(In a non-Hitchcockian kind of way!) I know. When we think of birds in charge of the world, we can’t help but think of those scary scenes of crows and starlings smashing through windows and clouds of birds attacking children on their way home from school in the infamous Hitchcock…

One of the pleasures of retirement — When I retired a few years ago, one my foremost wishes was that I would finally be able to slow down and enjoy the moment, especially if those moments could take place outdoors, in the garden or in the woods. Guess what? At least some of the time, my wish…

In more ways than one! — Ever since I learned to read, I have read packages compulsively: cereal boxes, toothpaste tubes, bread wrappers… As a child, I puzzled for a long time over the statement on food packages: contents may settle in transit. I knew this was supposed to be an explanation of some kind. One…

Or maybe even bird whisperer? — I have been excited recently by the new, free Merlin Bird App for my phone put out by Cornell Bird Lab. With this app, you can hold your phone up towards the sound of a singing bird. The app will then “listen” to the bird and in nearly every case…

The Wizard of Oz experience — For many years as a child and later as an adolescent, I enjoyed watching the MGM movie The Wizard of Oz on television with my family. My father who always preferred to tinker with and fix old stuff rather than buy new stuff did not want to spend extra money…

As witnessed by an astonished observer — I had heard about it before, but I had never actually seen it. It was so wonderful and surprising. I would happily have paid for the privilege of witnessing it. A few mornings ago, I was standing in my long, sloping backyard, surveying the tangled mass of overgrown grass, shrubs…