WILD THINGS COLUMN: KEY WEST TEAMS UP TO RESCUE A COMMON TERN
I was working hard on a “The Year In Birds” column. I had gotten as far as “January 2023” and needed a break. The mental energy it...
WILD THINGS: BONAPARTE’S GULLS, LAUGHING GULLS & GENERAL GULL ABILITY
My friends Matt and Tara were in town, and we’d been out on the boat most of the afternoon. I’d talked them into a little bit of...
WILD THINGS: LAKES, PONDS, TURTLES, GREBES & GULLS
Some days you just wake up with the idea of a place in your mind, and a strong desire to go there. You don’t know why. You...
WILD THINGS: TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, DOVE
I was sitting on the porch the other morning, drinking my coffee at a surprisingly early hour, considering what a late night it had been, when I...
WILD THINGS: FAVORITES, AND THE LACK OF THEM
I was having a nice conversation with someone at a party the other night when she stumped me with a very simple question: What’s your favorite book...
WILD THINGS: A LATE SPARK AND THE ROAD TO WACKADOO
It is hard to look at a common myna and not think that it is up to something.
Maybe it’s the black balaclava head. Maybe it’s the rubber...
WILD THINGS: FLIES, BOTH BOT & BUTTER
The last time I’d seen Mark Whiteside this excited was several years ago when he diagnosed me as having a botfly in my ankle. For those unfamiliar...
WILD THINGS: BIRDS ON WIRES
We ran into our friend Pat Kennedy the other day while waiting for a table at the Hogfish. And because we were all just sitting there, passing...
WILD THINGS: THE MECHANICS OF GRACE
Fort Zach was packed, flip-flops and burnt shoulders everywhere, even on a chilly day, by Keys standards. I start-stopped my way carefully through the first two parking...
WILD THINGS: SAW-BILLED DUCKS & LONG-TERM FRIENDSHIPS
My friend Clark called me a little while back and I missed it. When I returned the call half an hour later, he said, “Never mind. I...
