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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 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: A TALE OF TWO DOVES
The doves had been giving me the hairy eyeball all afternoon. Though with doves not having hair, I guess I should say they were giving me the...
WILD THINGS: IT’S THE EYE OF THE IBIS
The first thing you notice about a white Ibis is the bill, the long, sloping one that drops away from the face like the start of a...
WILD THINGS: ASK THE BIRD GEEK — THE LONG LEGS AND BIRD POOP EDITION
What’s the difference between a heron and an egret? — KK on BPK
The Old High German word for heron was heiger, their name for the long-necked, long-legged...
