especially in northern areas like Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario.
But this black squirrel had a most uncommon feature: a cinnamon-colored tail.
Continue reading A Squirrely Show of ColorImage Credits: Carol Doeringer.
An Ant Mystery
A carpenter ant wrestled with a wood chip.
She pushed, pulled, and flipped the chip, sometimes sinking her jaws into the wood. I could not imagine why.
Continue reading An Ant MysteryImage Credits: Carol Doeringer.
So Much for Sharing
Dark, dreary, frigid, and snowy
That’s our weather of late. But sitting in my snug office, just steps from soup, sourdough, coffee, and more… I’ve no reason to complain. The weather may be harsh, but I’m not suffering.
Can the same be said of the wildlife I watch through my window?
Continue reading So Much for SharingImage Credits: Carol Doeringer.